The Smorgasbord

I just bought an Intel NAS Server for $135!!

I’ve waited for this day for a looong time. I literally just found this deal. What you’re looking at above in the pic is what I just bought on Buy.com, it’s a small computer in a box – a network storage server (NAS server). Literally, this is a mini computer with 512MB ram, a 1.6Ghz Celeron processor, and 250watt power supply. That’s not why I bought it though. This has 4 USB ports, a 100mbit Lan jack, and slots for both older ATA style drives, and newer Sata and eSata drives. Do you have any idea what this means?

I can plug this into my Wireless Linksys router in one of the 4 ports, and instantly every computer in my house can access this thing, my Ubuntu machines, Mac, PSP, Wii, PS3, our Xbox 360, even our Window XP, Vista, and Windows 7 machines (yes we have this much crap in our house). So, in this new Intel NAS Server I’m going to install my old 120GB ATA drive (from a machine that burned up), my new 750GB Hitatchi drive I just bought off woot.com, and then I’m going to plugin via USB my new 1.5 TB Seagate drive and 320GB myBook. Once I do this, every computer in the house will be able to access all these drives via the network!!!

Oh I forgot to mention the best part, this Intel NAS server only cost me $135 (and had FREE shipping)! Best find of the holiday season! Click here if you want one too.

Google just found another way to enter your life and make it that much more easy (and its free to boot!) Google voice is a (semi) new service offered by, you guessed, the giant that is Google. So when you start off you need an invite (You can request one from Google here http://services.google.com/fb/forms/googlevoiceinvite/. Once you’re in, by the way my invite took a few days; you need to decide if you want to keep your current number or if you want to have a new number.

The advantages of keep your current number do not need to be expressed, as most people have experienced the pain of getting an all new number, but if you get a new ‘Google number’ then you get several advantages that I personally took advantage of. First off you can set up call forwarding so that your Google number will ring to your cell, home or business phone number. Second you get FREE SMS (text) messaging, with all of them saved online (you can delete them if you so choose). Third you get several calling feature which either you pay extra for on your cell phone plan, or no not get at all. These features include blocking calls, record calls, conference calls and screening callers.

Now this may sound too good to be true, but I guarantee you it is NOT. All of your calls to anywhere in the United States are completely free. International calls will cost you but google does give you 10 cents free to make a international call. I can’t comment on the call quality of international calls as I don’t know many people out of the friendly confines of Michigan, but from the reviews I have read online the call quality is the same as it is from domestic calls, excellent.

Google rarely drops the ball and this is not one of those times. The call quality itself is enough to make you switch from your current VoIP provider, but add the fact that Google voice is nearly completely free and offers free text messaging make joining Google voice a literal no brain.

If you’re shopping for a “Dual Band Wireless Router”, I hope my review will help you. I decided that it was time for our family to break down and finally get a Wireless N router for the same of speed, but I had some questions to research first. Before putting out the bucks – I really wanted to make sure we got not only the most reliable product, but the fastest router we could find (our house is stacked from floor to rafters with wireless gadgets, lol!).

Can you get Dual Band Wireless N, both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz at the same time from one router? Is a dual band router twice as fast? Let’s find out!

Just about everyone who has multiple computers in their home have a wireless router. Most of those people bought theirs on a recommendation from [insert big box store here]. For most people these routers do their job and don’t give there “operator” any problems until it clunks out and you buy a new one. Well why not get educated on the new guy in the router game, IEEE 802.11n-2009, also known by its common name, “Wireless N”. The best way to take advantage of this technology are dual band routers as two is always better than one, right?

First off, if you go by CNET reviews (and I always do), no dual band wireless N router currently has above a 3 out of 5 rating, which if you’re not familiar with their system is only ‘good’. Okay, now that is out of the way, I rarely go with new technology or recommend it to others until it is completely fool-proof. I think that it just may be getting there now. Here are my recommendations of the best Dual-Band Wireless N routers.

Airport Extreme Review

Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station 802.11n ($175, although you could get it cheaper) – Don’t call me crazy until you have read all the features this little Apple that could offers. It has all the features of comparable features of routers of this type, but offer the ease that apple offers with all their products. If you run a mixed mac and pc network this router is perfect, if you however run all windows machines then you can find something a little cheaper with all the same features (it just may not be as fast). Believe it or not, you can use this Apple product as a router – even if you have no Apple computers in your house (it works just fine with Windows). This is a “true dual band” wireless N router, meaning it won’t make you choose between 2.5 and 5 GHz – you can actually use both. It will support printers and network storage, but it’s pick about USB external hard drives. It only supports 50 clients, which is more than enough for most households, just be forewarned there is a limit. Bottom line, I think most Windows users (advanced ones) will want more features).

Apple Airport Extreme Base Station A1143 Wireless Router
	USD 66.00 (11 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 00:30:37
Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station 10/100 USB Wireless G Router A1034 & Modem
	USD 29.95 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 06:00:43
Apple A1143 AirPort Extreme WI-Fi Wireless base station pc router
	USD 70.00 (10 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 01:00:54
Apple AirPort Extreme Base 4-Port 10/100 Wireless N Router (MA073LL/A)
	USD 49.99 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 01:34:05
Apple Airport Extreme Wi-Fi 802.11N 3-Port Router A1408 For Parts Not Working A
	USD 39.99 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 04:06:03
Apple AirPort Extreme 3-Port Gigabit Wireless N Router MC340LL/A
	USD 75.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 04:06:59
Apple Airport Base Station Extreme WIFI Router A1034 w/ AC adapters (Lot of 2)
	USD / 20.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-10 20:23:29
New Apple Airport Extreme.802.11n Wi-Fi MD031LL - 3-Port Wireless N Router
	USD 108.50 (16 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 06:49:32
Apple Airport Extreme N Router A1301 SIM Dualband
	USD 15.50 (2 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 18:15:50
Apple AirPort Extreme 3-Port Gigabit Wireless N Router (A1143)
	USD 7.38 (4 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 20:34:06

Linksys WRT400N Review

Linksys WRT400N ($120-149.99 just look around) – In our home we have almost exclusively used Linksys routers since we got our first high speed internet connection many years ago. They have always been easy to use and maintain and have that weird little purple-blue look to them. Well the WRT400N sports a new design but works as well as you would a expect a Linksys should. This router has true dual band support, but no Gigabit or USB support. The 5 GHz speed is a bit lacking.

Cisco-Linksys WRT400N 300 Mbps 4-Port 10/100 Wireless N Router WRT-400
	USD 14.99 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 00:20:41
LINKSYS WRT400N DUAL BAND WIFI N 300Mbps ROUTER & REPEATER W/ DD-WRT
	USD 69.98 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-10 01:16:38
Cisco-Linksys Simultaneous Dual-band Wireless-N Router
	USD 20.51 (9 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 17:22:09
Linksys WRT400N 4-Port 10/100 Wireless N Router
	USD 39.95 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-08 13:58:22
LINKSYS WRT400N SIMULTANEOUS DUALBAND WIRELESS-N ROUTER
	USD / 4.14 (4 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-07 01:21:18
Cisco-Linksys WRT400N Simultaneous Dual-Band Wireless Router w/ DD-WRT installed
	USD 69.95 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-07 02:57:08
Linksys WRT400N Dual-Band Wireless N (g,b,a) Router
	USD 56.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 17:28:14
Linksys WRT400N 300 Mbps 4-Port 10/100 Wireless N Router - Used, all accessories
	USD 1.25 (2 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-08 01:17:52
Used Linksys Dual-Band Wireless-N Router WRT400N
	USD 59.98 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-09 02:00:10
Linksys WRT400N 300 Mbps 4-Port 10/100 Wireless N Router
	USD 1.50 (2 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-09 17:21:39

Linksys WRT610N Review

Linksys WRT610N ($160.99-199.99 again look around) – This one is the next model up from the previous Linksys. The routers only major complaint is that the warranty is too short. Sounds like a good problem to have, meaning at least the complaints were performance related. The router offers a single mode, mix mode and simultaneous mode for sending the signal out. It support both 2.5 GHz and 5.0 GHz at the same time. You can attach storage devices to it, and on this one the mixed-mode throughput could be better. Other than that, it may be the best of the bunch, especially if you have external storage you want to make wireless.

Linksys WRT610N gigabit router - needs to be unbricked
	USD 30.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 01:34:31
NEW Linksys Cisco WRT610N Wireless N Router with DD-WRT - Version 2
	USD 98.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-09 08:58:38
Linksys WRT610N 270 Mbps 4-Port Gigabit Wireless N Router
	USD 48.88 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 03:36:57
*New* Linksys - WRT610N Simultaneous Dual-N Band Router
	USD 99.95 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-07 00:01:24
Linksys WRT610N V2 4-Port Gigabit Wireless N Router (WRT610N)
	USD 10.50 (4 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 17:06:05
Linksys WRT610N 270 Mbps 4-Port Gigabit Wireless N Router
	USD / 18.89 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 21:05:35
Cisco-Linksys WRT610N Simultaneous Dual-N Band Wireless Router
	USD 49.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-11 17:56:33
WRT610N Ver.2 Linksys Simultaneous Dual-Band Wireless N 4-Port Gigabit Router
	USD 5.00 (3 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-07 01:30:42
LINKSYS WRT610N DUAL BAND WIFI N ROUTER & REPEATER W/ DD-WRT MEGA WRT600N
	USD 78.97 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-10 01:41:41
Linksys WRT610N 270 Mbps 4-Port Gigabit Wireless N Router
	USD 40.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-07 19:48:06

I know most of these routers are more expensive than most routers you will find at Wal-Mart but as they say, you gotta pay for quality. One final note if your computer, laptop or wireless capable device is only wireless G compliant you have a few choices. First you could just stick with what you have as your new wireless N router does accept all incoming signals. Next you could buy wireless n adapters which are usb enabled, work as they should and are relatively expensive. The final choice is yours, the consumer.

Need a Blu-Ray player, but don’t want or need the gaming aspect of the Playstation 3? The Samsung BD-P3600 one of the highest rated non-PS3 Blu-Ray players on the market. The features on this player are a laundry list of what you will need to never leave your couch again. According to CNET (the holy grail of tech reviews) “The Samsung BD-P3600 is a huge leap ahead for standalone Blu-Ray players with blazing-fast operational speed, tons of features and excellent image quality.” Well let’s see if this player reaches its potential, or lags back like the rest of standalone players.

The player claims to boast a new innovative Video Quality Enhancement (QVE) feature that further improves the picture quality by adjusting brightness, flickering and other visual “noise”. While this sounds like an awesome feature it really only goes so far to improve video quality. This feature is clearly targeting videophiles but most videophiles have manually tweaked their settings anyways. This is not a mark down, but a heads up.

Besides the QVE this player really shines when you see all the options for viewing your media. First it has your Blu-Ray player, which benchmarks of the loading times met or came close to the industry leader, PS3. Next, it has a Netflix instant streaming player, which in term of performance works only slightly as well PS3’s Netflix player. It also has a Pandora player but it feels tacked on and load times are on the slow side. Finally, the player offers the ability to stream content from your pc. Once again the feature seems tacked on and is only there so Samsung can say “look what we did!”

I really wanted to like this player. It seems like for everything it does right, it does two things wrong. If you are in the market for a Blu-Ray player or you are looking to upgrade, get a ps3. Its really easy and it offers all the features of this player and much more, but it does it all much better.

Final Rating is a 6.5/10

As a Sprint subscriber the news of the HTC Hero Android Phone was like a wet dream. The first android phone to be offered on sprint could have been the biggest phone news of the year. The bad news, for me, was that I just recently locked myself into a brand new 2 year contract with the purchase of the Palm Pre in July. I want this phone for myself, but let’s see if good enough to ignore my brand new 2 year contract.

This phone is nearly identical to the T-Mobile MyTouch, which we reviewed earlier this year. That is not a bad thing as the T-Mobile MyTouch is one of the best look android phones on the market. The device its self is about half an inch thick and weighs about 4.5 ounces, which is also known as smaller than the iPhone! The phone, as previously mentioned, sports the Android OS and also includes HTC’s Sense user interface which helps you customize every aspect of the phone. Generally speaking we do not like phones that include special proprietary software but the Sense works so very well that we are willing to make an exception. The phone has a super responsive touch screen with multi-touch.

This phone simply just works and it works well. You have up to seven home screens and can create shortcuts for apps, folders, widgets and anything else your heart desires. The touch keyboard works surprisingly well with great accuracy and auto-correcting. There are a few surprising features that work very well including Flash Lite in the web browser. Speaking of the web browser, it works well. There are although there are some long loading times for flash, but unlike most phones it includes it nativity. The android market continues to improve and currently offers well over 10,000 apps to choose from! The 5.0 megapixel camera was just okay, the pictures had some blurring and was very hard to focus most of the time.

The phone is $180 with a contract, which if you’re on sprint and are coming up on a chance for a new phone, this may be the very best option available on the market. Despite the camera, the features this phone offer are fantastic and this phone is a great addition to new Smartphone’s that offer the Android OS. This is the first Android phone on Sprint and is one of the best phones available on the network.

Rating 9.5/10

Believe it or not, the keyboard and mouse are outdated. I mean, come one – I’m 40 years old and I’ve been using a keyboard and mouse since I think 1981. That’s 28 years, and only two things have improved. One – my mouse is now cordless. And two, it no longer has a ball or trackpad – now it has a little laser light for tracking.

The only improvement in all this time has been touchscreens, which are no better since basically it’s just a single finger at a time. I’ve been waiting for a lot of things a very long time – things that I’ll probably never see in this lifetime. Like flying cars, jet packs, and vacations on the damn moon (or a trip to mars).

We’ve all seen that idiot Tom Cruise in “Mission Impossible” where he puts his fingers in the air and grabs shit and moves it all around in some kind of crazy air/windows/keyboard mess. If that crap was real it’s would just be a carpal tunnel lawsuit waiting to happen. I’m going to show you the future, right friggin’ now. A future where windows is actually IMPROVED – where you use all 10 fingers and not a shitty one-finger mouse. I mean for god’s sake – who’s idea was it to just have one damn pointer on your desktop anyway?! Nobody ever thought to experiment with two mice so you could have one for each hand. A damn Xbox or Playstation controller has more features than a modern mouse.

Anyway – watch this video. If you aren’t amazed I’ll be shocked. Be prepared – it IS 6 minutes, but it’s worth your time, because it shows the future. The future with no mice and a flat surface that you use ALL 10 FINGERS on to interact with the computer. Now only would the paradigm of computing change for the first time in 30 years if this were to become reality, but imagine – just imagine how the future of gaming and entertainment could change on the PC as well!

10/GUI from C. Miller on Vimeo.

Hack a Palm Pre Wifi hot spot router?  Yes!

Remember back when the Palm Pre debuted at CES and one of the major announced features was the ability to tether via USB cable or Bluetooth?  Well a few weeks before the Pre came out sprint quietly removed the feature from the website and no reason was given.  Well as they say “if there is a will, there is a way” and the almighty Palm Pre community has given its rebuttal to sprints actions and boy is it a big one.    So here is the most recent way to turn your palm pre into a “MiFi Hot Spot”.

First you have to make a decision that is going to affect your wallet.  If you so choose (although it isn’t required to complete the hack) you can pay a ten dollar donation fee and get an automatic 2.0 installer to complete everything for you.  If you’re tight on cash, (what has two thumbs and hates to spend money? This Guy.), then you can download the manual 1.5 version and do everything the old fashioned way.  In this tutorial I will be doing the free version.  Maybe sometime in the near future I will do the 2.0 installer, because it does come with some extra features ala WEP encryption and also cancels the screen from automatically shutting off and therefore ending your connection.

STEP 1
First, you will need to make sure you have Java 6 or higher installed and you will also need to have Virtual Box installed as well.  I know it may seem like a waste now; it will come in handy in just a few minutes.

STEP 2
Next, you need to go register for the Palm Pre SDK at Palm.com.   You will need to follow the link in the email they send you so make sure you give a valid email address.  Follow the link and download the SDK for you operating system.  This download contains the files need to hack your Palm Pre.

STEP 3
Once all three things are downloaded you will need to put your Palm Pre into developer mode.  To do this you need to make sure all your cards are closed and begin typing ‘upupdowndownleftrightleftrightbastart’.  You will see a pop-up that says “Developer Mode Enabler”, tap that and slide it from ‘off’ to ‘on’.  A dialogue will ask you to reset your phone, say yes and go get yourself a snack because the Pre isn’t known for the quickest reboots.

STEP 4
Once your phone is reset you will need to download novaterm1.zip and unzip it to the C:\Program Files\Palm\SDK\bin.  If you’re under a different operating system or you installed the SDK to somewhere else then find it and unzip it to that location.  Now you need to connect the phone to your computer via usb cable and on your phone select just charge when it pops up.

STEP 5

Open up a command prompt and type
cd “\Program Files\Palm\SDK\bin”

Next you need to enter
novacom -t open tty://

Your command prompt will go to the root@castle.  Okay to some this maybe intimidating but if you follow the directions carefully then everything should go just fine.

STEP 6
Now in your root@castle command prompt you need to enter

wget -qO- http://mytether.net/install.php | /bin/sh

This command will download and install the 1.5 MyTether software directly to your palm pre.   Go to your apps and you will see a “My Tether” application has now appeared.  Open the app and enable tethering my turning the button to on and use DHCP when the app asks you.

STEP 7
Now this is the easiest (and most fun) step of all: Enjoy the fruits of you labor!  On your computer select “AoNet” as your wireless network.  It should connect in mere seconds.  If not reset your computer and phone.    You can connect to multiple devices to your Palm Pre because you just hacked yourself a wireless “MiFi” router!

Please post any and all questions in the comments section and we will accommodate you as soon as possible.  Also if you enjoyed this and want more palm pre articles, let us know in the comments section!

Used GREAT HP Palm Pre 2 unlocked - Black (Unlocked) AT&T T-Mobile Simple Mobile
	USD 84.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-07 03:15:49
Palm Pre Plus - Black (Verizon) Smartphone-Used
	USD 10.00 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 22:54:58
Palm Pre 8GB Sprint
	USD 30.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 23:17:26
Palm Pre - 8GB - Black (Sprint) Smartphone
	USD 23.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 20:25:56
Palm Pre - 8GB - Black (Sprint) Smartphone
	USD 20.00 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 00:47:27
Verizon Palm Pre Plus No Contract 3G QWERTY Touch Camera WebOS Slider Smartphone
	USD 44.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-09 14:51:24
Palm Pre P100EWW - Black (Bell Mobility) Cellular Phone
	USD / 51.25 (4 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 00:59:45
Palm PRE Sprint Used Working Camera Bluetooth Keyboard MP3 MMS Touch Phone BLACK
	USD 20.50 (4 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 02:00:20
Palm Pre (Sprint) WebOS Cellphone w/ Touchstone Kit & Warranty! Mint Condition!!
	USD 94.90 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-08 05:06:51
HP Palm Pre 3 - 16GB - Black (AT&T Branded) Unlocked GSM Smartphone
	USD 270.21 (24 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 03:15:33

Lot of 3 Palm Pixie phones - As Is - Untested
	USD 26.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-09 18:23:00
VERIZON PALM PIXIE PLUS-CELL PHONE
	USD 70.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 23:33:20

I’ve had a lot of inquiries recently about free iPhone apps, so I wrote this short little post about the top free ones I could find. Top free iPhone Apps

Number : eBay Mobile

Who doesn’t use eBay this days? I mean its a fast, and free way to shop for other people’s crap. Well I now you can do it from your iPhone anywhere, anytime. Now you have no excuse for losing an auction again!

Number : SaveBenjis

With the state of today’s economy everyone is a bargain shopper. With SaveBenjis you can now compare prices of any item where ever you are. Just enter the name of the product and this apps shoots back the prices of the big guys like Walmart, Best Buy, and Amazon, but it also shoots back small retailers as well!

Number : Mocha VNC Lite

Now this app is awesome. This free app allows you to control you PC from your iPhone! The setup is easy and it even allows you to control your mouse and keyboard. You might want to only using this one on your home network for security reasons.

Number: Pandora Radio

Its no secret that iPhone lacks an FM Tuner. Its also no secret that most people wish it did. No pandora isnt a radio replacement but it comes pretty damn close and for that reason alone this app had to make the list. The streaming is good over the cell network but this little guy proforms best on wifi.

Number: SportsTap

This is the best sports score app in the app store, hands down. It features up to the minute scores, box scores, transactions, big news, and features 15 different leagues to choice from ranging from baseball to NASCAR. It even using the GPS to show the scores for your hometown teams!

Number: Yelp

Yelp using your current GPS location or a specific city to show to find local businesses. It gives detailed business information like address, phone number, pricing level and user ratings and reviews. The app also allows you to make direct calls by tapping the number for the business!

Number: iProcrastinate Mobile

This task manager makes completing everything on time a breeze. Now if it only did the task for you! There is also a desktop version which syncs with the iPhone version to make sure your always on top of things!

Number: AIM

Never miss an Aol Instant Message again with AIM mobile. This app is just as feature rich as the its desktop counter part and even allows you to send sms messages! Why have a text message plan when this is free!

These aren’t all the free apps available, just a small few of my favorites. Use the comment section to post your favorites!

Sony T90 Digital Camera

Sony’s new T90 camera boasts a 3 inch touch screen and a 12 mega pixel image sensor. Is it worth its 265 dollar price tag? Find out now!

The T90 is the the absolute thinnest point and shoot I have ever seen, hands down. I was so enamored with its form factor I almost didn’t see its many flaws, almost. It may be thin but its main selling point, the 3 inch touch screen, is just a gimmick. It feels very fragile and feels like if I pushed to hard it would crumble to dust. Also it has that bleed affect when you touch the screen, kinda like an old LCD, not 2009 technology. The buttons are big and the menus are okay to navigate but call it a touch screen is a little deceiving as requires more nail than finger.

Even though I hated the screen I really don’t hate this camera. It is loaded with all sort of detection software. It detects smiles, faces, and it even detects the environment of the picture and picks appropriate settings. Those features are nice but what really matters is the image quality. The quality of pictures are decent but nothing fantastic. Also low lights are pictures are grainy and just not impressive. The image quality is an improvement over other Sony cameras but with so many good point and shoots on the market, just okay is not good enough.

265 dollars is just far to steep to justify purchasing this camera. Its main selling point, touch screen, is just to gimmicky to really work with everyday use. I feel like with so many other great options out there I just can’t recommend this camera at the price tag. This camera is with around 200 dollars and if the price is dropped I could see the purchase justified. Look for this on your favorite electronic stores clearance rack in the near future.

My Rating: 5.75/10

Do a quick search of “Jesus Phone” on google and you will see why its the iPhone’s nickname. Okay so the iPhone is great on its own, but you can open a whole new world of possibilities by doing a hack know as “jailbreaking.” Basically jailbreaking is a process that allows iPhone and iPod Touch users to run unofficial code on their devices bypassing Apple’s official distribution mechanism, the App Store. Once jailbroken, iPhone users are able to download many applications previously unavailable through the App Store. As of today, July 27 2009, jailbreaking is not illegal but the US Copyright Office is expected to rule on this later this year.

*As always this process is not recommended if you lack experience with electronics*
*Backup all of your data before beginning this process!*

Step 1: Download the software “redsn0w” from http://theiphoneproject.org/windows/redsn0w-win_0.7.2.zip
Step 2: Follow the software prompts.
Step 3: Plug into your PC or Mac and press the buttons it tells you to.
Step 4: Enjoy your new jailbroken iPhone!

Now that the hack is completed you should get familiar with the new app store that was installed, cydia. Its nearly identical to the old Apple App Store so it should be easy to get used to it.

Now on the good part: The Apps! First you should download Cycorder. This app allows you to record video @ 15fps in Quicktime format. This means you wont need to buy the 3GS for video because you just got it for free! Next you should download PDANet. This awesome app allows you to use your iPhone as a wireless router or a mobile modem. Basically this means you can now use your teether you iPhone to a MAC or PC connect to the internet where it would otherwise be impossible! Finally there is Discover. This app makes your iPhone accessible to every computer on your home network. This means you can add media files to your iPhone from any computer in your house! These are just a few of the great apps you can download with your jailbroken iPhone!

I have also included a video from G4′s Attack of the Show. They detail everything you can now do with your brand new Jailbroken software and they also include a video guide for installing the hack!

Enjoy the hack and make sure to post your results in the comment section!