DQ: You're right. Unlike the iPod, Apple's iPhone does not have a special TV output mode. But one of my friends, who is a die-hard iPhone user in Hong Kong, has a solution.

The headset that comes with the iPhone has a tiny remote control hidden in the microphone bead. You squeeze it to accept and cancel phone calls but it also controls the music player side of the smartphone - one squeeze to pause a tune and two squeezes to jump to the next track.

This is what you need to do: start your movie then press the iPhone's power button. The display and audio will switch off. Now squeeze the controller once and the audio stream of the movie you were watching will play through the earphones.

I recently bought an iPhone on the grey market.

Can you suggest a way for me to back up my text messages and Notes on the device? Also, how can I use Stickies [a Macintosh desktop application used for putting Post-it note-like windows on the screen] and move its data over to the iPhone?

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DQ: The iPhone, which was introduced in the United States last June, has caused more interesting little problems than any other handheld device in many years. The gadget was initially restricted for use on US mobile service provider AT&T's network with the aid of a Sim lock, a capability used by mobile phone manufacturers to limit the use of a handset to specific countries and network providers. As a result, Apple has unwittingly helped create an industry of iPhone hackers around the world.

Hacking into an iPhone is usually described as 'jailbreaking'. It enables a user to download software onto the device and use the handset in places, such as Hong Kong and the mainland, where Apple has no network operator agreements. US market research firm In-Stat has estimated there were about 400,000 unlocked iPhone units running on China Mobile's network at the end of last year.

Another application, called iWriter (talkingpanda.com/iwriter), might help too. You can download and test it for free but you will have to buy it later if you want to use it.