Got a question? Ask us: dear@hackcollege.com

HackCollege reader Wayne asks:

I just recieved my phone and accidently erased all my wall paper and ringtone’s,I do not mind paying for them but after 4 hours playing games with the jerks on the other end of the phone and nothing they told me to do worked ,so I gave up and decided to try something else. If you have any ideas on how i can get a few pictures for wall papre and a few ringtones i will be greatful thank you for your time wayne [sic].

We’ve already covered how to create and send your own .mp3 ringtones for free using audiko.net, but we haven’t touched on good sites for free wallpaper. Or even free themes or games, for that matter…

Check out Zedge.net.

After selecting your phone model and filtering the millions of games, wallpaper, themes, and ringtones, you have the choice to download to your PC or to save as a favorite and access it via mobile internet/WAP. If you have an unlimited data plan, the latter is a great option.

Registration is required at Zedge, but everything is free or ad-supported (i.e., every 4-5 game plays, the game will download an ad via mobile internet/WAP).

Any other great sites out there? Leave a comment.

While Google SMS has been around for years now, a similar service from ChaCha has only been around for a few months. And… It’s quite awesome.

If you’re used to Googling for everything, then you already know how ChaCha works. Send any question via text message to CHACHA (242242), and a human (guide) will search the Internet for the answer. In a minute or two, you’ll receive an answer and a link to its source.

A recent question of mine (without the link, as I didn’t save the text message):

me: What’s the last name of Judge Tom on Top Chef? He’s rude.
ChaCha: Tom Colicchio is a judge on Top Chef.

How useful!

The service is completely free if you have unlimited or a set amount of available texting. Otherwise, you’ll just be paying to send a text message and receive a text message (from your carrier).

And they’re also looking for guides. The pay is $.20 for every answer.

Text your questions to: ChaCha (242242)

The perfect solution for finding your misplaced cell phone is to call it. From your landline. From your roommate’s cell phone. From a friend’s cell phone.

But if you’re single and alone and no one’s online, there’s WheresMyCellPhone.com. Simple.

We’ve covered this topic before (See: Mobile17), but audiko is just so much better.

No registration required!

Simply navigate to audiko.net, upload your .mp3 file (or paste a link to it), cut it exactly how you like it, and then download it (to your PC or simply visit the link via your cell phone).

Did we mention that you don’t actually have to sign-up to use the site? Yeah. How nice is that.

No registration required: Audiko

How often do you use your camera phone to take pictures? Simple. Not enough!

Here’s a quick list of several uses for your camera phone:

1. Try taking a picture of the take-out menu at your favorite restaurant. Save paper.
2. And snap a picture of the business hours.
3. Is it your birthday coming up? Walk around the mall and take pictures of what you want. Then send your list around.
4. Is your roommate stealing your stuff? Take a picture of your belongings each time you leave your room.
5. Do you lend DVDs, CDs, or books to your friends? Take a picture of it and label it your friend’s name to remember who has what.
6. Forget saving business cards. Just snap a picture of them.
7. Take a picture of your suitcases. If they’re lost, you can show exactly what they look like.
8. When in a foreign city, take pictures of the intersection next to your hotel. If you’re drunk, show the cab driver the photo, and he’ll know to go.
9. Hell, take a picture of your hotel room number if you really lack memory skills.
10. When traveling, take a picture of your hotel’s name and even the important phone numbers. If you’re in a foreign country, it’s not 9-1-1. Take a picture of the number to remember it.

Read on to your heart’s content »

We’ve already discussed how to make Google Calendar the perfect secretary by texting and exporting new events to it. Now what about syncing your cell phone’s calendar with your Google Calendar, allowing you to access your Google Calendar right from your cell phone? This is where GooSync comes in to play.

GooSync is an easy service that will send your primary calendar from Google to your cell phone (and vice versa), allowing you to flawlessly schedule new events by checking what else you’ve currently got going on this month.

Sign up for the free service, click the link in the confirmation email, configure your “device”, save the settings they send you via sms, and select the “sync” option on your cell phone.

There you go. Now you have Google Calendar right on your cell phone.

Now I’ve never run into the problem of running to class late for a presentation and then forgetting my files, but maybe you have. Or maybe you’ve had lunch with a friend and then wanted to show them this video you have on your computer, but neither of you had the time to go up to your dorm room before next class.

Or even if you’ve ever craved to hear this one song you have on your computer but were away from your computer at the time, then I’d recommend installing Soonr. It’s free.

Read on to your heart’s content »

Forget the tweezers or the soldering and get the software. Follow this link to Engadget.

If you’re ever in Europe with a cell phone, you’ll probably notice right away that you only pay for outgoing text messages and outgoing calls. And next you’ll notice how much cheaper it is to send a text message than to make a call and talk for a minute. So you decide to just send text messages.

Then how great would it be if you could send text messages for free? Welcome to the future. Check out Free-SMS.de –wo alles auf deutsch ist.

Yes, it’s all in German, so let me translate the necessities for you.

Note: This site relies on advertising banners to send your text messages for free, so if you’re using Adblock (Plus), be sure to disable it while visiting the site. Otherwise, you won’t be able to send anything for free. Click Tools > Adblock Plus > Options > and click Enable Adblock Plus to actually disable it and remove the checkmark.

Read on to your heart’s content »

George Hotz, a freshman at the Rochester Institute of Technology, spent his summer unlocking the iPhone. His success has landed him international press coverage, a consulting job, and a car [Indy Star].

Hotz has detailed his 10 steps in unlocking the iPhone over at his blog.

But, note: An unlocked iPhone will only work with GSM-enabled carriers –such as T-mobile. And attempting to unlock your own iPhone is… probably still a bit too risky.