iPhone field test fun

[ Music ] ^M00:00:02 >> Hey, I'm Tom Merritt from CNET.com. Here's a quick tip for accessing the field test mode in the iPhone. What's that you say? The field test mode lets network techs and Apple folks look at what's going on between your cell phone and the cell phone network it talks to. It's kind of like the old guys walkin' around with the tool belts in your house when they installed your Ma Bell telephone in the 70's. Fair warning though, although the info you'll be looking at seems to be read-only, some folks say this can mess with your phone or even worse the cell phone networks, so use it at your own risk. I'm just providing the information. We're not responsible for any damages as a result of you using this code. I know, the warning seem to make it so enticing, but please pay attention to this one. Here's how you do it. Go to the keypad and enter star, three, zero, zero, one, pound, one, two, three, four, five, pound, star. Easy to remember. Press the Call button, you'll be taken to the field test. A note here, storing this number in your Contacts List won't work. You need to tap it in manually. I tried. Okay, there's a lot of detailed network information in here. Let me explain just one. Press Cell Information. These are all the cell towers your phone can see. The more the better. I've been told that the lower this number after the RX is, the better the reception. Now, you can look around the web for more explanation to the rest of the information available in the field test. There's lots out there, but that's it for this tip. I'm Tom Merritt for CNET.com. Remember that warning. ^M00:01:30 [ Music ]