1. Make you your iPhone is backed up in iTunes, in case something goes wrong.
2. From you iPhone, go to JailbreakMe.com.
3. Slide to jailbreak.
4. Sit back, relax. JailbreakMe will be downloaded to your iPhone and will work its magic. When done, a pop up will tell you that Cydia has been installed.
5. Reboot your iPhone. You don’t have to, but it’s always a good thing to do.

That’s it. Nothing to download to your computer.

by Leo Pang

Loren Brichter — the developer behind the soon-to-be-official Twitter iPhone app — has teamed up with the guys behind Borange to build Textie, a new iPhone app that effectively replaces SMS and MMS (in-app photos only).

The iPhone application, which is also iPad-friendly, is available now and offers users a free way to send text and photo messages to friends. Users can download the app for free and upgrade in-app for $1.99 should they wish to remove ads.

Textie is similar in function to TextPlus's popular free texting app, but it comes with a few key distinctions: app-to-e-mail or SMS support (and vice versa), the ability to send and receive photo messages and an aesthetically pleasing UI characteristic of Brichter's style.
Users can send SMS messages to friends by selecting a contact's e-mail address or mobile number from their iPhone address books. If the contact in question is already a Textie member, the message will be relayed to their app (and they'll receive an optional push notification). If the contact is not a member, the contact will either receive the message as an e-mail or a standard text message. In both scenarios, the contact's reply via e-mail or SMS will be instantly rerouted back to the sender's conversation in the app.

by Leo Pang

As you start typing you will see that a red underlining if the word is wrong. To correct the word you need to select the word and then click on correct. Then you will see a list of words coming up from which you can choose. You also have the option to add the word to the dictionary. But note that the word is not added to the iPhone’s memory (dictionary for auto-correct).

All in all its a great utility app for the iPhone. The app is actually paid but it has been cracked by xsellize repository and is available for free.Replace these texts with introduction normally between 2 and 5 sentences long.

Of course, you need jailbreak your iPhone first. If you don't know how, look at the Jailbreak sections on iPhone Campus.

Source: AppleiPhoneSchool

by Leo Pang

For those of you who don’t know how Google Voice works, let me explain briefly. Google Voice gives you a free phone number that entitles you to free calls in the US (and very cheap calls overseas). If you try to make a call from the Google Voice app on your iPhone (or the web-based version), Google Voice will call you at your number and connect you to the number you dialed. I’m not sure if that makes sense but basically, when you use Google Voice for calls, you don’t get free calls, minutes are taken off your plan, which kinda defeats the whole purpose.

Here is how the loophole works. Simply add your Google Voice number to your A-List. Now every time Google Voice calls you to connect the call with the dialed number, it will be free of charge and you’ll be able to call anyone in the US for free (really free).

I’m not sure this is very clear but Google Voice users will surely understand and see the benefits of this little trick. Let’s just hope AT&T doesn’t figure this one out and puts an end to it.

Do you use Google Voice? If so, you should definitely look into it.

Source: iPhoneDownloadBlog

by Leo Pang

This hack is only available for jailbroken iPhones. In order to set this up, you’ll need a few applications available from Cydia: SSH, Terminal, SBSettings, and either Cycorder or VideoRecorder (I recommend Cycorder).

1. Download Video Toggle and unzip the file.

2. SSH the unzipped file to \private\var\tmp
3. Enter Terminal as a Super User (type su – username: root – password: alpine) and type bash /private/var/tmp/VideoToggle/install (note there is a space between “bash” and “/”

4. Your iPhone should respring by itself. If it doesn’t, simply reboot your iphone.

You should now have a new toggle in SBSettings that allows you to edit videos recorded.

To try it out, either record a new video or go to your Camera Roll if you already recorded videos and you should see your videos there. Open a video and you should see the bar that lets you trim videos.

This is a hack. You do this at your own risks! Don’t come back yelling at me if you mess up your iPhone.
This seems to be a little buggy. Again, perform this hack at your own risks!
When you trim a video, you lose the original video
When the toggle is on, you can’t take pictures anymore (switch it off to take pictures again)
Once again, you are doing this at your own risks!

by Leo Pang

by Leo Pang

On your iPhone's Safari browser, type: http://iphone.alltop.com/

With this simple step you can read all iPhone news from AllTop. You can also customize the RSS feeds - selected the ones you like and remove the others. To do so, you can read Guy's following blog:

http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2009/07/how-to-read-your-favorite-rss-feeds-on-an-iphone.html

by Leo Pang

1. On your iPhone, open Safari browser, point it to the following site:

http://help.benm.at/help.php

1. Scroll down, find "Tethering & Internet Settings", "Mobileconfigs", click the "download" link.
2. Find your country and carrier. Click it, and it will install the network profile on your iPhone.
3. To use it, Go "Settings"->"General"->"Network"->"Internet Tethering", change it to "ON"
4. You can do the tethering either through USB cable or bluetooth.

by Leo Pang

UltraSn0w, the soft unlock for the iphone 3G 3.0 firmware is now available thanks to the good work of the Dev Team. This also works for 3GS now.

You have to jailbreak your iPhone 3G before you install UltraSn0w. To jailbreak your iPhone 3G, check out my other post.

After jailbreaking your iPhone 3G, follow these simple steps:

1. Launch Cydia.
2. Add the following source to Cydia repo666.ultrasn0w.com (note there is a “0″ in sn0w, not an “o”).
3. After installing this source in Cydia, search for “ultraSn0w”.
4. Install UltraSn0w and reboot your iPhone.
5. Done!

Note that T-Mobile users should disable 3G before using UltraSn0w.

by Leo Pang

After waiting for a few days, the fabulous iPhone dev team at last provided us with a new set of jailbreaking tools. If you're ready to dive in, you can use this guide to get going. And unlike some of the other guides on the net, we'll share our personal experience and tips so you know just what you're getting into…and what to avoid.

PwnageTool versus Redsn0w versus Ultrasn0w: What?!?

If you're new to jailbreaking, you might be confused by the names being tossed around out there: PwnageTool? Redsn0w? ultrasn0w? What are these people talking about?! Simply put, they're all tools that either jailbreak (allow you to install 3rd-party applications) or unlock (make the phone work on other GSM-based cellular networks) your device.

For expert hackers wanting to create their own custom firmware, the Mac OS X-only PwnageTool is the right one for the job. But if all you care about is jailbreaking, then you'll probably want the new tool called "redsn0w." Although you can certainly jailbreak using the PwnageTool (LifeHacker shows you how), Windows users have no choice but to use redsn0w - it's the only option.

Also of note, redsn0w is the replacement for the jailbreaking tool "QuickPwn," which in the past delivered similar functionality. Although the Dev Team didn't specifically come out and say so (besides this tweet), it looks like QuickPwn is no more.

Finally, Ultrasn0w is the tool that unlocks the iPhone to allow it to work on other cellular networks. (In the U.S., that means T-Mobile.) Before you can unlock the phone, though, you have to jailbreak it. Then you can follow the simple instructions here to complete the unlock process.

Jailbreaking 101

METHOD 1: FOR NEW JAILBREAKERS

Backup

Now you're ready to jailbreak your phone. Before doing this, you should make sure you have a recent iPhone backup just in case something goes horribly wrong (not likely, but better safe than sorry). Your iPhone is automatically backed up when you sync with iTunes - unless you're the impatient type who always cancels that step of the syncing process. In any case, do one more sync before starting your jailbreak.

Get Redsn0w

The next step is to obtain the software known as redsn0w. If you're familiar with using bittorrent software, the fastest way to get the download is through the torrent file. The Mac torrent is here and the Windows torrent is here. If you're not comfortable torrenting files, then you can head over to one of the mirror sites hosting the zip file. The Dev Team blog lists them all here at the bottom of the post. Make sure you get the correct one for your PC - either the one for Mac or the one for Windows.

After downloading the file, unzip its contents to a folder.

Jailbreak!

1) With your iPhone connected to your computer, you can now launch the redsn0w.exe application.

For Windows 7 users, take note: for best results you'll want to run the app in "compatibility mode." Right-click on the file, go to Properties, then click the "Compatibility" tab. Check the "run this program in compatibility mode for:" checkbox and choose Windows XP (Service Pack 2) from the list provided. Click "OK" to close the window. You may also want to run redsn0w as an Administrator (right-click, then choose "run as Administrator"). I didn't do this, but some users have reported this as necessary to keep the app from crashing.

2) On the first screen of the redsn0w application, you're prompted to browse for your IPSW (iPhone firmware) file. A lot of online tutorials first provide you with this file and make you place it in some sort of easy-to-find folder. That seems like a lot of extra steps considering that the IPSW is already on your computer. Why not just browse to it?

For Windows users, the file will be located in:

Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\<user name>\Application Data\Apple Computer\iTunes\iPhone Software Updates

Windows Vista or Windows 7: C:\Users\<user name>\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\iTunes\iPhone Software Updates

Note: replace <user name> with your username on the computer.

For Mac users, the file will be here: ~/Library/iTunes/iPhone Software Updates/

If multiple IPSW files are listed, make sure you grab the one with the most recent timestamp.

3) On the following screen, you're prompted to select your options. "Install Cydia" is already checked for you (Cydia is an app you use to download jailbroken apps). The other box, "Icy" (another app like Cydia) is not.

It's best to NOT install Icy at this point. For me, doing so led to a lot of issues including problems installing jailbroken apps, tons of error messages, and even crazy flashing screens. Don't risk it! You can always install Icy later (see bottom of post).

4) For the next step, you're told to power off your device. Hold down the button on the top of the phone until "Slide to Power off" appears. Once the device is completely off, click "Next."

5) OK, now for the fun part. The steps on this screen appear quickly, so you'll need to be prepared to follow the instructions.

The first step is to hold down the power button (the one at the top of the device) for the time specified. (The software will display a countdown next to each step.)

Next, while still holding the power button down, you'll press the "Home" button (the round button at the bottom) for the time specified.

While still holding the Home button down, release the power button for the time specified.

This will force your iPhone into a special mode which allows it to be jailbroken. Don't worry if you see the screen flash, it's all part of the process.

6) Assuming you did everything right, redsn0w will start the jailbreaking process. You'll see the status bar on the app moving and soon you'll be taken to a screen where you can finally click "Finish." However, your jailbreak isn't over yet.

Even though clicking "Finish" closes redsn0w, your jailbreak is likely still running at this point. You'll notice that on your iPhone's screen it says it's "downloading jailbreak data." You need to leave it alone until the phone reboots and returns you to the lock screen. Don't worry if this seems to be taking a while - it could take several minutes to finish - but it's not frozen, so let it do its thing.

FINISH!

After the phone reboots, you can use it as usual, except now you'll have a new app on your springboard for "Cydia" where you can find a treasure trove of jailbroken applications to install.

That's it! Congratulations, you're a jailbreaker!
Update Cydida, Install Icy from Cydia

For extra points, you'll want to now install the other app called "Icy," which, like Cydia, helps you locate apps for jailbroken phones. To do so, you'll first have to launch Cydia and update it. After telling Cydia what kind of user you are (I'm just a plain ol' end user - you probably are too), you'll be prompted to update the app. Choose "Upgrade Essential" and let Cydia download its updates.

When it's finished, return to the app and select "Manage" from the set of buttons at the bottom of the screen. Tap "Sources," "Edit," then "Add." Type in http://apt.ripdev.com and hit "Add Source" when done. Tap the "done" button and exit out of the "Manage" section.

Now, using the Search button, search for "Icy." A lot of results come up, but the one you want is simply called "Icy," nothing else. Install this application and you'll now have a second app on your screen for finding jailbroken programs. (Note: Icy replaces "Installer," the prior Cydia alternative).

METHOD 2: FOR KEEPING YOUR OLD JAILBREAK

Basically, instead of "downloading and installing" the 3.0 firmware from iTunes, you just download it to your computer. Then you choose "Restore" in iTunes to set your device back to factory settings. (Remember to have a recent backup first!). When you see a screen asking to choose which backup to be used to restore your iPhone, stop.

Next, close iTunes and run redsn0w as described above. Once the jailbreak is complete, re-open iTunes and choose "Restore from Backup." Choose your latest backup, and click "Continue". This will keep your jailbreak, but restore your settings and applications (not Jailbreak applications) to your last setting when you did your backup. You do have to reinstall all jailbreak applications manually.

Either way you jailbreak, the end result is an iPhone that can do all sorts of new tricks like record video and upload it to YouTube, let you install custom themes, icon sets, and even different battery indicators, and, of course, tweak away at system preferences like nobody's business. Some people don't see the point of jailbreaking, but it's hard for true jailbreakers to imagine their phones without it. Maybe now, you'll feel that way too!

by Leo Pang