10 cool things to do with your new iPhone

If you've been really good all year, you could well find an iPhone 3G in your stocking.

If you do, then you can start showing off immediately.

The iPhone isn't just an iPod that makes calls.

It's a powerful pocket computer that's capable of all kinds of cleverness.

Here are ten cool things you can do right now to turn everybody greener than an elf's trousers.

1. Save sites as apps
You can save websites as home screen icons: in Safari, click on the plus button and choose Add to Home Screen. To reorganise your icons, press and hold one until the icons wobble and then drag them around. Press the Home button when you're done.

2. Name that tune
There are lots of gee-whiz iPhone apps, but our favourite is Shazam. Point your phone towards a source of music and hit Tag Now to find out what it is - and if you like it, to see it on YouTube or buy it from iTunes.

3. Show off with a slideshow
That big screen makes a surprisingly good photo frame. Simply go into Settings > General, change Auto-Lock to Never, and start a slideshow in Photos.

4. Google by grunting
The Google Mobile application enables you to control Google searches with your voice - or at least, it does if you put on a fake US accent. Guttural Glaswegian and broad Brummie accents just confuse it, often with hilarious results.

5. Get audio and apps over the air
You don't need to touch your computer to get new music or applications: simply find a Wi-Fi access point and you can download music, podcasts, games and apps from iTunes. They're copied to your computer the next time you sync.

6. Get a groove from Genius
If you go into the iPod screen and choose playlists, you'll see an option for Genius. Provided you've let Genius scan your iTunes library (it does this by default when you install the most recent version of iTunes) you can click on a song and get Genius to generate a playlist it thinks you'll like. More often than not, it gets it exactly right.

7. Get your game on
If you thought mobile phone gaming peaked with Nokia's Snake, you'll be amazed by the quality of iPhone games - from the insanely addictive Tap Tap Revenge to the thrilling Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.

8. Spy on yourself
There's something really spooky about spying on yourself, and it's easy to do: go into Maps and tap the Current Location button (it looks like crosshairs). Maps will not only find out where you are with a surprising degree of accuracy; it'll track your movements in real time. Yikes!

9. Get geotagging
If you choose "Allow" when Camera asks to use your current location, it automatically records where you were when you take a photo. Sites such as Flickr can then automatically plot your pics on a map - all you need to do in Flickr is enable "import location EXIF data" in Your Account

10. Tour America
Google Street View works on any iPhone. To take a virtual tour, use Maps to search for a US location – the service hasn't reached Britain yet - and then tap the icon of a person that appears above the pin. It's like being there without the expense and the jet lag.