The guys over at tcgeeks.com have put together another great article on the iPad. Where many articles before have focused on the settings and technical aspects of getting the most from your iPad, this article is really about customising your ipad. The iPad is an incredibly versatile device that can enhance your life in many different ways but all iPads behave identically when you first get them out of the box. That’s no reason for us to use our gadgets in the same way as everyone else. Be sure to check out the rest of their site at tcgeeks.
01 Which Direction Am I Travelling In?
When using the Maps app, you can see your current position on the map as a blue dot. If you’re unsure which direction you are walking in, simply tap on the compass arrow icon on the top bar. A torchlight-style beam will emit from the blue location dot, indicating your current direction. So you need never get lost again.
02 Share Your Location
If you want to rendezvous with a friend, tap the ‘i’ icon by the pin that indicates your current location. Tap the ‘Share Location’ button and then email or MMS a map reference to your friend. They can tap the map’s URL link and view your location as a pin in their own Maps app.
03 Drop a Pin
If you can’t find a precise location via the Maps app’s handy search option, you can tap on the curled paper at the bottom right and press ‘Drop Pin’. You can then drag the pin to a point on the map (or just tap and hold on the screen), tap the blue ‘I’ icon and click on the ‘Directions to Here button’.
04 Get Bus Times
By default, the Maps app’s Directions function displays the route and time it’ll take you to get to your destination when travelling by car. If you click the Bus icon you’ll get walking directions to the nearest bus stop, then see the relevant bus number and departure time to take you to your destination.
05 Instant Traffic Repport
If you’re not sure what route to take, tap the Maps app’s curled paper (at the bottom right) and toggle the Traffic button on, Clear roads will be marked with green, slow moving traffic will appear as amber and real snarl ups will be highlighted by flashing red lines. You can then plan a faster route.
06 Give Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
The Maps app’s Directions menu displays routes as a line from A to B, but this is not suitable for a driver to access safely while on the move. Tap ‘Directions’ at the top of the window then tap ‘Start’ in the directions bar. Now tap the list icon in the blue bar for turn-by-turn directions.
07 Pause Your Downloads
If you’re trying to update a bunch of apps at the same time and don’t feel like waiting forever for one of them to finish, it’s possible to pause the installation of an app and form your own orderly queue. Simply tap an app icon while it is downloading to pause the process. Tap it again to resume.
08 Create Big Print
If you don’t always have your reading glasses to hand, it can be a hassle having to squint to read small fonts within text messages, notes or emails. Pop into Settings>General and scroll down to Accessibility. Then use the Large Text option to make the words in many applications look larger.
09 Perform a Double-Tap Zoom
For a closer look at your app icons, turn on the ‘Zoom’ option in the Accessibility menu. A double tap with three fingers will then magnify a part of the screen. You can scroll around the zoomed screen by dragging with three fingers. Double-tap with three fingers to zoom out again.
10 Activate VoiceOver
You can get your iPad to read out the contents of any screen (including button labels) by turning on the ‘VoiceOver’ option (in Accessibility). This will dramatically change the way you interact with the iPad, but is handy for listening to a book while on the move.
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