Here’s the basic steps required, but read the notes below before you begin:
1. Back up your iPhone!
2. Download purplera1n.
3. Run purplera1n.
4. Run Freeze.
5. Reboot.
6. Open Cydia and add the repo666.ultrasn0w.com source.
7. Install ultrasn0w.

Note 1: Freeze will say it’s done, but just sit there. You should close Freeze and reboot your iPhone to see Cydia.

Note 2: If you tried with vista and get stuck at “wait for reboot”, don’t worry. Just unplug your phone and hold down the power and home buttons at the same time for a few seconds. This will turn it off. Then plug it back in with iTunes open. iTunes will then ask you to restore your iPhone to factory settings. Let it do that and make sure it is installing 3.0, not 3.1. Next, restore from your backup. If you didn’t make a back, consider it a lesson learned. Always make a backup before stuff like this. Once it’s all restored, try again in compatibility mode.

1. Get the sound
This is the easy part. Just right-click the following link and choose “save as”.
transformers sound effect download

2. Make the ringtone
While iTunes has done some annoying things in the past, not allowing me to create a ringtone from my own file is annoying. iTunes tells me I have can only make a ringtone from an audio file purchased from iTunes. Jerks. To make this ringtone, we need some third party software. After a couple other programs failed at their promise of making a ringtone for me, I found iPhone Ringtone Maker 2.5.1 which worked wonderfully and was super easy.

The software takes your MP3, turns it into an iPhone-friendly format and even throws it into your iTunes ringtones folder. That’s a bonus. All you have to do to get it to your iPhone now is sync.

3. Set the Ringtone
The final step in this process is to set up the custom ring tone. All you have to do is go to Settings - Sounds - Ringtone on your iPhone. At the very top, you’ll now have a “Custom” section which should have your transform.wav displayed. Select the sound and you’re done.

@joetech I want a free link in your Bookmark Friday post : http://www.joetech.com/suggests/bmftw

This week, we had just two people request a link:

sajicrossroad
Bio: I am an 18 year old who loves gaming and rpg games. I am also a blogger and a tecg freak. Visit my site sometime and drop of some comments.Thanks
Site: http://heartnet.pinoygaming.net

Babasfarmlife
Bio: Remodel Victorian Country Stone Farmhouse
Site: http://babasfarmlife.blogspot.com/

Netflix Prize - Did you know about this? I didn’t. I have about three weeks left to challenge the pending winners. I don’t expect to do much, but I’m going to play anyway.

Sponsored Tweets - Once again, IZEA comes along and does a much better job with something others tried to do (but fail at). It’s not open yet, but I got a sneak peek and it’s very nice.

Twicsy - Want to know the most viewed photos on Twitter? Check this site out. No promises that they’ll all be safe for work, though.

T.G.I.M.B.O.E.J - The Great Internet Migratory Box Of Electronics Junk. I think I need to start one of these.

Do Stuff For Money - PayPal started a site where you offer up some cash for someone to do something. Like I could offer up $10 for someone to come by and wash my car. I’m not sure how much success this idea will encounter.

Massive LED project - This looks like a pretty cool project. I’m fascinated with video and manipulation of images, so I love stuff like this.

Twittering keylogger - Imagine everything you type getting tweeted to the world. A little scary to me.

Firefox 3.5 Beta - Beta or not, this is an notable improvement. It’s faster and has some cool new features.

2012 movie trailer in HD - I can’t wait to see this movie in November. The youtube user hollywoodstreams has lots of HD trailers to watch.

I had a winner for this contest, who I emailed and never heard from. I sent a follow-up email today, so we’ll see if I get to mail that out soon.

I had two winners for this contest, but neither responded to my DM tweets to collect, so I’m having a super fast 1-day contest again to give it away.

I held this contest last week and drew a winner who I’ve emailed today.

Finally, a previous contest winner who won a PS3 from a scam artist posing as a sponsor. After some time trying to get the “sponsor” to do anything close to forking over a prize, I went out and bought the prize winner a PS3 system myself. As it turns out, she’s looking to give that prize back out to a charity this summer, as she won’t need it.

It’s been a fun week for prizes, and I’ll have more prizes to give out soon, but I need to actually send some of these out first. Look for more contest announcements here and on Twitter as soon as I send one or two of these out.

Disclaimer: Messing around with stuff like this usually voids your warranty. It’s also possible to completely brick (ruin) your phone while trying to do this. I’ve done it plenty with no problems, but use this information at your own risk.

Why jailbreak?
The biggest reason to jailbreak your iPhone is to open it up to a lot of new features. For me, the idea of customization and theming was a huge draw, but the two things my jailbreak provided me were access to my shell (as well as SFTP) and a video camera. These things are available as third-party apps installed through Cydia and you can’t get them without jailbreaking. Jailbreaking is also how you install ultrasn0w to unlock the phone.

Why unlock?
The unlock is to break free from AT&T. I have AT&T and I’m in a contract, but if you want to move to another provider like T-Mobile, you’ll need to unlock the phone. I’ve really only tried it with T-Mobile and you lose 3G when you move.

How to Jailbreak and unlock
1. Make sure your iPhone is already upgraded to 3.0
2. Back up your iPhone with iTunes!
3. Download the firmware upgrade and redsn0w (see links on the YouTube video page)
4. Plug in your iPhone via the USB cable.
5. If iTunes is up, eject the phone in iTunes and close iTunes.
6. Turn the phone off.
7. Extract and run redsn0w (follow instructions - see video).
– You are jailbroken at this point –
8. Open Cydia and let it update.
10. In Cydia, click “Manage” at the bottom. Then click “Sources”, then “Edit”, then “Add”.
11. The source is http://repo666.ultrasn0w.com (that’s a zero)
12. Once the repo is added, click “Search” and search for “ultra”.
13. Install the ultrasn0w package.
– You are now unlocked at this point –
14. Turn off 3G
15. Throw in a T-Mobile card and try it out.

I’ve also thrown all the steps in a couple videos. The download links are in those videos, too, so don’t forget to go right to the videos (part 1 and part 2). While you’re there, subscribe to my videos and rate them both 5 stars.

That’s it. Enjoy. If this how-to helped at all, share the link on Twitter, StumbleUpon, Facebook, etc. and if you have problems, questions or just a comment, leave it below.

Here’s where the affordable part comes in. I headed over to the site expecting to find high costs associated with having custom promo stuff made, especially when it’s custom flash drives. Instead, what I found surprised me. In one example, I found custom flash drives for as little as $3.95 per unit. The configuration options show them ranging from 64MB to 8GB which is not a lot of space, really, but for a promo item, it’s OK. You can also get them preloaded with ads or your company materials, etc. I’m not sure what the ordering minimum is, but you’ll usually want upwards of 100 when ordering promo items, anyway. I’m also not sure about the quality of the drives, but I’m guessing it’s not too bad with clients like Mercedes, Hyatt, Sears, etc.

Finally, I’d feel like I was leaving something out if I didn’t mention that they also offer custom MP3 player flash drives (around $19/each) and on a sister site, there’s a whole bunch of promo item choices, although I like the flash drive idea better than all the other promo stuff. All in all, it looks like they make some pretty cool drives for not a lot of money, so if you’re in the market, take a look.

@joetech I want a free link in your Bookmark Friday post : http://www.joetech.com/suggests/bmftw

This week, we had four people request a link:

heartnet02
Bio:
Site: http://heartnet02.evil.concepts.net

Babasfarmlife
Bio: Remodel Victorian Country Stone Farmhouse
Site: http://babasfarmlife.blogspot.com/

Michael Jackson - I wanted to start with this link as I sit here listening to some old MJ tracks and remembering how I feel every time I hear them.

IWearYourShirt.com - This is actually a great idea. Of course, if he sold only a few days and got no press or buzz, it would be a horrible investment. As it stands, though, the investment just might be worth it. I’d probably buy a December day if I had the budget set aside for it. We’ll see.

Feedly - Feedly came out of nowhere, making my Google Reader feeds just so much more awesome. My feeds total about 1,000 articles a day, so this will help me greatly in sifting through them.

IZEAFest - This is a fun annual event that I’d love to end up at this October. If you’re going, comment below.

Google Voice - Google Voice wants to give you a viable option to your cell phone and they’re opening up the phone number land rush soon. They have a million numbers reserved, so sign up for an invite.

DSLR Remote for iPhone - This is an awesome app for any one with a DSLR and an iPhone. Just be sure your camera supports Live View before buying the Pro version. Oops.

Why would you want this?
I’ll be honest… At first, it sounded cool. Then it sounded really unnecessary. After trying it out, I landed on a middle ground somewhere between pretty cool and unnecessary. So why would you want one? Anyone could have their own reasons for wanting to consolidate phone calls into a home phone. For me, it would be to have all my wife and my mutual friends be able to reach either of us via either number. It’s also useful if you want to drop your cell phone on the charger and use a set of wireless home phones while your cell charges. Maybe you have a home business with several cell phones on a group plan. You could set this up to answer any of the lines from one centralized system.

How does i set up and use it?
First, I need to clarify something I wasn’t initially sure about. This doesn’t need an existing home phone. Actually, it doesn’t really support one, either. The model I tested is the ITC-BT. For about ten bucks more, they offer the ITC-BTTN model. The core (and perhaps only) difference is that the BTTN includes an extra RJ45 connection for connecting it to an existing home phone line.

Although the instructions were all crammed onto one sheet and in multiple languages, they were pretty complete. You plug in the gateway to the wall and you connect it to a home phone via a standard RJ45 phone cable. I just used an old phone I had sitting around in my office for satellite call testing. Once it’s all connected and turned on, you connect the phones to it. Make sure your bluetooth is enabled on all your cell phones and you’re ready to connect. Note that you don’t have to connect them at the same time if the other cell phone’s owner happens to get home way later, for example. The buttons on the top of the gateway are for the three cell phone lines you can connect to it. To connect a cell phone, all I had to do was hold down one of these buttons to ready the line for pairing. Then I went into my phone’s bluetooth settings and found the gateway and paired it. I then did that for a second cell phone and used the third to test. Once the cell phones are all paired, it can be hung on the wall or set on a desk or counter top.

(Click here to see the whole photo set)

Using it is pretty simple. Inbound calls are answered just like you’d expect to answer a home phone. The phone rings and you pick it up. Simple, right? Making calls is almost as easy. To make a call, I just had to pick up the home phone and dial. It automatically connects to the cell phone paired with the first spot on the gateway. You can “flash” over to the next line in the order to use it instead. When you move the cell phone out of range of the gateway, it unpairs from the gateway and will re-pair when it is in range again. So in theory, you could leave it set up all the time near your phone chargers and just plug your cell into the charger when you get home.

From what I understand from the documentation, you can also set it up to pass on caller ID information if your base phone has a digital display and wasn’t made in the 80’s like my test phone. The one thing I would miss greatly with a system like this always in place is my contact list. If you have a newer home phone system, however, some have contact list functionality that would resolve this problem.

Conclusions
For around $89, it’s not going to break the bank. I don’t have a lot to compare pricing on, but that seems decent. The real question is of need. If the functionality the XLink provides is worth the price tag, it’s a worthwhile device. The setup and use is about as easy as you could expect for it. It doesn’t feel very sturdy, but it’s meant to be sitting in one spot the whole time, so that shouldn’t matter. If I had the need, I’d buy one.

- Pop icon Michael Jackson has been rushed to L.A. hospital in cardiac arrest, according to CNN affiliate KTLA.
- Entertainer Michael Jackson was taken to a hospital CNN affiliate KTLA reported, citing a Los Angeles Fire Department official.
- Entertainer Michael Jackson was taken to UCLA Medical Center, a Los Angeles Fire Department official said.
- Fire Capt. Steve Ruda told CNN a 911 call came in from a west Los Angeles residence at 12:21 p.m.
- Entrances to UCLA emergency room blocked by security guards after Michael Jackson arrived http://bit.ly/16BNY2 #michaeljackson
- Pop icon Michael Jackson is in a coma, sources say. http://bit.ly/16BNY2 #michaeljackson
- “King of Pop” Michael Jackson has died, acording to multiple reports. http://bit.ly/AG0F3 #michael jackson

As all this happened, the internet buzz about the story quickly built up to monumental proportions. The celebrity gossip new site, TMZ reported that social media sites were crawling at a snails pace and that Jackson’s death brought the internet to a grinding halt. A little curious myself, I decided to see how many tweets were floating around Twitter about the horrible news.

I headed over to Twitter’s search page and searched “Michael Jackson” Then I watched as the number of new tweets just grew and grew. After about 20 minutes, there had already been over 50,000 new tweets and as I type this, it just broke 60,000. We are in an information era. These social media sites are quickly becoming the fastest source of breaking news. One thing this tells us for sure is that Michael Jackson’s death has been a shock to the world and the world has been and is still letting their voice be heard.

Seriously… Drool-worthy
When I pulled the phone out, before I even turned it on, I felt I was in for a treat. The form factor is nicely a bit small, but not too small, and the smoothed edges all over the place just look very clean and sleek. I turned the phone on and it instantly became the first phone I’ve reviewed that I made a point to show off to everyone in the office. What I was showing off was the AMOLED display. It’s a bit like experiencing HD for the first time. You don’t think there could be that much difference until you see it in person. After seeing for yourself, it’s clear that the technology is worthy of its praise. Like HD television, I won’t say that I’ll never own another product without this technology, but it’s certainly a selling point.

Other physical features
Other than the display, one of the most notable physical features of the Impression is the slide-out QWERTY keyboard. The phone has a software keyboard, too, but a physical keyboard is much easier to type on if done well and this one is done pretty well. The buttons are the right size and it just feels right. On the bottom of the phone’s face are the Send, End, and Back buttons we’re all used to by now. It also has the volume buttons and camera shutter that most have as well as the ports to charge or dock the phone or plug in headphones.

(Click here to see all the photos)

Like most of Samsung’s smart phones, this one is equipped with a decent camera that weighs in at 3.0 megapixels. The phone is very comfortable to hold and carry and the camera quality is great, as usual for Samsung. The design of the phone, over all, is great. I love how they put it together.

Software and ease of use
As I said at the start of the review, a phone should be more than it’s external appearance. I’ve also stated that I’m not a huge fan of the OS. I like to customize my phone with my choice of thousands of applications, and I haven’t seen that so much here. I do like the icon tray that can be hidden and everything seems very stable and clean, though. One thing I noticed right away is that the touch screen on the Impression was much more responsive than on other phones from varying brands. This was a big point-earner for me. If you’re going to be touching the screen as 90% of the operation of the phone, it should be smooth and responsive. The software was largely the same full suite of applications that Samsung normally provides, along with feature-rich camera functionality, which is another thing I look forward to in Samsung phones.

Conclusions
While I’m still not completely on board with the OS, the Impression is by far the best phone I’ve reviewed in a while. For the money, it’s a great smart phone that promises to provide a better looking picture than any of your friends’ phones while taking crisp photos and video, giving you a full keyboard and responsive touch interface and looking pretty good to boot.