The Apple iPhone 3G's battery life has been a topic of some debate - but it's not all Apple's fault.

Because the iPhone's battery isn't user replaceable and lithium-ion batteries inevitably degrade a little every time they're recharged it's vital you get the most out of iPhone's non-replaceable battery while it lasts.

The key way to maximise your iPhone's battery life is to know that if you iPhone is less active, the longer the battery will last. So if you're always playing games or watching videos - both processor-intensive tasks - don't be surprised to see the red battery low icon sooner rather than later.

But there are also some background processes - such as 3G signal polling, push email, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, even audible keyboard clicks - that draw a lot of power from the battery.

Do you really need any feature to be in an always-on state? If the answer's no, then turn it off and enable it only when you need it.

10 ways to get better battery life

1. Store and use the iPhone at room temperature

The iPhone functions well between 0 degrees centigrade and 35 degrees centigrade (32-95° F).

You should ideally store your iPhone in conditions between -20° C and 45° C (-4° F to 113° F).

The best battery life environment for both usage and storage is room temperature, approx. 22° C (72° F).

So keep your iPhone out of hot places - such as the glove box of a car - or especially direct sunshine.

2. Turn off Wi-fi

If you don't need to use Wi-Fi then you will get better battery life by turning it off and then enabling it when you need it.

• Go to Settings
• Click Wi-Fi
• Click Off

3. Change Mail autochecking from every 15 minutes to every 60 minutes

• Go to Settings
• Click Mail
• Click Auto-check and widen the interval or turn it off completely

4. Turn off Bluetooth

• Go to Settings
• Click General
• Click Bluetooth
• Select Off

5. Reduce the display brightness

• Go to Settings
• Click Brightness
• Drag the slider to the left to reduce brightness

6. Enable the display Auto-Brightness

• Go to Settings
• Click Brightness
• Switch Auto-Brightness to On

7. Lock the iPhone

Locking the iPhone as soon as you've finished using it will turn off the display and stop it making persistent calls while it's in your pocket - both of which draw battery power. Simply click on the Sleep/Wake button on the upper right hand of the iPhone until the display dims.

8. Turn off Keyboard Clicks

The noise keyboard click make actually uses up precious power - as well as being irritating! To turn off keyboard clicks:

• Go to Settings
• Click Sounds
• Switch Keyboard Clicks to Off

9. Enable Auto-Lock

Better still, if you can get into the habit of locking your iPhone yourself simply turn on the Auto-Lock feature:

• Go to Settings
• Click General
• Click Auto-Lock
• Select a duration before the Auto-Lock kicks in
  
  

10. Turn off the music equalizer (EQ)

The iPhone's audio equalizer uses a lot of battery juice and is not really a useful feature unless you're trying to sell a rubbish hi-fi in Dixons (RIP). Turn it off:

• Go to Settings
• Click iPod
• Select EQ and click Flat

Whatever you do - don't get your iPhone wet. Because odds are it will stop working and Apple specifically refuses to cover water damage in its warranty.

Don't try to go to Apple Store and plead ignorance either. The iPhone has a 'Liquid Submersion indicator' inside it that turns pink on contact with H20 - so they can see through your fake smile.

So if Apple won't help, do you simply have to cut your losses and buy a new one? Not so fast. Plenty of people have successfully dried out soaked iPhone and are happily using them post water-gate (sorry).

Remember, if you have completely drenched your iPhone don't try to restart it by plugging it into a power source. Be patient and follow the steps below first.

The best method is to get hold of some packets of Silica gel - which is extremely moisture-absorbent - that is often in the packing of expensive and water-sensitive electronics components. Check your old hi-fi or Blu-ray player boxes: you may find one these distinctive small sealed packages lying amidst the styrofoam.

Otherwise you can find it at most Arts & Crafts shops - it's used for drying flowers - or you may be able to blag it from an electronics store. You can also order it online from places like eBay.co.uk

Pack the iPhone in a sealed plastic bag with the packets of Silica gel and store it in a dry place for three days or so. That should ensure all the moisture is extracted from your iPhone.

If you can't get hold of the Silica gel quickly place your iPhone in an airtight bag or box of uncooked rice. This will keep it as dry as possible while you wait for your Silica gel bags to arrive.

Finally connect up your iPhone to your PC via USB, then boot up iTunes and do a complete software Restore. This should provide you with the best chance of resurrecting your drowned iPhone.

1. Recharge

If you see the red empty battery icon your iPhone may not be able to work at all until there is a minimum charge in the battery.

If the iPhone's battery is totally drained you may not see the battery recharge image for several minutes. If the display is blank when you plug it in wait a while to see if the icon makes an appearance.

If you see the red 'filler' of the battery icon flash three times and then the screen goes black, it means that iPhone is not receiving power to charge.

Remember: always plug the iPhone into a high-powered USB source such as the mains charger or one of the main USB ports on a computer that is plugged in. Firewire chargers will not work.

2. Restart

To restart your iPhone press and keep holding down the Sleep/Wake button on the top of the handset until the red slider appears onscreen. Slide it across to turn it off then repeat to turn the phone back on.

If the iPhone is frozen and can't be restarted in the normal way do the following:

• Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button and the Home button simultaneously for at least 10 seconds
• If the red slider appears or the screen dims, keep pressing the two buttons until the Apple logo appears.

3. Reset

Click on Settings then General then Reset All Settings

This will perform a reset of all the settings to the factory defaults. The data or content on the iPhone is unaffected.

4. Restore

If all else fails, you will need to perform a full back up and Restore your iPhone.

First of all, make sure you've got the latest version of iTunes. Then connect your iPhone to your PC or Mac and select it when it appears under Devices in iTunes.

If you haven't performed a Sync recently do so now to make sure all your contacts, photos and videos are up to date.

Click on the Summary tab and then click Restore.

If you haven't backed up your iPhone you will be told to do so now. This will back up all the data and settings on your iPhone.

Click on Restore. Wait until your iPhone completes the restore process and resets to the Home screen.

The Apple iPhone is tied into O2 and the iTunes App Store in the UK. However, for as long as the phone has been on the market, industrious programmers have worked hard to bypass these software lock-ins and free up the iPhone to third-party software and non-O2 sim cards.

The two-stage process to freeing up your iPhone is called 'jailbreaking' and 'unlocking'.

Jailbreaking

Jailbreaking involves downloading an application to your iPhone that frees up the handset's file system to allow third-party applications to be installed that can offer services that Apple or O2 may not. For instance, a jailbroken iPhone can easily be used as a tethered 3G modem - a standard iPhone needs to pay O2 a monthly fee to do the same thing.

Unlocking

Unlocking is the next stage beyond jailbreaking. This allows you to use non-O2 sim cards on your iPhone 3G - effectively breaking the O2 monopoly.

Stage 1 - Jailbreak your iPhone 3G

1. Make sure you have connected your iPhone 3G to your PC or Mac and updated your iTunes software to the latest version. Then check your iPhone OS is updated to the latest version (3.01)
2. Create a new folder on your Mac or PC desktop - call it 'jailbreak' or similar, the name doesn't really matter
3. Download Redsn0w 0.8 for Windowsor Mac OS to the folder you've just created and unzip it
4. Launch redsn0w and browse to Original iPhone firmware OS 3.0. You can download the .ipsw file from here or locate it on your Hard Drive. On a Mac it can be found at /Macintosh HD/Users/Your User Name/Library/iTunes/iPhone Software Updates/
   Remember: you need to point it at the 3.0 version not 3.01
5. Redsn0w will verify the file and if it's valid will start to patch it with the jailbreak code
6. You will then be given some options to install: select Install Cydia on its own
7. Now comes the fiddly bit - you have to put your iPhone into the 'DFU mode'. First make sure your iPhone 3G is switched off and plugged into your computer. Then click on Next
8. Then hold down the Power button for 3 seconds
9. Keep holding the Power button, but also hold down the Home button for 10 seconds
10. Release the Power button but keeping holding Home for a further 30 seconds. If you've got it right, the app should say: "Please wait while your device is being jailbroken. Waiting for reboot..." If you don't see that message repeat the last three steps to successfully get the iPhone 3G into the DFU mode
11. Your iPhone 3G will now be jailbroken and reboot - the process can take up to 15 minutes, so be patient. When it has finished the app will show the message "Done!" and the iPhone will restart
12. When your iPhone has restarted you will see the application Cydia on your Home screen. Your iPhone has been successfully jailbroken

Stage 2 - Unlock your iPhone

1. Launch Cydia on your jailbroken iPhone 3G
2. Click on the Manage icon at the bottom of the screen
3. Click on Sources and then Edit
4. Click on the Add button at the top of the screen and enter the address 'http://epo666.ultrasn0w.com' (Note the zero in sn0w)
5. When ultrasn0w has finished downloading, click on Install
6. After ultrasn0w has installed turn off your iPhone 3G and switch the SIM to the one you want to use. Reboot your iPhone and it should now be unlocked and usable on a different carrier

The iPhone is a great device for viewing video content thanks to its large, high resolution screen.

Obviously one great source of video is the iTunes Store - but what if you want to watch something that you've already been bought or given on old-fashioned DVDs?

Well there is now a relatively straightforward way to Rrip your DVDs, inport them into iTunes and sync them to your iPhone for viewing on the go.

Remember, ripping your DVDs - just like ripping your audio CDs - is technically against the law in the UK, even if you own the discs and it's for your own personal use. But no one has been prosecuted - yet.

PC & Mac instructions

On a both the PC and Mac ripping and re-encoding videos for the iPhone is easy thanks to a great program called Handbrake. Go to this page and download the right version of Handbrake for your computer.

But before we start we will need to install another program called VLC media player. Go to this page and also - you guessed it - download the right version of VLC for your computer.

Install VLC then follow these instructions:

1. Launch Handbrake. Insert the DVD into your PC or Mac. Sometimes a default DVD player will automatically open - make sure you quit it. Then click on the Source button at the top of the Handbrake window and select the DVD you want to convert then click on Open
2. Handbrake will take a few minutes to extract data from the DVD. When it has finished, open the Presets drawer to the right of the window and click on Apple and then iPhone & iPod Touch. If the drawer isn't visible click on the Toggle Presets button at the top right of the window to open it
3. Now click on Start button at the top of the window to begin the ripping and encoding process. The Start button will change to a Cancel button and a progress bar will appear at the bottom of the window with an estimated completion time. Encoding can take some seevral hours, but you can leave your PC or Mac to process this in the background
4. When the encoding is finished you will see an alert message saying 'Put down that cocktail...your HandBrake encode is done!' Click on OK
5. Find the encoded file - the default destination is your Mac or PC's desktop - and drag it onto the iTunes window to import it into your iTunes library
6. Connect your iPhone to your computer. If you've set up your iTunes to Sync videos automatically the encoded file should be transferred across to your iPhone immediately. Otherwise click on the Video tab and select the check box next your encoded video then click on Sync to transfer it across to your iPhone
7. You can now view your encoded DVD on your iPhone - just click on iPod and then Videos

The iPhone 3GS has a built-in compass - or 'magnetometer' if you want to show off your geek credentials.

When you launch the compass app, it works whichever orientation the iPhone is held - so you don't need to hold it flat and horizontally like a standard magnetic compass.

You may need to calibrate the compass app initially because it can be distracted by electromagnetic interference. You do this by following the onscreen instructions to move the handset around in a swirly 'figure 8' pattern.

Obviously the compass shows you the direction of North - the figure at the top of the screen is the direction the top of the phone is facing - in the image alongside it is 135° SW.

The Compass app shows you your geographic co-ordinates in longitude and latitude - in the image to the right it is 51°31'14"N, 0°8'0"E.  You can see this data in the bar ar the bottom of the app.

Click on the crosshair icon at the bottom left of the screen to launch Google Maps in your current location.

The i button on the bottom right of the screen toggles the compass between True North and Magnetic North modes.

Using the compass to show where you are facing in Google Maps

Launch the Google Maps app and click on the crosshair icon at the bottom left of the screen. This will make the blue dot appear showing your current location on the map.

If you click on the crosshair icon again, a triangle will appear next to the dot: this shows the direction on the map that the iPhone is facing. As you rotate the triangle will rotate to match your orientation

Remember, the direction of view is calculated from the top of the iPhone - so it's best to hold the handset in the vertical position in front of you.

The iPhone 3GS is the first iPhone to offer voice control of key functionality on the phone. At present you can use voice commands to call a contact or to control the iPhone app when it plays music.

To start the voice control feature press and hold down the Home button - or the middle button on the supplied white headsets - for two seconds until you hear a loud double-beep.

Now speak clearly into the iPhone or headset microphone.

You should hold the iPhone in the same way as you do when making a call. If your iPhone is in a case and you are experiencing problems then try removing the case as it may be covering the microphone.

Below is a full list of the recognised voice commands

One of the biggest criticism of the original iPhone and the iPhone 3G was its inability to send or receive MMS messages - or text messages that contained additional media such as images, audio or video.

The iPhone 3.0 OS update changes that - although it does require the support of the mobile operator and O2 in the UK offers full MMS functionality.

But to send or receive MMS messages you have to first enable the functionality:

1. Click on Settings
2. Click on Messaging
3. Now switch on MMS Messaging
4. To send a MMS message you simply click on the Messaging app icon and click on New Message. You will note there is now a camera icon to the left of the text input area. Click on this and you will be prompted whether you want to take a new photo (or video if you have an iPhone 3GS) or use one that is in the Library
5. Make your selection and a thumbnail of the will appear in the input box (note that MMS images will normally be compressed heavily from the original in order to save bandwidth - typically the maximum size of image or video is just 300k)
6. Click on Send

Note: MMS messaging can also be used to share contact information (as a .vcf file from the Contacts app) and audio files (from within the Voice Memo app).

The new iPhone 3.0 update introduces Spotlight Search - a powerful global search of almost all of your iPhone's contents.

You can access Spotlight from the first Home screen simply by scrolling to the left and revealing a search box and on-screen keyboard.

You can access the search box from other screens on the iPhone by clicking the Home button twice - one click to take you back to the first Home screen while the second click takes you to Spotlight.

The search results are grouped by category in the following order: Contacts, Applications, Music, Podcasts, Video, Audiobooks, Notes, Mail, Calendar.

However it's easy to reorder - or even remove - categories to suit your particular preferences.

1. To do so, follow these instructions:
2. Click on Settings
3. Click on General
4. Click on Home
5. Scroll down and click on Search Results
6. This brings up a list of all the searchable categories and shows the order in which they are displayed. Clicking on a category will remove the tick next to it and remove it from the results
7. Reorder the categories by clicking and dragging them up and down the list until it matches the order you want

The iPhone 2.2 and 3.0 updates have added the amazing 360 degree Street View functionality to the iPhone's Maps application that comes bundled with the iPhone.

However the feature is not the easiest one to find and use.

To get the most out of it, do the following:

1. Open the Maps application
2. Navigate to the location you want to view in Street View mode In this instance we've used the current location icon - the semi-crosshair at the bottom right of the screen - to highlight our current location
3. Now click on the red and white figure to the left of the location info
4. The Google Street View mode will now boot up. (Note: this always defaults to the landscape view on the iPhone)
5. Simply drag your fingers across the image to rotate the view. Use the standard pinch movement to zoom in and out of the photograph
6. The mini-map in the circle at the bottom right of the screen shows you the direction of your point of view
7. To move along in street view rotate the image until you see an arrow superimposed on the street and then click on it to move in that direction
8. To exit Street View mode just click on the mini-map circle to resturn to the standard map view

If you have an iPhone 3G or 3GS you can use your handset as modem for your laptop by a process known as 'tethering'. (You need to upgrade to iPhone OS 3.0 to use this feature).

This enables your computer to access the internet via your iPhone's 3G cellular data connection.

First contact your mobile phone operator to activate tethering. In the UK O2 charges £10 per month for a tethering 'bolt-on' that allows you to download 3GB of data per month.

Remember this is just for the use of the iPhone as a modem - the normal unlimited data plan still applies for data downloaded in the phone mode

Once your operator has enabled tethering:

• Click on Settings
• Click on General
• Click on Network
• Now click on Internet Tethering and switch it on

You can now connect your laptop to the iPhone via USB or wirelessly via Bluetooth.

The iPhone connection will be listed as an ethernet adapter (En4) connection.

The network setting should be set to Configure: Using DCHP

Don't forget to switch tethering off when you have finished.

We've been using the Apple 3G S for the best part of three weeks now so this review has definitely seen the best and the worst of Apple's amazing new smartphone.

For the sake of brevity, let's deal with the cons first. The battery life is merely adequate - probably on a par with its predecessor. What does that mean in practice? Well if you are using it in anger - playing videos, browsing the web, using the GPS antenna or even making phone calls - you will need to recharge it at the end of the day.

But a quick reality check is in order when it comes to the 'issue' of the iPhone's battery life. This isn't just a phone, it's a mobile computer platform rammed to the rafters with processors, memory and all manner of connection chips and aerials.

We should really compare it to the battery life of laptop computers (typically 3-5 hours) rather than standard mobile phones (2-3 days). Compared with other smartphones of its calibre the iPhone's battery longevity is actually among the best - just remember to take a charging lead with you.

Other issues? Well if you're an early adopter who has spent upwards of £450 on upgrading to the iPhone 3G S you may be bit miffed when you realise there is actually nothing on the surface that differentiates it from the standard iPhone 3G.

The iPhone looks and feels exactly the same as its predecessor (although the tech specs insist it's a millimetre thicker and a gram heavier). There are no go faster stripes - they don't even label it with an 'S'. Bragging rights are in short supply - on the surface.

The need for speed

Which brings us to the end of the iPhone's debit column and to the top of the positives. As soon as you look below the surface and start using the iPhone 3G S it's immediately apparently what the elusive 'S' stands for: Speed. By the shedload.

The tech specs state that the iPhone 3G S has a 600MHz processor (up from the 3G's 417MHz) and 256MB of onboard RAM (compared with 128MB). The extra horsepower in itself may not be worh the price of the upgrade but they do make the phone a real pleasure to use.

Booting up the phone is faster, opening an app is faster, browsing the web is much faster. For instance, opening the BBC News homepage was 30% faster on an iPhone 3G S than an iPhone 3G - that may not seem like much but over time the difference between the two phones becomes more and more apparent. Once you've been using an iPhone 3G S going back to the standard iPhone becomes an exercise in frustration - even though the older phone is no slouch.

Apart from the speed hike, the iPhone 3G S has a new 3.0 megapixel camera that can take video. Once again, the statistics don't tell the full story. It may 'only' be 3.0 megapixels but the camera now has autofocus, auto white balance and a macro mode. The combined effect is that pictures look far sharper than they did before and the clever use of the touchscreen - you literally touch the element that should be the subject - means that fixing the focus and the exposure is child's play.

Of course, it's no substitute for a 'proper' digital camera but it doesn't pretend to be - it's there to take quick snaps that are not too big so they can be MMS-ed or uploaded quickly to Facebook or Twitter.

On the video front, the iPhone 3G S can capture video at 640x480 resolution at a silky smooth 30 frames per second. Once again it's not high definition but it's ideal for taking quick clips and sharing them with friends via the built-in YouTube upload app or by email and MMS.

The quality is 'good enough' - which is better than 90% of other mobile phones - and there's even a basic video editing app that lets you trim out the boring bits. People are definitely using this feature - YouTube reports that mobile phone uploads have surged 400% since the iPhone 3G S launched on 19 June.

Play 'Florence and the Machines'

Another hyped feature of the iPhone 3G S is voice control. In theory you can speak to the phone (or the microphone in the headset lead) and say anything from 'Call Tracy Thompson' to 'Play Florence and the machines'. A digital signal processing chip in the 3G S will then convert your voice into a digital command.

In practice, it worked - up to a point. The voice recognition worked OK for the most part (although it did have trouble with Florence and the Machines, but don't we all?). But the reality is you feel a bit stupid talking to an inanimate object and most of the time its far quicker to use your fingers. It will have obvious benefits for hands free situations such as driving but at the moment it promises more than it delivers.

Of more immediate use is the iPhone's digital compass - or 'magnetometer' for the geek of heart. This little wonder can detect true or magnetic North whatever the orientation of the iPhone (ie it doesn't have to be flat to work). This is displayed on the Compass app as a nifty old-style compass needle that looks like it wandered off the set of Pirates of the Caribbean.

The compass really comes into its own in the upgraded Google Maps application. When you click on the little blue dot it suddenly gets a field of view that represents the direction it (and you) are facing. As you turn around the map immediately rotates to match - an effect which is strangely hypnotic.

It's also very effective, as we can vouch - when the Tom Tom GPS conked out recently on a road trip in Tuscany, the iPhone 3G S easily took its place and guided us back to our villa by the quickest route. It really is that good - and with proper turn-by-turn navigation software in the pipeline it should get even better.

On a smaller but no less significant hardware note - Apple seems to have 'fixed' the mute switch on the side of the iPhone 3G S. As many owners of previous models will attest this has an annoying habit of switching itself to mute when bouncing around in your pocket or handbag. Now the switch is noticeably stiffer and we have yet to report an accidental mutes and crucial mixed calls. Thanks, Apple.

The crucial question: should I or shouldn't I?

Ultimately the iPhone 3G S is a speed bump and a series of small - but significant - hardware refinements rather than a major upgrade. Existing iPhone 3G owners who have months left on their current O2 contract will have to stump up a lot of cash to upgrade to the new handset.

Is it worth it? It's certainly not the case that the iPhone 3G has been redundant overnight. The year-old handset is still the best smartphone on the market - bar one.

The answer to the question is how much are you prepare to pay to own the very best smartphone you can buy? Because despite all the hyped 'iPhone killers' that have come and gone, nothing yet comes near the winning combination of power, speed, developer support and ease-of-use of the iPhone 3G S.

Despite the recession, early indications are that the launch sales of the iPhone 3G S are even higher than those of the original iPhone 3G. Millions of people have shown that they are prepared to a premium for the very best.

You pay your money and you take your choice. We bought ours on day one.

If you have a PC or are a Mac owner without access to a recent version of GarageBand it is still possible to make custom ringtones for your iPhone - although the process is slightly more convoluted.

To make a custom ringtone for your iPhone you will need to take the following steps:

1. Open up the iTunes application and find the song you want to be the source of your ringtone. Note: You cannot use a DRM-protected file bought from the iTunes store
2. Play through the song and identify the section you want to be the ringtone. It has to be under 40 seconds in length
3. Note down the start and stop times of the clip
4. Right click on the track and select Get Info
5. Click on Options
6. Enter the start time of the clip in the field marked 'Start Time'. Use the following minutes:seconds format - eg 1:45
7. Enter the stop time of the clip in the field marked 'Stop Time'. Then click OK
8. Right click on the track and select Convert Selection to AAC. iTunes will create a duplicate version of your selected clip
9. Drag the duplicated clip to the desktop and replace the .m4a suffix on the file with .m4r (You can do this by clicking slowly on the file name pr right clicking and selecting Rename (PC) or Get Info (Mac). You will be prompted whether you want to use the new extension - confirm that you do
10. Double click on the renamed file. It will automatically be placed in the Ringtones folder of your iTunes Music Library. Connect your iPhone to the PC and sync it to copy across the ringtone
11. On your iPhone click on the Settings icon
12. In the settings screen click on Sounds
13. In the Sounds screen click on Ringtone
14. Your new ringtone will appear beneath the subhead Custom. Click on the ringtone to make it active

One of the more annoying things about the iPhone when it launched was the way Apple made it difficult to install custom ringtones unless you bought them through the iTunes Store.

There were several workarounds as well as paid-for applications that circumvented the Apple obstacles. But with the release of the lastest iPhone Operating System it has become a lot easier to make your own free iPhone ringtones - if you own a Mac with iLife 08 or 09. (We will also show how to create ringtones on a Windows PC shortly).

To create an iPhone ringtone on a Mac take the following steps:

1. Open GarageBand 08 or 09
2. Click on the Create New Music Project button
3. Find the track you want to make a ringtone from in iTunes and drag the file onto the GarageBand window. GarageBand will import the track and it will appear in the timeline. Note: this will not work with DRM-protected songs.
4. Click on the Cycle Region On/Off button in GarageBand - it is identified by two circulating arrows
5. Select the clip of music you want to use as a ringtone by adjusting the yellow bar that appears above the track. Ringtones must be shorter than 40 seconds. If you press the Play button GarageBand will cycle the extract repeatedly so you can hear how it would sound as a ringtone
6. When you are happy with the clip, click on the Share menu and select Send ringtone to iTunes option
7. The ringtone will now appear in the Ringtones folder on iTunes. Connect your iPhone to the Mac and sync it to copy across the ringtone
8. On your iPhone click on the Settings icon
9. In the settings screen click on Sounds
10. In the Sounds screen click on Ringtone
11. Your new ringtone will appear beneath the subhead Custom. Click on the ringtone to make it active

The Apple iPhone now how has the ability to connect to a Microsoft Exchange server and receive push email as well as calendar and contact updates. This guide shows you how to set up your iPhone to connecty to an Exchange server running ActiveSync.

1. Click on the Settings icon
2. In the Settings screen click on Mail, Contacts, Calendars
3. Now click on Add Account... in the Accounts section
4. Your will be presented with a range of different email accounts - click on Microsoft Exchange
5. You will now enter your email address, username and password. Click on Next. The iPhone will now try to automatically set up the Exchange server details. However some Exchange servers do not allow this to happen so you may have to enter the server name manually. If in doubt ask your IT department for the name of the ActiveSync Server. Then click on Next
6. When the account has been successfully verified you can choose which information - Mail, Contacts and Calendars - to sync from the Exchange account to your iPhone. Click on Done and you will now be able to receive push email from your Exchange server. Excellent

The iPhone may not have cut and paste - yet - but a quick and easy workaround is to take a screenshot of an important piece of information.

With the original iPhone this would involve 'jailbreaking' the handset and hacking into it by a process called SSH. Not for the fainthearted. Thankfully these days Apple has kindly included this feature into the Operating system.

All you need to do to take an iPhone screen shot is:

1. Navigate to the screen you want to capture
2. Press down the Home button - the one below the screen - and the power off button - the one on the top right of the handset - simultaneously
3. The screen will flash white for a moment and you will hear the sound of the camera shutter. A screen capture has been made
4. The next time you sync your iPhone you can then import those screenshots to your Mac or PC. Sorted!

If you own a Mac and an iPhone you are probably sick to death of seeing iPhoto automatically launch every time you connect your phone to your computer.

It's not obvious how to stop this annoying behaviour: neither the Preferences of iPhoto nor the Settings panel of the iPhone OS offer nay obvious solution.

This is because your Mac has an application called Image Capture which is designed to retrive images from a digital camera. And this app thinks that the iPhone is actually a dital camera - which it is, among other things. And it's the Preferences of Image Capture that you need to modify to stop the auto-launch.

To stop iPhoto launching automatically:

1. Go to Applications and open Image Capture
2. When Image Capture launches, click on the Image Capture menu link and select Preferences from the pull-down menu
3. The Preferences panel will open. Click on the pull-down after 'When a camera is connected, open...' and select No application
4. Quit Image Capture

The next time you connect your iPhone Image Capture will be conspicuous by its absence.

When you do need to transfer your photos from the iPhone to your Mac you must open the application manually.

It's not often you can say truthfully that a piece of hardware has changed an entire industry, but such is the case with the Apple iPhone.

Nearly two years have passed since it was first launched and none of the established mobile phone brands have yet come close to matching the iPhone's effortless blend of elegant hardware and joyous user interface.

The iPhone 3G is the second iteration of the iPhone and - as the name indicates - the main difference from the original is that the sluggish EDGE aerial and chipset has been upgraded to full 3G HSDPA connectivity.

Physically the most obvious change is that the distinctive silver metal back has been replaced by a glossy black plastic one. Many still prefer the original design even though the new handset feels a tiny bit smaller in the hand, but there's little doubt that the plastic cover has boosted the effectiveness of the phone and wi-fi reception.

From the front, the iPhone is nigh on identical to the original - but then why change the stunning brilliance of the high resolution (163 DPI), touchscreen, glass-fronted 3.5-inch display? 18 months on and it still outshines every other handset on sale both in terms of its visuals and its response to touch input.

The addition of a GPS antenna is the other main hardware upgrade to the iPhone 3G. Which means that the much maligned 2 megapixel flashless camera looks increasingly puny as cheaper handsets sporting 8 or even 10 megapixel sensors arrive in the market.

But Apple obviously believes that iPhone users are willing to put up with its limited photographic - and non-existent video - capabilities in favour of its undoubted strengths.

User interface
The first and foremost of these is the user interface which, to be blunt, makes decades of software development by companies such as Nokia and Sony Ericsson look utterly wasted in comparison.

Put an iPhone in a person's hands and within minutes they will happily be doing tasks - such as browsing the web, sending email or installing new applications - that they would take hours, days or weeks to learn to do on a traditional mobile phone. If they managed it at all.

Obviously it's hard to quantify an attribute such as usability - and this is one of the reasons why the legions of iPhone naysayers who are obsessed by tech specs and price points now stand humbled and baffled by Apple's success.

The operating system, now up to version 2.2.1, has ironed out some of the quirks that attracted criticism with the original release. The random call drops still occur but they are far less frequent than they were.

You can now - hallelujah! - use search to find a contact, although frustratingly the email application is still search-free. The OS is much more stable than, say, Symbian and has a mature look and feel that belies its comparative youth. Windows Mobile looks positively prehistoric in comparison.

The App Store arrives
The latest addition to iPhone's armoury, and one that all its smartphone rivals have rushed to imitate, is the App Store. This online software shop can be accessed via 3G or Wi-Fi and stocks over 15,000 free and paid-for applications.

Admittedly scores of these are puerile (iFart) or makeshift (how many iLights can one man need?) but many more are excellent examples of productivity, utility and gaming software.

In just a few months the App Store has created a thriving software industry where developers can literally make hundred of thousands of dollars in a few days. And the main reason is because it it is so easy to find, buy and install new applications onto your iPhone, thanks to the seamless integration between the hardware and software - and the state-of-the-art transaction engine provided by iTunes.

Indeed so may feel it almost too easy, as you can clog up your precious screen space with scores of games and utilities. But Apple can hardly be blamed for making things to easy for its customers.

Similarly the oft-repeated criticism of the iPhone's battery life doesn't stand up to scrutiny. The fact is that people to do more with their iPhone - browsing the web, watching videos, listening to music, using applications - because it is so easy to do and because the iPhone is so darned good at it. And doing all this stuff hammers the battery and ensures that the iPhone requires a daily recharge where other less well used smartphones do not.

It's not perfect however. The ability to cut and paste text is conspicuous by its absence. As is the ability to send and receive MMS messages or use Bluetooth for anything but the most basic headset connections. And for many avid text and email junkies the lack of a hardware keyboard will remain a dealbreaker.

But despite these real and perceived flaws the Apple iPhone 3G still stands tall at the summit of the smartphone landscape. Even at this late stage in its product cycle it remains peerless as a mobile web browser, video/audio player, its software support and its all-round usability as a phone. It nearly matches BlackBerry as a push email platform and it gives Nintendo and Sony a run for their money in the mobile gaming stakes.

And as Sony, Nokia, HTC and the rest all rush to announce legions of iPhone killers that attempt to match where Apple is today, the inevitable fact is that in a few months time the iPhone hardware and software will be upgraded again. The goalposts moved. The paradigm shifted. The naysayers silenced.

The arrival of Apple has forced a somewhat smug and self-satisfied industry to wake up and take stock of its hardware and software offerings. We will all benefit from the fallout as products and services race to catch up, but in the meantime the iPhone 3G is the best smartphone money can buy.