iPhone

[Mike Ungerman]

Ok, I know, the iPhone is technically NOT Windows. But in all things tech and related to computers, using an iPhone and getting as much out of it as possible is akin to doing the same thing in Windows.

This then, is a place to drop your tips and techniques; maybe a favorite app or two? Just reply to this lead post and don't quote everything before it if you're responding later in the thread.

[Mike Ungerman]

Shortcuts

The iPhone is a phone too, hard to believe I know. It’s not always the quickest of phones only because you jump through a few more hoops than you normally would to place a call.

One way to compensate this is by getting to your “Favorites” quickly. By double clicking the home button from any screen, you automatically are taken to your list of favorite contacts.

Keep in mind though, if you’re playing music from your iPhone or iPod touch, double clicking the home button will give you an iTunes controller pop up instead. It works anytime you navigate away from the iPod menu and is a great feature while you’re driving or going for a run and want to switch songs quickly.

[Mike Ungerman]

Want to change some iPhone features?

Check this site out for postings of recommended changes wanted on the iPhone:

http://pleasefixtheiphone.com/

[Mike Ungerman]

Browsing Shortcuts:

Hold down the .com button to select the ending of the domain name after typing the website URL in the space bar. The usual endings such as, “.com,” “.net,” “.edu” and “.org” will be displayed. Tab on any of the endings to insert it to the address bar.

If you are composing a mail, hold down the period key to select the endings of the email address. This will also display all the endings such as, “.com,” “.net,” “.edu” and “.org.” Tab to insert any of the endings.

[Mike Ungerman]

Shortcut for Capturing Screenshots:

Do you know there is a built-in shortcut to capture screenshots?

Yes there is and it really works.

Open the screen that you want to capture, hold the home button and hit the power/sleep button. You’ll notice a momentary screen flash. Your screen is captured and it is saved to the Camera Roll.

[Mike Ungerman]

Master the Double-Tap

The double-tap feature of the iPhone is essential to getting the most out of it. Double-tap can help you read web pages more easily, manage photos and much more.

Key double-tap tips include:

* On a typical website, double-tap a column of text to zoom right into it – the iPhone will zoom the view to fit the width of the screen. Double-tap the screen again to zoom back out.
* Double-tapping a picture will automatically focus in to show a close-up. Again, this auto-zoom will fit the width of the iPhone's screen.
* Use double-tap to zoom in/out on photos in the iPhone's Photo app and toggle between full screen and letterbox mode during video playback.
* A double-tap is an easy way to incrementally zoom into a section of a Google Map.
* Tapping two fingers on the screen (I.e. first and index finger) will zoom back out the same way.

[Mike Ungerman]

Know How to Reset your iPhone if it Crashes

An application crash will cause your iPhone to freeze, meaning it won't respond to screen taps or buttons. Resetting your iPhone (without losing data) is key to recovering from this situation quickly.

Two options exist for resetting your iPhone:


1. Hold down the Home button for 5-6 seconds to force quit a crashed application.
2. Force a full shut down of your iPhone by holding down the Home and Sleep/Wake button.

[Mike Ungerman]

Optimize Your Settings For Better Battery Life

Depending on how they are configured, a few features may decrease your iPhone battery life. For example, the frequency with which you retrieve email and the number of email accounts you auto-check can both affect battery life. The tips below apply to an iPhone running iPhone 3.0 or later software and may help extend your battery life.

* Minimize use of location services: Applications that actively use location services such as Maps may reduce battery life. To disable location services, go to Settings > General > Location Services or use location services only when needed.
* Turn off push notifications: Some applications from the App Store use the Apple Push Notification Service to alert you of new data. Those applications that extensively rely on push notifications (such as instant messaging applications) may impact battery life. To disable push notifications, go to Settings > Notifications and set Notifications to Off. Note that this does not prevent new data from being received when the application is opened. Also, the Notifications setting will not be visible if you do not have any applications installed that support push notifications.
* Fetch new data less frequently: Applications such as Mail can be set to fetch data wirelessly at specific intervals. The more frequently email or other data is fetched, the quicker your battery may drain. To fetch new data manually, from the Home screen choose Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars > Fetch New Data and tap Manually. To increase the fetch interval, go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars > Fetch New Data and tap Hourly. Note that this is a global setting and applies to all applications that do not support push services.
* Turn off push mail: If you have a push mail account such as Yahoo!, MobileMe or Microsoft Exchange, turn off push when you don’t need it. Go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars > Fetch New Data and set Push to Off. Messages sent to your push email accounts will now be received on your phone based on the global Fetch setting rather than as they arrive. If the global Fetch setting is set to Manually, you will not be able to locate your iPhone using the MobileMe Find My iPhone feature.
* Auto-check fewer email accounts: You can save power by checking fewer email accounts. This can be accomplished by turning off an email account or by deleting it. To turn off an account, go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars, choose an email account, and set Account to Off. To remove an account, go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars, choose an email account, and tap Delete Account.
* Minimize use of third-party applications: Excessive use of applications such as games that prevent the screen from dimming or shutting off or applications that use location services can reduce battery life.
* Turn off Wi-Fi: If you rarely use Wi-Fi, you can turn it off to save power. Go to Settings > Wi-Fi and set Wi-Fi to Off. Note that if you frequently use your iPhone to browse the web, battery life may be improved by using Wi-Fi instead of cellular data networks.
* Turn off Bluetooth: If you rarely use a Bluetooth headset or car kit, you can turn off Bluetooth to save power. Go to Settings > General > Bluetooth and set Bluetooth to Off.
* Use Airplane Mode in low- or no-coverage areas: Because your iPhone always tries to maintain a connection with the cellular network, it may use more power in low- or no-coverage areas. Turning on Airplane Mode can increase battery life in these situations; however, you will be unable to make or receive calls. To turn on Airplane Mode, go to Settings and set Airplane Mode to On.
* Adjust brightness: Dimming the screen is another way to extend battery life. Go to Settings > Brightness and drag the slider to the left to lower the default screen brightness. In addition, turning on Auto-Brightness allows the screen to adjust its brightness based on current lighting conditions. Go to Settings > Brightness and set Auto-Brightness to On.
* Turn off EQ: Applying an equalizer setting to song playback on your iPhone can decrease battery life. To turn EQ off, go to Settings > iPod > EQ and tap Off. Note that if you’ve added EQ to songs directly in iTunes, you’ll need to set EQ on iPhone to Flat in order to have the same effect as Off because iPhone keeps your iTunes settings intact. Go to Settings > iPod > EQ and tap Flat.
* Turn off 3G: Using 3G cellular networks loads data faster, but may also decrease battery life, especially in areas with limited 3G coverage. To disable 3G, from the Home screen choose Settings > General > Network and set Enable 3G to Off. You will still be able to make and receive calls and access cellular data networks via EDGE or GPRS where available.
* For proper maintenance of a lithium-based battery, it’s important to keep the electrons in it moving occasionally. Be sure to go through at least one charge cycle per month (charging the battery to 100% and then completely running it down).

[Mike Ungerman]

Saving Images from Safari or Mail

In order to save images from Safari / Mail, just click and hold down on the photo until you see Save Image, Open Link or Cancel. Click on Save Image.

[Mike Ungerman]

Double-tap Space Bar to Begin a New Sentence

When typing text, double-tap the spacebar at the end of each sentence. By doing this you your iPhone will add a period and space so you can begin your next sentence quickly and in style.