With so many apps in the iTunes App Store, it can be tough to sort through them all to find the gems. Here are our editors’ handpicked choices for the 50 best free apps for available for children on the iPhone and iPod touch, along with some honorable mentions.
Read the rest of this entry »
Archive for category iPhone Tips
The iPhone makes it a snap to activate call forwarding—there’s no need to call anyone or deal with voice menus. You simply activate it in the iPhone’s Settings. Just follow these instructions (note that all calls forwarded will count against your iPhone’s minutes):
1. Open Settings:
Read the rest of this entry »
iOS 4 brought with it a new way to make playlists on the iPhone, replacing the clunky “On the Go” playlists from the previous version of the iPhone software. Now, playlists can be created, named, edited, and synched back to iTunes. Here’s how to create a playlist on the iPhone:
How to Create an iPhone Playlist
1. Tap the iPod app to open it:
Read the rest of this entry »
Is the wrong email address showing up in the iPhone’s From: field by default? Here’s how to change it. Note that the default email address only works for new emails created in the “All Inboxes” view and in emails created outside of the iPhone’s Mail app. For example, in third-party apps.
How to Change the Default Email Account:
1. Tap Settings:
Read the rest of this entry »
Apple’s iBooks app can read both PDF and ePub documents, but there are times when you’ll want to convert your PDFs to ePub. Why? Because the ePub format is easier to read on smaller mobile devices, as the text is flowable, you can increase/decrease the font size, and you can highlight text and write notes.
To convert from PDF to ePub, you’ll need to download the free application called Calibre (available for Windows, Mac, and Linux).
How to Convert PDF to ePub using Calibre:
1. Open Calibre. During the initial setup, you’ll be asked for the type of device you’ll be using. Choose Apple, then iPhone/iTouch + Stanza (don’t worry, you won’t have to use Stanza to read the ePub docs):
Read the rest of this entry »
This iPhone tip was inspired by a similar one discovered by iPhone J.D. on how to use special glyph characters in iPhone folder names. Our tip takes it one step further, adding the cartoonish emoji to add a little color and graphics to your folder names. Combining emoji with words makes for a neat label, or you could just use the emoji alone. They also look sharp and detailed on the iPhone 4′s Retina Display screen.
To use emoji to label your folders, you must first have emoji (which are Japanese emoticons designed for cell phones) activated. See the next section for instructions on how to do this. Once activated, simple tap the globe icon on your keyboard until you see the emoji keyboard, and start labeling!
How to Enable Emoji
One of the best things about owning an iPhone is the amount of good and useful free apps available. But it’s tough to comb through the 200,000+ apps in the App Store to find them, so here is a list of our handpicked 175 best free iPhone apps, in no particular order, loosely grouped by similar apps. Did we miss any? Mention them in the comments and we may add them.
Read the rest of this entry »
If you’re trying to use the FaceTime feature on your new iPhone 4 and find that there are no on-screen buttons to tap or any ways to access it, it’s likely because you restored your new iPhone 4 with a backup of your previous iPhone, which for some bizarre reason disables FaceTime. You’ll need to reactivate it in the iPhone’s Settings (new iPhone 4 owners who don’t restore from a backup have FaceTime accessible by default). To activate FaceTime, you must go into the iPhone’s Settings, scroll down and tap Phone, then slide the FaceTime slider to On, like thus:
After it’s activated, you can make a FaceTime call by making a normal phone call and tapping the on-screen FaceTime option once connected (requires a WiFi connection and the other person to have an iPhone 4), or you can make a direct FaceTime to FaceTime call by selecting an individual contact and tapping the FaceTime button:
Bes sure to check out more of our iPhone Tips.
Summer means extreme heat in many areas of the country, and it’s important to note there is one part of your iPhone where heat can do a lot of damage: the battery. If you want to optimize the battery’s life expectancy, keep it cool.
The iPhone’s battery is mainly composed of lithium, and if left in high heat, all lithium ion batteries suffer more permanent capacity loss than if kept at cooler temperatures. Apple recognizes this, and in their official battery tips guide, they suggest you keep the iPhone out of the sun and from places where heat it trapped, like a car’s glove box on a hot day. Apple’s suggested temperature range for iPhone use is 32ºF to 95ºF.
For more on how lithium batteries are damaged by heat, check out this excellent article by Battery University.
And the cost to replace the iPhone’s battery? Free if under warranty, else Apple charges $79 to put in a new one.
Using an iPhone without a data plan (ie, voice only) can save you lots of money on monthly costs, but there’s only one problem: AT&T doesn’t offer a voice-only plan for the iPhone. But where there’s a will, there’s a way. To use the iPhone as a phone without a data plan requires two things:
- A prepaid sim card from a T-Mobile store.
- An unlocked iPhone.
It’s important to note that even without a data plan, you can still connect the iPhone to WiFi networks for Internet access.
Step 1. Buy a Prepaid T-Mobile Sim Card
To use a voice-only plan with the iPhone 3G, 3GS, or first-gen iPhone, you’re going to need a T-Mobile sim card (iPhone 4 requires a mini-sim). Check to make sure T-Mobile has service in your area here.
The easiest way to get a prepaid T-Mobile sim card is to go to a T-Mobile retail store and simply tell them what you want. Make sure to bring some form of ID. You can even tell them that you’re going to put the sim card in a unlocked iPhone, as many T-Mobile customers use unlocked iPhones (a T-Mobile cashier even once admitted to me he used an unlocked iPhone).
Cost
The cost of getting started with a prepaid T-Mobile voice-only sim card is as cheap as $22.05 (includes an activation fee) that comes with 30-60 minutes. The prepaid card (called Pay As You Go) can then be refilled as you go, no monthly fees! The current prices for T-Mobile’s minutes are:
- $10 for 30 minutes
- $25 for 130 minutes
- $50 for 400 minutes
- $100 for 1000 minutes
Text messages under the Pay As You Go plan are $0.05 to receive and $0.10 to send. There are also monthly plans and pay-by-the-day plans available as well. T-Mobile’s official prepaid plans website has more info.
Step 2. Jailbreak and Unlock the iPhone
The process of jailbreaking and unlocking your iPhone can be easy, but finding the right information and software for the job is often difficult. Why? Because every time Apple updates the iPhone software, someone must figure out how to jailbreak and unlock it all over again. This often requires new jailbreak/unlocking software for each version. There are also many schemes and scams out there that cloud Google search results and make your task of finding the correct software more difficult. If you want to save yourself the trouble, you can purchase unlocked iPhones off of eBay, but be prepared to spend some money.
We’ll get to some tips on how to jailbreak and unlock your iPhone in a second, but first, a quick definition of the terminology:
Jailbreak: Changing the iPhone’s software so that you can put non-Apple-approved software on it and change the way the iPhone software looks and behaves.
Unlock: Changing the iPhone’s software so it can be used with a carrier other than AT&T (in the US).
Jailbreaking and Unlocking Tips
Important note: For the current iPhone 3.1.3 software, only the first-gen iPhone can be unlocked for use on T-Mobile. The iPhone 3G, 3GS, and iPhone 4 cannot be unlocked currently (but they can be jailbroken), but an unlock may be soon, as one has been announced, but not released. Unlocks for previous versions of the iPhone software, however, work on all generations of the iPhone. If you buy an unlocked iPhone off eBay, it will most likely be running older versions of iPhone software.
- Don’t ever pay for jailbreaking or unlocking software.
- Make sure to run through the comments on any website to confirm that the software indeed works. If the site doesn’t have comments, don’t use the software/instructions.
- Google the terms jailbreak and/or unlock and the version of the iPhone OS to find the correct jailbreaking/unlocking software. For example, search for iPhone Jailbreak 3.1.3 and iPhone 3.1.3 unlock to unlock iPhone OS 3.1.3.
- To find out the version of the iPhone OS, go to the iPhone Settings–>General—>About and look at the number next to Version.
- Read up on the dangers of jailbreaking your iPhone, including possible security issues.
- iClarified.com is a great site for step-by-step jailbreaking instructions.
- Jailbreaking and unlocking are two separate processes. Some software does both for you, but oftentimes you must use different software for each.
- Some jailbreaking software, like Spirit, only jailbreaks and does not unlock the iPhone for use on other carriers
- After a successful jailbreak and unlock, do not accept Apple’s iPhone OS software updates, else your unlock will stop working.
Jailbreaking & unlocking iPhone 3.1.3: There are two good tools for jailbreaking iPhone 3.1.3, one for Windows and one for Mac. They are:
- Windows: Sn0wbreeze for jailbreak (link & instructions) (Important note: The iPhone 3G and 3GS currently cannot be unlocked if they are running iPhone 3.1.3. The first-gen iPhone is the only version that can be unlocked.)
- Mac: Pwnage Tool (download, instructions).
Summary
Using a voice-only prepaid T-Mobile plan on your iPhone can save money, but it will take some effort on your part to jailbreak and unlock your iPhone. For some, it may not be worth the hassle. It may be best simply to buy an unlocked iPhone off of eBay.
Apple does not in any way support jailbreaking and unlocking, which means you’ll not be able to take advantage of Apple’s iPhone updates until those who create the jailbreaking/unlocking release new software of their own. Essentially, you’ll be living outside of Apple’s walled garden. The disadvantages are something to take in consideration before attempting to unlock the iPhone.
(Note: any info in this article is for educational purposes only.)