Ipad101
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iPad 101: No bottle opener? No problem
This handy tip first made the rounds in May of 2012, but it's worth reviving for a holiday weekend filled with barbecues, beer -- and probably a few missing bottle openers. According to Twitter's @EvaGiselle (and technique confirmed/photo thanks to TechHive's Susie Ochs), you can indeed pop the top on a frosty bottle of suds using nothing more than your bare hands and an iPad charger. Although CNET originally ran into some troubles (cracked adapters) with this approach, the Huffington Post was able to use it with ease given a little bit of care and finesse. Needless to say, if you break your adapter using it in a manner for which it was not designed, good luck getting it replaced at the Apple Store on Tuesday. (That's why the more expensive MagSafe laptop adapters are completely off-limits.) Even though Mophie's original Bevy bottle opener/iPod shuffle case is no longer sold, there are plenty of modern-day options to choose from, including the Opena case for both iPhone 4 and 5 models. Enjoy the weekend, and remember to charge responsibly -- always designate a sober friend to keep track of the iPads.
iPad 101: Clearing individual website cookies
If you are like me, you open your iPad's web browser several times day, either by launching mobile Safari directly or by clicking a link in a third-party app. After a short time, you will accrue a long list of cookies, placed there by websites that want to save your login preferences or track the pages you view on their site. Cookies are not harmful, but they do build up over time and can slow browser performance. Thankfully, Apple has made it easy to remove them from your iPad either all at once or one at a time. To remove all your cookies in one fell swoop, you can open Settings on your iPad and scroll down to Safari in the left hand column, as shown above. Tap on Safari and, in the middle of the screen, you should see an option to "Clear Cookies and Data." Tap on this "Clear Cookies and Data" option and you will receive a warning that you are clearing your cookie data, as shown above. iOS will also close all open tabs in Safari during this removal process. If you are prepared to delete all your cookies, then hit clear and they will be removed all at once. Some iPad users, though, may prefer to keep select cookies since they store login credentials and other information that speeds up browsing. In this scenario, Apple has also made it possible to remove cookies on an individual basis. Similar to removing all cookies, iPad owners can open Settings and tap on Safari, as shown above. Instead of tapping on "Clear Cookies and Data" like we did earlier, users can tap on the "Advanced" option at the bottom. Then, on the next screen, tap "Website Data" to view all your cookies. This next screen on your iPad reveals all the cookies that are stored on your iPad, as shown in the screenshot above. You can swipe to delete each entry or click "Remove All Website Data" to remove all of them at once. I usually delete the random entries like newbalance.com and keep ones like eBay.com that may have login information. Once you get the hang of it, it's easy to keep your cookie cache clean.
Dear Aunt TUAW: How do I restore an iPad backup to a new device?
Dear Aunt TUAW, I've searched your site for information on this to no avail, and I suspect several others will be faced with the same dilemma. Seeing that you are the authority in the field, I thought I'd ask you. Here goes... I've recently sold off my iPad 1 on the used market in favor of getting the iPad 2. Prior to selling it, I applied the iOS 4.3 update and performed a full backup on the device using iTunes. And so to my question: Will I be able to perform a restore by use of my [iPad 1, iOS 4.3] backup onto my new iPad 2 in order to smoothly get all my settings and apps up and running on the new device? Hugs, Your nephew Jimmy
iPad 101: Reverting to an older version of an application
It happens to us all: an application update for the iPhone or iPad goes awry, and the new app doesn't do things the way we want (or, unfortunately, work at all on one of our devices). We ourselves are in that boat at the moment, since the new version 2.0 of the TUAW iPhone app is not working as expected on the iPad -- our development team is digging into the problem right now and we hope to be fast-tracking a fixed version right away. Our apologies for the issues. This sort of thing is particularly sticky because there's no Apple-supported way to roll back to a previous version of an iOS application once you've updated. There is a workaround, however, if you haven't yet emptied your Trash in the Finder (or if you can restore your Mobile Applications folder using Time Machine). Read on for the steps.
iPad 101: Downloading and installing iTunes on Windows
Did you find a shiny new iPod touch, iPhone or iPad under the tree this morning? Congratulations -- we're sure you're going to enjoy it. First things first, though: if you don't own a Mac, and you haven't been using Apple's tools to manage your music, you're going to have to download and install iTunes to sync and manage your new iDevice. Not to worry -- it's just a few quick steps, and we'll walk you through it. You'll be up and running in no time. [Regular TUAW readers who are staring in disbelief and muttering "Are they really writing up the iTunes for Windows install process?" -- relax, go have some egg nog, we'll be back to normal in no time.] We're also taking questions all day Christmas day on our tricks & tips Twitter account, Ask_TUAW. Pipe up if you need help! First step: download the software. The URL is easy to remember, though... itunes.com, then click on the Download iTunes button at the top right.
iPad 101: Restriction settings
Those with kids and iPads will notice that the latter find the former irresistible. When connected to the Internet, they provide access to all that the Web and App Store have to offer, some of which is decidedly not for kids. Here's how you can use the iPad's built-in Restrictions settings to limit their access. Open the general settings and click Restrictions. You'll have to create a special 4-digit pass code; pick one the kids can't guess. From there you can disable access to Safari, YouTube, iTunes, location notification and the ability to install apps. In addition, you can disable in-app purchases and limit TV shows, movies, podcasts and apps by rating or explicit content warning. It's not perfect and won't deter determined kids for long, but setting this up will offer some peace of mind.
iPad 101: Customize your wallpaper
Unlike the iPhone,* the iPad lets you customize wallpapers for, both, the lock screen and the home screen. While the default image is beautiful (unless you think the stars resemble scratches), many users will want to replace it with something personal. Here's how. Tap the Settings app and then select Brightness and Wallpaper. There, you'll find two options. First, you can enable auto-brightness, which adjusts the display's brightness by monitoring the environment's ambient light. Tap the images below to bring up the wallpaper settings. At the top of the page, you'll find the iPad's default images followed by your own pictures (if you've synchronized photos). Tap any image to bring up the full-screen view. Now, you've got three options: set the lock screen, home screen, or both. You're done! There are two things that you should note. The first thing is that your images are sorted by album, events, and then faces, which makes searching easier. Secondly, you can't adjust or re-size an image before setting it as a wallpaper like you can on an iPhone. *That's going to change this summer.
iPad 101: The easy way to get high-def videos onto iPhone or iPad
Even though the iPad has that HD feel, there are plenty of HD files it can't stomach -- the maximum resolution for videos to sync via iTunes is 720p, and anything higher (1080i or 1080p) simply won't transfer. On the iPhone and iPod touch, the upper limit is even tighter; those devices can only handle 640x480 videos, meaning that a 720p file will stall out. Generally, movies or TV shows purchased from iTunes will arrive with versions tuned for both devices, but for anything you've created independently of the store, you may run into a spot of trouble. There's an extensive walkthrough over at Gizmodo covering how to use Handbrake for downsampling your 1080i/p videos to a more manageable resolution, very helpful if you're in a DIY mood -- but there is an easier way. It takes advantage of a feature in an app you're already using: iTunes. Just select your movie file(s) and check under the Advanced menu. See those two "Create..." options? The iPod or iPhone version will deliver a resampled video at a resolution the smaller devices can manage; the iPad/Apple TV choice will spit out a 720p file. All you need to do is select your choice and wait for a while... depending on the length of your video and the speed of your Mac, it may take quite a long time, but be patient. You can try out the steps with an Apple-provided sample file, if you like. Once the conversion is done, you'll see a second instance of the video in your media list -- then you can sync at will. Note that if the file you're choosing is already adequately low-res, you'll see the dialog box below. Happy squeezing!
iPad 101: User Guides and other helpful resources
You've bought your iPad. Congratulations! So are you ready to learn all the ways you can get the most from your new purchase? Here's a quick run-down of some indispensable resources as you're getting up to speed with your new purchase. Read the manuals: The iPad User Guide (pdf) provides an in-depth review. This user manual is not included in the iPad packaging. Instead, Apple hosts it on its support site. This 154-page long (!) guide covers all the basics for using the iPad and understanding how it works. If you'd like to convert this PDF-formatted guide into a format (called "ePub") that you can use to read on your iPad, there's a handy website called epub2go that will handle the conversion for you. After transforming the file to epub, just drop it onto your iTunes library and sync it to your iPad. You'll be able to read the book using Apple's free iBooks application. It won't look as nice as a standard ePub document, but you'll have it in mobile form. Take a guided video tour: Apple has posted videos that introduce many of the iPad's new features, including Safari, Mail, Photos, iPod, and more. You can watch these videos to get an idea of how each of these features work, and pick up a few pointers along the way. These aren't really meant as tutorials; they are marketing videos, but they can also work to introduce the iPad to you. Read our iPad 101 series: TUAW regularly posts tips and tricks for new users via our 101 posting series. In addition to the iPad, we often post Mac 101 and iPhone 101 hints, suitable for those just getting started with a new platform. These write-ups help introduce new concepts and don't assume that you're already an expert.
iPad 101: iPad AppleCare pros & cons
Considering AppleCare for your iPad? I know that I am. For $99, AppleCare extends your iPad warranty coverage to two years from the date of purchase. Although AppleCare tends to be expensive, for certain purchases it can really save you, especially for devices which run a higher risk of component failure over a lifetime of hard use -- such as laptops and other mobile tech. Many Apple aficionados tend to avoid buying AppleCare for robust devices like the Mac mini series. Those units tend either to die right away or last forever. They are highly self-serviceable for anyone who has a reasonable degree of comfort with a screwdriver. The iPad and the iPhone, on the other hand, can feel like accidents waiting to happen. Without a simple avenue for owner-repair, they are more of a black box purchase. And their components can and do die much more unexpectedly. In my history of purchasing iPhones and iPod touches, I have personally encountered video driver death and massive touchscreen failure. To be fair, both of these incidents happened within a month or so of purchase, so keep that in mind as well. For many devices, component failures tend to show themselves fairly soon. With a standard iPad purchase, you are covered for 90 days of phone support and a 1 year hardware warranty without any need for a further AppleCare payment, according to the Apple representative I talked to this morning. What's more, if you want to wait, you can. Purchasing AppleCare extends standard iPad coverage to 2 years each of phone support and hardware warranty. You can buy AppleCare up until the last day of your 1 year complimentary coverage, so there's not really a rush unless you need phone support during that time.
iPad 101: Managing your 3G data plans
Much as I love AT&T's prepaid services, their interactive system for purchasing feature packages... well, it kind of sucks. I can't count the number of hours I have spent on their 611 purchase line trying to get the chirpy fake human at the other end (no, seriously, the robot is very cheerful and upbeat) to properly confirm my correct order. With the help of human operators (who cannot, by the way, actually effect the purchase), I have a cheat sheet that sits next to my computer and gets updated as they change their menu system: sometimes you have to say "yes". Sometimes you have to say "buy it". It's all a bit of a mess. So when I read through Apple's updated iPad 3G page, I was delighted to see that you can add your prepaid 3G feature packages from the iPad without ever having to speak to chirpy fake humans. It's all done from the padtop. And that, let me say, is marvelous.
iPad 101: Reserve an iPad from outside the US
If you're living in Canada or Mexico -- but close enough to the border to make a trip to a US Apple Store -- Clean My Screen has posted instructions for reserving an iPad outside of the US. There are 23 steps in the guide, but it doesn't look terribly complicated. It involves the creation of a new account with a US address and no payment method, but with a real email address. Then you can confirm your account and make a reservation, although you'll need to make a trek (or have a friend in a convenient location do it) to a brick-and-mortar US Apple Store to retrieve your iPad. As noted in the article, having a US iTunes account can be handy for a handful of other reasons, including being used to buy free apps and music, and potentially get free eBooks once the iBook Store opens. If you live outside of iPad reservation territory, give it a shot and let us know how you fare.
