With few exceptions, your iPhone can do everything your desktop PC can do. Here are 10 easy ways to unlock your iPhone's full potential.iPhone came loaded with great software that lets you get driving directions, listen to music, watch YouTube, surf the Web, keep your appointments, and of course make phone calls. But the iPhone can do far more than that—it truly is a full-fledged computer that fits in your pocket. With few exceptions, your iPhone can do everything your desktop can do, often at no cost. Here are ten things you might not have thought of, all of which you can do without spending a dime.

Apple iPhone Tips 1-5

 

1. Send free SMS messages, or "fake" MMS messages.

If you find yourself running over your text message limit on your cellular plan, don't despair! As long as you know your friends' cell-phone company, you can send them text messages free using e-mail via their carriers' e-mail-to-SMS gateway. In most cases, you send an e-mail to your contact's phone number @[their carrier's URL]. We've compiled a list of the proper format for each carrier's SMS gateway. For example, to send a text to the AT&T phone number (555-595-5244), you'd e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . It takes a bit longer than traditional texting, but it will get there, and you won't have to pay the standard text-message rate.

Using these gateways lets you get around one of the biggest limitations of the iPhone—the lack of multimedia messaging. Since you're sending e-mails, you can attach a photo, and your image will be delivered as an MMS message. Just add the e-mail-to-SMS address to your contacts as a second e-mail address so that you can access it easily, and you can stop worrying about whether iPhone 3.0 will support MMS or not.

2. Sync your iPhone's calendar with Google Calendar.

This new sync capability was announced by Google just before we were set to publish this tip roundup. Yes, you can now sync your Google Calendar with your iPhone without resorting to any third-party services, but it won't happen automatically. First, you need to make sure your iPhone firmware is Version 2.2 or later. Then you visit http://www.google.com/mobile/apple/sync.html, and take a few proactive steps. Don't ignore the step of backing up your contacts, as the Google Sync setup will delete them from the device. There are a couple of disadvantages to backing up your contacts to Google Contacts—doing so means you're no longer syncing with Outlook or MobileMe contacts, if you'd set one of those up. And you're sharing all your contacts with Google, which may or may not be a problem, depending on your comfort level. Finally, don't be confused by the fact that you actually set up your Gmail account as a Microsoft Exchange account rather than the Google Mail choice—Google Sync uses an Exchange server to accomplish the syncing.

In the next 13 steps of the process, you'll enter Google's server name and choose whether you want Contacts, Calendars, or both synced; and finally pass a couple of scary red warning screens reminding you that you'll lose the existing contacts and calendar entries on the phone. Thereafter, your contacts and calendar entries will sync with the beta Google services rather than MobileMe or Exchange. If you've enabled Push in your iPhone's Fetch New Data control panel, you won't have to do anything for the info to update. Otherwise, you can sync every 15 or 30 minutes, or manually when in your Gmail inbox.

3. Make your own ringtones.

Find that paying double to convert your song to a ringtone cramps your style? With this trick, you can make free ringtones from virtually any audio file. Just convert it to the AAC format (if it isn't already there): Set iTunes to import using its AAC filter, then right-click your file and select Create AAC version. Next, edit the file in any music editor (such as GarageBand on a Mac, or Audacity on Windows or a Mac) to select the 20 to 30 seconds that you want for your ringtone. Rename the file extension from .m4a to .m4r, then double-click it and iTunes will import it as a ringtone and sync it to your iPhone. The only catch: It doesn't work with DRM-protected songs. But now that iTunes offers DRM-free music, just buy the unprotected version and you're good to go.

4. Keep a photoblog.

The iPhone has everything you need to keep a visual diary online. Many blogging platforms, such as Blogger, allow you to e-mail photos directly to the site. In fact, you can create a "moblog" on the fly by e-mailing This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it from your phone (they'll e-mail you back with log-in details so you can edit your blog later on, when you're at a computer). Posterous is another service that will let you set up a blog directly from your phone—e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to set up a new blog or to add an existing one.

If you already have a blog and it doesn't accept posts by e-mail directly, you can e-mail images to your Flickr account and use the "Share This" link to post to most blogging platforms. Just set up a post-by-e-mail address at flickr.com/account/uploadbyemail and add the address to your iPhone's address book.

5. Find open Wi-Fi networks.

If you have an iPhone, you don't need a separate dongle to find an open wireless connection for your laptop. Simply take out your iPhone, tap Settings, select WiFi, then open Choose a network to see which Wi-Fi networks are available wherever you are. Perfect for checking to see if it's worth hauling out and booting up your laptop in your local library or coffee shop, or for checking whether your home network is visible from that corner of the garage or basement where you're considering moving your desktop.

Want to find the nearest wireless access point wherever you are? Try searching for "wifi" in the Maps application. Google will plot the nearest hot spots around your location based on the GPS (or cell-phone tower location).

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