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The first thing you need is your Vonage web account information. Once you have it, enter the following into your web browser, making sure to replace the parts in bold with your account information.

https://im-config.vonagenetworks.net/config?&login=USERNAME&password=PASSWORD&type=1003

You’ll end up with a page full of mostly useless information. however, you want to copy down the following entries as they relate to your account:

ProxyUserName=username
ProxyUserPassword=FAB16g93E7a
ProxyDomain=a.vonim.com
ProxyPort=10000

Now that you’ve got the secret information, you have two choices depending on whether your iPhone is jailbroken or not.

1) If your phone is NOT jailbroken, go the the App Store and grab the free FRING application. Once you’ve set your free Fring account up , go to More then Add-ons
Select SIP, then Other

Fill out the fields as follows:
User ID = ProxyUserName
Password = ProxyUserPassword
Proxy = ProxyDomain:ProxyPort

(mine was a.vonim.com:10000)

Now save those settings and try making a SIP call. you’ll notice that your calls appear to come from your Vonage line. Neat!

2) If you phone is Jailbroken, get on Cydia and install the free SIPHON aaplication. Install it, then go to your iPhones settings menu and open up the settings for Siphon. Enter your username and passsword that you got from the webhack above. For server, enter the Proxydomain:Proxyport.  (mine was a.vonim.com:10000) There’s all sorts of other settings you can make if you’re a real SIP guru.  Close the settings, fire up Siphon and start dialing.

Be sure whenever using either softphone to include the area code when dialing.

1) Jailbreak  your Iphone 3GS (if you haven’t, click here for instructions)

2) Once you have Cydia installed, open it, and search for Backgrounder, and install it. Make sure you get the 3.0 version.

3) Close Cydia, reboot your iphone and launch Backgrounder. Once you reboot, its actually already running.  Read the “how to use” and the Release Notes, as well as Known Issues.

4) there are no “settings” or configurable options for Backgrounder on the 3GS.  To keep a program running in the background, simply hold down the home key until Backgrounding Enabled appears. the app will go away, but if you’re streaming music it will continue to play. OPen and close the app as usual to continue to keep it running. When you’re ready to fully close the app, repeat the enable process- hold down the home key until Backgrounding Disabled appears briefly. The app is now closed.

5) Some things to be aware of:

• If you open too many apps simlutaneously you can crash the apps or the iPhone itself. I try to limit to 1 or 2 apps running in the background only.
• There’s no easy way to tell what applications are open in the background without using another utillity like SysInfoPlus, which you can also grab through Cydia.
• I’ve read that there are issues with apps that use voice control like Skype running in the background.

Overall, this machine performs as you would expect from this popular class of notebooks.  The 1.6Ghz processor is fine at handling most basic tasks, as well as watching standard def video.  The model I got has 2GB RAM installed out of the box, so it takes quite a bit to slow it down.   The 10 inch screen is 1024X576. The colors are bright and pop nicely against the black finish.  The included 3 Cell battery gives 2.5-3 hours of use which is plenty, and keeps the weight down to an acceptable level. The 160GB hard drive left plenty of room to add a couple more operating systems like OSX and Windows 7. (more on that later)

There are a couple features that really make this netbook stand out from the crowd:

1) The keyboard is at least 92 or 93%. Its very comfortable to type on, with full size shift keys in the appropriate places. Nice to see a good size keyboard on a netbook. Very small form factor for such a large keyboard.

2) There’s an express card slot for expansion

3) Drive protection technology from HP – built in accelerometer can disengage hard drive if the computer is dropped.

4) VGA output

The only negative I can see is the tiny little trackpad, which seems to be the biggest problem with netbooks. Its a bit too small vertically to properly traverse the screen. Also the left and right mouse buttons are on the left and right , rather than below the trackpad. This makes on handed navigation next to impossible, without utilizing the trackpad tap-to-click feature. Certainly not a deal breaker, but something to definitely be aware of.

All in all this is a great little netbook. Apparently there’s a newer version out with HD video. I imagine, its much the same, but with a prettier screen and a bit more horsepower.

Accepting an untrusted Exchange server certificate results in storing an exception on a per-hostname basis. On the next visit to an Exchange server contained in the exception list, its certificate is accepted with no prompt and validation. This may lead to the disclosure of credentials or application data. This update addresses the issue through improved handling of untrusted certificate exceptions.

and this interesting one:

A logic issue in the handling of ICMP echo request packets may cause an assertion to be triggered. By sending a maliciously crafted ICMP echo request packet, a remote attacker may be able to cause an unexpected device reset.

So, in case you’re waiting for some reason to update, go ahead and take the plunge and do it. Its my belief, that as users become more mobile and start keeping more of their private information on these devices, the attempts at hacking mobile devices will become more common.

Here’s a link to more info straight from Apple regarding these fixes:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3639

Let’s be safe out there…

After downloading the free application and loading it my BlackJack II, I found the interface to be nice and smooth, and exaclty what you’d expect from a Facebook application on your mobile device.  The only problem I found was that the subtle different shades of blue used throughout the menu areas make it difficult to determine which menu item you’re currently viewing. There’s no easy way to get back to the HOME screen for the application. Regardless of this minor flaw, this application is a welcome addition

Here’s the link: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/en-us/downloads/facebook.mspx

In theory, you should be able to simply set up Internet Sharing on your Windows Mobile device with Bluetooth PAN. Then on your Mac, simply create a BlueTooth PAN connection. The problem with this is that you run the risk of eating up your mobile device’s battery much quicker as its using its 3G connection and its bluetooth connection simultaneouslly. Even though it should work, I never could get it going, anyways. Ideally, we want to plug the phone in via USB, so that it is charging while sharing its connection. OSX won’t support the standard ActiveSync USB Internet Sharing method, so you’ll need to do a little work to get it going.

First download these files

Unzip and Copy all three files to /Library/Modem Scripts

Back on your Windows Mobile device, in the USB connection settings, change USB to mode to MODEM instead of ActiveSync. You may get a warning here that ActiveSync won’t work when Modem is selected. Remember to change it back later when you are ready to sync up again with a Windows computer. Once you’ve selected modem, plug your device into your Mac via USB.

Now, go to your Network Preferences menu.

On the left side, you should see your list of Network Interfaces. Click the little “+” sign to add an interface. Click Interface drop down menu, and you should see a choice for “Samsung CDMA Technologies”. Go ahead and choose it, and click CREATE. it should populate itself on the left-hand pane now.

Highlight the new Samsung Entry, and on the right side make the following entries:

Configuration: Default

Telephone Number: wap.cingular

Account Name: WAP@CINGULARGPRS.COM

Password: CINGULAR1

Now click Advanced…

On the Modem Tab, make sure Vendor is Samsung and Model is GPRS (GSM/3G)

On the PPP tab:

For Session, Uncheck “Redial if Busy”

Next to Settings, choose CONFIGURATION and select “Send PPP echo packets” and uncheck: Use TCP header compression.

Apply all these changes and lock the Network Preferences, and you’re ready to test.

Its a good idea when testing to disable your Wi-Fi so you can be sure you’re genuinely using your mobile devices WAN.

Now, highlight the Samsung modem, and on the right side, click CONNECT. If all goes correct, you should see a little meter with your connection strength, and you should now be able to surf the web. Go for it!

There are several ways for you to enjoy the Pandora service while away from your computer’s web browser. Here are a few:

1) IPhone application- You can get more info here. Basically, its just like the website. All the major functions available on the web are right there in the application – creating playlists, approving songs, getting info, etc., It’s FREE, of course.

2) Windows Mobile Application – great for your Tilt, BlackJack II, or Fuze.  This WinMo app let’s you listen to your stations, create new ones, view album art, etc., More info here

3) Boxee – Popular media center software Boxee now has a native application available for free download.  Great cover art, station creation, song approval, and slick graphics.

4) Chumby – Raise your hand if you’ve got a Chumby. No, me neither. If you’re one of the two people who has one, you’re in luck, because Chumby officially supports Pandora.  There’s more info on their website

5) Sprint Instinct – Digital Lounge now has Pandora available. Just log in to your Digital Lounge and search for Pandora. Get ready to pay $3 per month, however. ouch.

There are a few other devices out there that will play friendly with Pandora. If you’ve tried them, let us know…

In theory, you should be able to simply set up Internet Sharing on your Windows Mobile device with Bluetooth PAN. Then on your Mac, simply create a BlueTooth PAN connection. The problem with this is that you run the risk of eating up your mobile device’s battery much quicker as its using its 3G connection and its bluetooth connection simultaneouslly. Even though it should work, I never could get it going, anyways. Ideally, we want to plug the phone in via USB, so that it is charging while sharing its connection. OSX won’t support the standard ActiveSync USB Internet Sharing method, so you’ll need to do a little work to get it going.

First download these files

Unzip and Copy all three files to /Library/Modem Scripts

Back on your Windows Mobile device, in the USB connection settings, change USB to mode to MODEM instead of ActiveSync. You may get a warning here that ActiveSync won’t work when Modem is selected.  Remember to change it back later when you are ready to sync up again with a Windows computer. Once you’ve selected modem, plug your device into your Mac via USB.

Now, go to your Network Preferences menu.

On the left side, you should see your list of Network Interfaces.  Click the little “+” sign to add an interface. Click Interface drop down menu, and you should see a choice for “Samsung CDMA Technologies”. Go ahead and choose it, and click CREATE. it should populate itself on the left-hand pane now.

Highlight the new Samsung Entry, and on the right side make the following entries:

Configuration: Default

Telephone Number: wap.cingular

Account Name: WAP@CINGULARGPRS.COM

Password: CINGULAR1

Now click Advanced…

On the Modem Tab, make sure Vendor is Samsung and Model is GPRS (GSM/3G)

On the PPP tab:

For Session, Uncheck “Redial if Busy”

Next to Settings, choose CONFIGURATION and select “Send PPP echo packets” and uncheck: Use TCP header compression.

Apply all these changes and lock the Network Preferences, and you’re ready to test.

Its a good idea when testing to disable your Wi-Fi so you can be sure you’re genuinely using your mobile devices WAN.

Now, highlight the Samsung modem, and on the right side, click CONNECT. If all goes correct, you should see a little meter with your connection strength, and you should now be able to surf the web. Go for it!

• Go to Start > Programs> Voice Command
• Change Voice Enabled to “YES”
  If you are using Bluetooth, you can change Announcement Routing to “Bluetooth if Available” if you like. What this means is that when the phone wants to make a voice announcement like “your battery is low” , it will try to send it out over Bluetooth.
• The announcements setting will change when you want to hear announcements. You can choose to only hear them when your calendar is “Free” if you like.
• Call Confirmations Setting will let you choose to hear a short vocal confirmation of the intended dialing target. So, when you say “call home”, it will say, “Call home?” to verify.
• Dial confirmation will do the same as above, but for voice number dialing. So if you say “Dial 5-5-5-1-2-1-2″ it will repeat it back to you.
• Announce Calls, when turned on, will announce all incoming calls to you.
• Announce Messaging will announce incoming messages. You can further choose on ly to hear high priority messages announced.
• Calendar Reminders will announce your appointments for you.
• Media Selections will try to announce the name of the song that’s coming up.
• Once you’ve got all the settings the way you want, hit Done.

If you’ve got a compatible bluetooth headset, you can simply tap your button and start using voice commands. Voice Command automatically understands entries in your contacts and many other useful words. So you can simply say things like “Call Home” or “Call wife mobile” or “when is my next appointment” and it will understand.

Here’s the biggest gotcha if you dont’ have a bluetooth headset. The Help feature tells you to use the Voice Command button. interestingly, it doesn’t tell you which button this is on the phone. To activate Voice Command on the BlackJack II keypad, hold down the Att-Globe looking key next to Caps/Shift.

Now, let’s be careful out there.