iPad Tips

iPad Tips *

1. Safari Action Menu

To open the Safari Action Menus you have to open the  Safari browser on your iPad (then go to open touch the "icon with a box and an arrow coming out of it") — it's in the upper left side of the browser next to the address window.

A toolbar dialog box opens up with nine icons on it, and those icons represent:

• Mail
• Message
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Add to Home Screen
• Print
• Copy
• Bookmark
• Add to reading list

This makes things very easy for many different functions.

2.  Cleaning Your iPad Screen

Whatever you do --- don't use any cleaning products like Windex or Formula 409 or anything like that on your screen. Apple describes its screen as having a fingerprint resistant oleo-phobic coating, in Latin oleo stands for oleum, or oil --- like the natural oils of your fingertips. You are best to use a special lens cloth that you can get at any specialty store, or Apple Store. There are many types out there for you to use.

3. iPad Keyboard Shortcuts

The iPad online keyboard has capability --- like a transformer --- to give you different options for different scenarios. For example if you are using the online keyboard within Safari and typing an address into the address browser bar the keyboard gives you a .com key. If you press that key you get many other choices, like .edu, .org, .net .... etcetera.

Also it's a good idea to look at the keyboard in certain circumstances because you'll see that some of the options change depending upon what you're doing. I know when I first started using the system I was a little  confused about the "capitalization situation." The system often tries to help you by capitalizing things, and it doesn't when you may want to capitalize a whole word. If you ever want to capitalize a whole word all you have to do is touch each option key (arrow keys pointing up) at the SAME TIME, and it will do so.

4. Finger Moves on the Screen

There are six basic finger moves that you can do for your iPad's screen to assist you. They are:

• Tap
• Drag
• Slide
• Finger speed, pinch
• Double tap

I think most of these are self-explanatory, but there is one strange move that is not here that you will love. Let's say you are in an application like Pages, and you want to go to look up something on the Internet. You don't want to have to close-down Pages to do that. All you have to do is a version of the fingerspread.

Start with your fingers wide open and touch the screen and pinch together.  That will close down whatever application you might be in to open you up to the desktop. You can then do whatever you need to do. Then go back to the Pages icon, touch it, and it will bring you back to where you were. I absolutely love this!

If you can't figure this out call me or email me and I will walk you through it.

5. Video Format that Works with your iPad

Handbrake is a great video format application, and it's freeware. It converts DVD movies and other files for playback on your iPad. It's also helpful with Apple TV ( see my blog about Apple TV ).

You can get it at http://handbrake.fr.

6. Find Your Lost iPad

"This can be your worst iPad related nightmare: a lost or stolen iPad. To use "Find My iPad" function you need to create an iCloud Account. 

Follow these steps:

1. On the iPad's home screen, tap Settings > iCloud
2. Under the Account area, tap "Add Account"
3. Type in your Apple user name and password
4. You will get a email to say you've created an account, follow the instructions
5. After you verify your account,  go back to Settings > iCloud, go down the screen list to "iCloud syncing options," you'll find the "Find My iPad" option. Turn it "ON"
6. Then tap Home > Settings > General > Location Services > On. (This let's you see where your iPad is when your iPad map comes on
7. To find your iPad you need to login to >  iCloud.com
8. You'll be able to find more information there once you've entered

Good luck!

* these tips are all  from the book: iPad, The Missing Manual