Lets say you want to make calls from an Apple product and you don’t want to pay ATT for the privilege - you can using an iPod Touch and a freeware application you can start making VoIP calls in just a few steps. Stick arond and we’ll show you how.

To get started you will need a jailbroken iPod Touch, a Touchmod mic and SIP-VoIP freeware.

Firstly lets start by installing SIP-VoIP with Installer.app which is automatically installed when you jailbreak your iPod. First you need to add the Touchmods repository to Installer. Launch Installer and go to the Sources tab. Select Edit > Add, and type http://touchmods.net/rep.xml into the Add Source dialog. Select OK and Installer will refresh your sources, including your new Touchmods repository.

Go to the Install tab and find the entry labeled Touchmods. Locate the app called Touchmods SIP-VoIP. Install SIP-VoIP by tapping the entry, then the install button, and verify that you want to install this application from an “untrusted” source.

You will need to set up an SIP account. Unfortunately the SIP-VoIP app doesn’t work with Skype so you will have to use another service such as FreeCall.

To follow the instructions here exactly you will need to use a FreeDall account. To set one up go to their signup page to register an account and purchase at least $16USD of time. Alternatively services such as Gizmo5 allow a small amount of trial credit so you can consider using this to set-up.

Now you’re ready to set up SIP-VoIP with the SIP provider you registered with above. Launch the app from your iPod touch home screen, select Settings in the bottom right corner and you’ll see a form to enter the settings for the SIP account you set up above.

If you used FreeCall enter your FreeCall username and password in the first two fields then sip.voiparound.com in the field labeled SIP-Server. Though there are more fieldsFreeCa;ll users will not need to fill those in. Now select Save then return on the iPod’s keyboard to dismiss and then the Save button—next tap the dial tab to head to the dialpad.

When making your first call you” need to “connect to sip server” in the lower left. If it connected successfully, all you’ve got to do is dial your number and hit the call button.

IF you want to see this all out in action check out the video.

While there have been some forays into VoIP on iPhone, Fring is the first real VoIP solution that’s likely to catch users imaginations.

If you have a Jailbroken Apple iPhone ( if not you can follow steps here) and WiFi access you can use Fring to call regular phones using Skypeout or SIP or chat with Skype, Google, ICQ, MSN, Twitter, AIM, and Yahoo contacts.

To get the free Fring download click here. If you’re not sold - check out the video.

Sick of having to recharge you iPhone and iPod after 3 hours usage? We’ve got 10 easy steps to help you get the most of your Apple battery life.

10. Keep It On
May sound counter-intuitive but taking advantage of sleep mode rather than turning on/off will use much less power than restarting.

9. Turn Sound Effects Off
But how will i know if I’ve pushed the button? If this scenario doesn’t alarm you then why not cut your power usage by going to Settings > General > Sound Effects and turn it off. If you can’t go cold turkey at least change from the default settings of both Speaker and Headphones and select your preference.

8. Turn EQ Off
While we’re changing settings why not kill the EQ? Go to Settings > Music > EQ and turn it off.

7. Less Email
Look I know you’re a popular guy - no one’s disputing that - but do you really need to check 5 seperate email accounts? Lessening the number of addresses checked will save network usage and therefore battery go to Settings > Mail and disable a few of your email accounts. While you’re saving power on email why not go into Settings > Mail > Auto-Check and set this to manual to avoid constant auto-checking or set it to 30 minutes. She’ll call - trust me.

6. Set Auto-Lock
Setting the phone to auto-lock will mean less time the screen is turned on and more battery time to download 3rd party apps. Go into Settings > General > Auto-Lock and set it to the minimum you can stand - 1 minute is ideal.

5. Re-calibrate your battery
Once a month use your battery fully and then recharge it to 100%. This allows you to get the most out of your battery performance.

4. Keep Brightness Dim
Unless your in ailing health or your eyes are failing you the default brightness settings are probably not entirely necessary. Go into Settings > Brightness and move the bar on the top toward the left. Go as far you can whilst maintaining legibility. While you’re adjusting brightness go into Settings > Brightness and turn Auto-Brightness off. Not only will this save power from unnecessary monitoring it will stop your phone from automatically adjusting the brightness level.

3. Turn Edge Off / Bluetooth Off
This one may hurt a little but not only save you battery life but a bit of extra cash too. You can do both from either Settings or the 3rd party application BossPrefs.

2. Turn SSH Off
Go into the application BossPrefs, Services, or the default SSH icon and turn this service on/off. This runs in the background when any network activity is available. This is one of the major contributors to poor battery life for Jailbroken iPhones.

1. Turn WiFi Off
WiFi is the number one issue with battery life. Combining WiFi with browsing and you can say goodbye to the good ol’ days of 3 hour battery life. If you have set your phone to auto-lock as per step 6 then your phone will go to sleep and turn off WiFi automatically, but beware, if you are playing music WiFi is on and the clock is ticking.

Well there’s a lot to remember but once you have mastered your eco-iPhone usage you will find you may even get an extra 2-3 days usage, now that’s worth the trouble.