iPad Helpful Hints and How-To's....

Kieron

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How to set up a US iTunes account in the UK

Lots of new iPad owners, so here is my guide to setting up a USA iTunes account if you live in the UK (or other country)

You need to follow this guide "exactly" or you won't get the required options.

1. Open iTunes and sign out of your account. Scroll to the bottom of iTunes and change “My Store” to United States.

2. From the menu on the left, click on “App Store” then purchase a free iPhone app. Make sure the app you click on is free

3. Next, click “Create New Account”, click continue.

4. Agree to the T&C, click continue. Fill out the necessary information using a different email to the one you use for your UK account. Set a password, security question and birthday.

5. Under the payment options, select “None” on the far right.

6. Fill in the name and address fields. You will need to use a USA address. Any USA address will do.

7. iTunes will then send you an email to verify the account. Check email, click verification link.

8. The link will open up iTunes. Sign in with your new account. You'll see a “Congratulations” screen. That's it!

An update to the above guide. Obviously the above is fine for free apps, but what if you want to purchase items from the US store?

You have a couple of options.

1. If you are lucky enough to have an American credit card registered to an American address you can add this into the payment options. However 99% of foreign users will not have this, nor will they have a USA PayPal account either. However if you do, then follow the prompts within your account settings and enter your information. No doubt you will also need to alter the iTunes account address too.

2. Purchase a USA iTunes voucher/card. There are various places to purchase but remember - you requite a USA DOLLAR voucher/card. eBay is the source of many vouchers, and whilst eBay requires sellers to physically ship the voucher to you, most sellers will simply email the codes to you upon request. Another recommended seller is Maximus Cards who have been in business for some time - also offering cards for various other platforms. I might add that neither myself nor AVForums are affiliated with Maximus Cards, I am simply recommending then on past purchases and the time they have been operating - no doubt there are many other business's like this.

Once you have the card or code from the back of the card you will need to sign into your USA account and look for "redeem" - look in the top right hand corner where your login name is. Hover over it and a downwards triangle will appear. Click that and redeem is the second option down. Then simply enter the voucher code. The value of the card will appear next to your login name in the top right hand corner.

Don't forget that you will also be taxed on iTunes purchases depending upon which state you used when signing up for an account. Don't be suprised if that $9.99 app actually costs you $10.72....
 
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How to setup PureVPN on the iPad

PureVPN allows UK/foreign users to connect to USA based apps (such as Pandora and ABC Player) by changing your IP address to one based in the US.

Ok, here's how to set up PureVPN

You'll need an account from here.

PureVPN will send you an account name and password (different to the one you use to join on their website so you will need to wait for the email with these details.)

When you have the supplied account and password you need to do the following.

Fire up the iPad.

Hit "Settings"

General

Network

VPN

Then under "Choose a Configuration"

Add VPN Configuration

Select L2TPP

Description: Purevpn

Server: us2.purevpn.net

Account: use the account name they provide

RSA SecurID: OFF

Password: use the password they provide

Secret: 12345678

Send All Traffic: ON

Then hit "save" at the top.

Now under the settings panel on the left you can slide VPN either ON or OFF.

And that's it

Really simple and works a treat
 
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Installing iBooks​

iBooks is Apple's application for the iPad (and iPhone/iPod touch) that is currently only available in certain countries (at the time of writing, just the USA)

iBooks is available from the USA app store - you will require a US iTunes account (as detailed in post number one of this thread.)

As iBooks is a free app you will not require any payment information and can actually use the app to create your US iTunes account.

Once installed you will see that there are many free books available - these can easily be downloaded to the application. If you wish to purchase a book you will (at the time of writing) require a US payment fund - either a credit card or paypal account with a US address attached to it or (and much easier) a pre-paid iTunes card in dollars that you can redeem to your iTunes account.

You can also convert your current e-book collection to use on the iPad within the iBooks application by using a conversion program such as Calibre available from here.

Your book collection needs to be converted to the "e-pub" format and can then be sync'd to your iPad using iTunes. Just tell iTunes where the books are on your hard drive and import them.

There are however many thousands of free books available from the iBooks app, plus you get a full copy of "Winnie the Pooh" included in the application.

All in all a very simple app to use that can only improve once the worldwide stores come online.

Note: If you prefer to use Amazon's Kindle software there is an app available for the iPad. Similar in operation, it will allow you to purchase books from Amazon.com and of course allow you to use previous purchases for earlier machines. Kindle is also available now in the UK for the iPad.

iBooks link (USA store) is here.

Kindle link (UK store) is here.
 
22 useful iPad tips​

As many companies have discovered, you can't successfully slap a desktop
operating system onto a tablet device. The iPad uses Apple's iPhone OS,
which, although based on the guts of Mac OS X, was designed with a touch
interface in mind. And when you're designing something from scratch, there
are numerous opportunities to enhance the experience.

Now that I have an iPad in my hands, I've discovered some new techniques and
hidden shortcuts, and also found myself making heavier use of existing
iPhone shortcuts (including a few I didn't realize were there).

*Small Swipes for Large Actions* -- No doubt the iPad's biggest selling point is its large screen, especially compared to an iPhone or iPod touch. But it can also feel like a liability at times.

In the Home screen or the Photos app, for example, you'll be tempted to
swoosh across the entire width of the screen, which is what I've always done on the iPhone. Instead, only a small swipe motion is required. For example, to advance images in the Photos app, position your left thumb at the left edge of the screen (where it likely is if you're holding the iPad with your left hand supporting its weight) and just flick the thumb half an inch
right-to-left or left-to-right.

(This tip also applies to the iPhone and iPod touch, but the small size of
the screen makes it less useful.)

*Add Up to Six Apps to the Dock* -- The iPad ships with a basic iPhone layout, which includes four apps on the Dock that appears at the bottom of all Home screens. Take advantage of the extra screen size and add up to two more. Tap and hold an app you want to add until all of the apps begin
jiggling. Then drag the app to the Dock. Press the Home button when you're
done.

<http://www.tidbits.com/resources/2010-04/ipad_dock_six_apps.jpg>

Unfortunately, you can't put more than 20 apps on a screen, but there are 11
screens. This will change with folders in iPhone OS 4.

*Jump to the Top* -- This behavior was introduced on the iPhone, but you need it more on the iPad's large screen. Tap the status bar at the top of the screen to jump back to the top of the page or window you're viewing.

I wish there were a similar action for jumping to the end of a page (such as
when I want to read comments at the end of an article, for example). The
closest there is to a workaround is Vais Salikhov's free End of
Page<http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/end-of-page/id354598188?mt=8>app,
which is actually a clever bookmarklet that works in Safari. (He also
has a similar Find in Page<http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/find-in-page/id349889817?mt=8>app that enables searching inside Web pages.)

*Lock That Rotate* -- This may not qualify as much of a secret, since Apple promotes the feature, but in my early experience, it's terrifically useful. Flick the switch above the volume controls to lock screen rotation. The iPad is quite sensitive to orientation, and rotates its screen with little provocation. Locking rotation means sticking with the view you're in, even
as you shift position, or place the iPad flat on a surface.

*Quick Mute* -- With that switch repurposed for rotation lock, what happened to the iPhone's capability of using it to mute the volume? On the iPad, press and hold the volume down button. After about two bars of volume, the iPad's volume jumps to zero. (Take Control author Sharon Zardetto<http://ipadpunditry.wordpress.com/>gets credit for pointing
out this tip.)

*Use Spotlight to Launch Apps* -- Again, this is something not unique to the iPad, but I never used it on the iPhone. Once you've accumulated a bunch of apps, it can take a while to flip through several home screens to find the one you want. Although there's no equivalent to LaunchBar for the iPad (believe me, I'd buy it in a heartbeat), here's the next best thing.

When you're on a home screen, press the Home button to get to the first
screen, then either press the button again or swipe to the right to expose
the Spotlight search interface. Tap the Search field and start typing the
app name; you'll see that Spotlight also grabs everything similar, including
Mail messages, song titles, contacts, and events, as well as the app. Then
tap the one you want to launch.

[image: Image]<http://www.tidbits.com/resources/2010-04/ipad_app_launcher.jpg>

The iPad returns results on this page enormously faster than on an iPhone
3GS or current iPod touch.

*Type an Apostrophe from the Basic Keyboard Layout* -- The iPad's onscreen keyboard approaches the dimensions of a full-size keyboard (in wide orientation, at least), but accommodations still had to be made to get it to fit. One of the most maddening is the lack of an apostrophe key. I keep
hitting the Return key with my right pinkie finger when I mean to type an
apostrophe. You need to tap the ".?123" button to reveal the correct key,
which itself is in an odd position at the bottom of the layout.

Instead, press and hold the comma key. A pop-up variation appears with an
apostrophe, and it even appears highlighted, which means you don't have to
move your finger to select it. Simply tap, hold for a moment, then release
to create the apostrophe.

*Type Curly Quotes* -- Similarly, tap and hold the single or double-quote key to get a selection of real quotes (the curly kind) as used in major
languages that use the Roman alphabet. This feature is in the iPhone, too,
and I'd never discovered it, probably because I didn't notice typography as
much on the small screen. When putting together a Keynote presentation,
however, those curly quotes make a big difference. (Straight quotes -
disparagingly referred to by typographers as "typewriter quotes" - often
indicate the person is a graphics amateur.)

The onscreen keyboard hides all kinds of other goodies, too, which seem more useful in extended typing on the iPad than on the iPhone or iPod touch. For instance, hold down the period key on some keyboards, and a list of domain extensions (like .com and .org) appear.

*Access Alternate Characters* -- This tip isn't specific to the iPad, but it's worth remembering. Touch and hold a character on the onscreen keyboard to view related characters. For example, holding the E key brings up accented E characters, or holding the $ key brings up other currency
symbols. (Thanks to reader "Arthur" for the reminder.)

*Better Word Suggestions* -- This one isn't so much a tip as it is an
observation. I've noticed that the iPad's word assistance is better than the
iPhone's. When I miss the space bar while typing (especially now as I'm just
getting accustomed to the onscreen keyboard), the iPad automatically
suggests that something like "feellike" should be "feel like".

*Practice Good Typing Form* -- I never realized that I rest my hands on the keyboard when I type until I started using the onscreen keyboard where every contact on the screen creates an action. Keep those fingers and palms up as you type.

*Zoom Way, Way In* -- The Zoom accessibility option that's in the iPhone OS is even more helpful on the iPad than on a smaller device because of the additional screen territory. You can turn this on from Settings > Accessibility > Zoom by flipping Zoom to On.

The Zoom screen explains the three options: double tap with three fingers to
zoom in; drag with three fingers for panning around the screen; and use
three fingers to double tap without releasing, and then drag up or down to
zoom in or out.

*Use an External Keyboard* -- When you want to do some extended typing, pair the iPad with a Bluetooth keyboard or plug it into Apple's iPad Keyboard Dock. In addition to better ergonomics, this setup gives you access to common keyboard commands like Copy (Command-C) and Paste (Command-V), and lets you make selections of text by holding down a Shift key and using the arrows for navigation. You can also delete words with Option-Delete, and entire lines with Command-Delete.

It's also helpful for navigating a document. Press Command-Up arrow to jump
to the top of a document (like a Home key), or Command-Down arrow to jump to
the end (like an End key). Option-Left arrow and Option-Right arrow move the
insertion point by words, as you'd expect.

*Manage a Bluetooth Keyboard* -- If you've paired a Bluetooth keyboard, be sure to turn it off or disable Bluetooth when you're not using it. If you enter any editable text field that requires text input and the keyboard is within range, the onscreen keyboard won't appear.

You can press the Eject button on the Bluetooth keyboard to toggle the
appearance of the onscreen keyboard. But it's easier just to turn off the
external keyboard when you're not going to use it for a while, or taking the
iPad to another room.

To turn off the Apple Wireless Keyboard, press and hold the power button for
a few seconds. The status light will come on; wait until it goes out. Then
the keyboard's power is off, and the iPad will resume using its onscreen
keyboard.

You can also go to Settings > General > Bluetooth and set the Bluetooth
switch to off, which both reduces battery usage and disables any other
paired Bluetooth connection.

*Master Shifting* -- The iPad has territory enough to offer a Shift key on both the left and right sides of the keyboard and for your hands to lie flat
on the screen. This lets you take advantage of a feature found in the iPhone
OS, but not quite practical to use on the iPad's smaller siblings: you can
hold down the Shift key while typing a letter to a get a single capital
letter, then release, as with normal physical keyboard touch typing. This
can dramatically increase your typing speed. You can still tap a Shift key,
which turns blue, and then tap a letter to get a single capital letter.

I've actually disabled the Caps Lock key on my MacBook Pro because I hate
accidentally hitting it and TYPING IN ALL CAPS, but there are times where
turning on Caps Lock is helpful (such as writing about topics with lots of
acronyms like AVCHD, HDCP, HDTVs, or
TANSTAAFL<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There_ain%27t_no_such_thing_as_a_free_lunch>).
You can do this in the iPhone OS too, though I never felt the need for it
when typing on those devices.

Go to Settings > Keyboard > Enable Caps Lock and set the switch to On. Then,
when you're typing, double-tap one of the Shift keys. The entire key becomes
illuminated in blue, with a white arrow in the middle, to indicate that caps
are locked. Tap a Shift key again to exit the Caps Lock mode.

You can also hold down either Shift key and type letters to create a series
of capitals.

*Easier Text Selection* -- This feature is also not unique to the iPad, but it's worthwhile and something I never knew about until a few days ago.
Double-tap and hold a word to select it to circumvent the need to tap the
Select button that appears, and then drag to extend the selection to
additional words. It works on both sides of the selected word; when you're
moving just the selection handles, that's not the case.

*Replace Text* -- When you select a word, the familiar pop-up options appear: Cut, Copy, and Paste. The iPad adds a new option: Replace. Tap it to view alternate spellings or corrections.

[image: Image] <http://www.tidbits.com/resources/2010-04/ipad_replace.jpg>

*Use the Spell Checker* -- The iPad includes a built-in spell check feature that acts the same as the one in Mac OS X. If you misspell a word, it
appears with a dotted red underline. Tap the word to view suggested
spellings. (Thanks to reader "Rivka" for pointing this out.)

*Watch iTunes-Purchased Movies on an HDTV* -- Movies in the iTunes Store are wrapped in Apple's FairPlay DRM, which uses HDCP to ensure that only devices that support HDCP can play the video. If you bought the iPad Dock Connector to VGA Adapter and hope to play video on your recent HDTV, you're out of luck because it won't carry the digital signal. If your television has component connections (red, green, and blue cables), buy Apple's Component AV Cable kit and hook your iPad to the TV. Voilà! It's like having a portable Apple TV with you at all times.

*Always Show Bookmarks Bar in Safari* -- I use MobileMe to sync my Safari bookmarks to the iPad, and keep my most-used bookmarks handy by storing them in the Bookmarks Bar on my MacBook Pro. Safari on the iPad also features a Bookmarks Bar, but it's hidden by default. In fact, the only way to make it appear is to tap the Address field to position the cursor there. Instead, go to Settings > Safari and turn on the Always Show Bookmarks Bar setting to make the bar appear at all times.

<http://www.tidbits.com/resources/2010-04/ipad_bookmarks_bar.jpg>

*Two-Finger Zoom for Web Video* -- Reader "Joe" pointed out that when you encounter a video on a Web page that the iPad can play, touching it with two fingers and expanding (the opposite of the pinch gesture) zooms the video to full-screen mode.

*iBooks Easter Egg* -- I haven't heard of any Easter eggs - hidden
programming surprises that developers sometimes include in software - in the
iPad's software, but I did discover something similar. In the iBooks app,
touch and hold the shelves that display your library, then drag down as far
as you can to reveal a little surprise hidden behind the faux wood.

TidBITS iPhone iPad iPod: 22 Useful iPad Tips :smashin:
 
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Besides charging by USB, what is THE best way to charge the US iPad in the UK?

Best as in fastest, or best as in most convenient, or best as in cheapest?

- Plug it into a computer with a highpower USB socket. Check apple.com for a list of which macs support it, but the latest MBPs, imacs and mac minis do. Even with a 'high power' port it'll still take 8 hours to fully charge.

* 2 pin -> 3 pin travel adapter?
- Will work but ugly and cumbersome. Cheap if you already have one from your travels. You'll get full speed charging (4 hours from empty to full) using this method with the included charger

* USB -> Wall Socket style adapters?
-These should work, but most only deliver up to 1A, so it'll take twice as long to charge (8 hours). A company in the US has just brought out a USB charger that has both 1A and 2A sockets for faster ipad charging.

* Buy a seperate UK charger?
- there aren't any yet. You could buy a UK iphone charger, but it'll be no quicker than a standard USB charger

* Remove the head of the US charger and replace with a 3 pin plug - and a guide for the less electrical on how best to do this?
- This is what I did. I bought the Apple 'travel adapter' set, which comes with a compact USB charger and six different heads for different countries. Get the ipad charger and just slide the US 'double prong' head off - it'll only come off in one direction and its obvious. Then just slide the UK 3-pin head on.

Now you have nice neat full speed charging, but at a cost. Alternatively if you already have a USB charger from an iphone etc, you can do the same by pulling the UK head off and swapping it over.
 
BBC iPlayer on iPad​

You can get access to the BBC iPlayer service by going to the following address...

bbc.co.uk/iplayer

Pressing the "+"button at the top of the safari page will allow you to add a bookmark icon to your home screen to save you typing it each time. Plus it gives you a nice little icon too!
 
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The Apostrophe Trick​

iPad users may have noticed the lack of an apostrophe key - it's hidden behind the comma key. Here's two ways to use it.

The slow way

Press and hold the comma/exclamation key. A pop-up variation appears with an apostrophe, and it even appears highlighted, which means you don't have to move your finger to select it. Simply tap, hold for a moment, then release to create the apostrophe.

The quick way

As you touch the comma/exclamation key swipe/flick your finger upwards. Practice, after a couple of tries you will be able to do it without thinking. You don't have to hold the key, just a quick swipe/flick upwards and the apostrophe is written. Much quicker than holding down the key and waiting to be able to select the apostrophe.
 
Listening to music streams whilst using other apps​

This is a great tip. As you know, at the moment you can't multitask so closing down an app that is playing music will result in the music from stopping.

However.....

If you open an Internet music stream in Safari (both mp3 and aac streams will work, try bbc.co.uk/mobile/iplayer - radio for some streams) it will continue to play even if you switch tabs or exit Safari to use another App. Streams even continue to play if you hit the sleep button (turning off the display saves lots of power).

You can quick launch streams by bookmarking them as home page icons. Until multitasking for background music players like Pandora comes out with OS4 this is a great workaround.
 
Re-Installing Deleted Apps​

A bit of an obvious one to long time iTunes app users but new users may appreciate this tip.

Once you buy an app, you can always re-install it even if you have deleted it from your iPad. Just go to the App Store and buy the app again. You will see a prompt that you have already bought this app and an option to re-install it without having to pay for it again.

For dual iTunes store users (users who purchase and download apps from both the UK and USA store) make sure you are signed into the correct store otherwise you may be charged.
 
Taking a screenshot​

iPhone users will know exactly how to do this - and fortunately Apple have seen fit to allow iPad users to be able to easily take a screenshot of whatever is appearing on the iPad screen.

Press the home button. Continue to hold the home button whilst quickly pressing the power button on the top of the iPad. Your screenshot will be saved in your photo folder.
 
Connection to an Apple Bluetooth Keyboard​

This video explains the process of connecting your Apple bluetooth keyboard...

[youtube]MRsQ90kfCF4[/youtube]​
 
Hi Guys,
A little something I came a cross today.

I tuck some pictures on my Iphone a while ago and when I transfer them across to my Ipad and viewed them in the photo program, I came across a tab called place, And if you go in there it will show you all the places on a map where you had taken you photos.

not sure if it work with any other cameras or phones

Probably common knowledge but I thought it was cool :)


Steve


.
 
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Great website to check iPad apps​

With many thanks to member "bradmill"

just incase you run out of things to buy. have a look at the this website.

Unlike the app store its a website that lists all the ipad apps, but has different sort methods, I like the "release date" sort, so you can see which ipad apps have been released today :)....

It also shows which iPad apps are on sale !

Haven't come across any other site ?
 
Use Google Contacts/Mail/Calendars from the IPad Apps w/ multiple calendar support

Came across the following info - won't retype it all here, but basically multi google-calendar support is borked out of the box, and with the absence of any ipad version of something nice like "Calengoo", Apple's own Calendar app is actually quite a nice alternative.. So without further ado:

Set Up Your Apple Device for Google Sync : Mail, Calendar, & Contacts - Google Mobile Help

..and for the multiple google calendars trick...

How to Sync Multiple Calendars to the iPad With Google Sync
 
Depending on what state your US Itunes account has been set up in, sales tax may be applicable. I set up my account in California and I don't pay any tax on any of my purchases. Deleware is another state where there is no sales tax to pay on anything (the only state in the US actually) so that's the cheapest place to purchase an Ipad if you are in the vicinity.
 
How to set up a US iTunes account in the UK

Lots of new iPad owners, so here is my guide to setting up a USA iTunes account if you live in the UK (or other country)

You need to follow this guide "exactly" or you won't get the required options.

This thread also had a question that is valid to this guide with regard to payment:

http://www.avforums.com/forums/apple-ipad-forum/1253159-how-do-i-pay-app-us-account.html

And maybe add in a list of places where people have been buying $ iTunes vouchers so that people dont pick a wrongun by mistake?
 
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Don't know if anyone is aware but you can convert the US charger to work in UK without the need for any travel adaptors.

You will notice a gap in the charger casing where the 2 flat pins come out. Pull this whole section off and you will find a standard figure of 8 type socket underneath, which a standard 2 pin lead fits into. The charger is rated at 100-240 volts so works fine
 
On the iBooks store at the moment. There is an iPad user guide book for free. It is no.1 on the free charts and is over 200 pages. Granted most of the stuff on an iPad is common sense, but you still might learn a thing or 2!!
 
-- As an eBay Associate, AVForums earns from qualifying purchases --
if I set up a US itunes account to get the ABC Player and iBooks apps, do I have to keep syncing with this US account or can I switch back to a UK account afterwards and not lose the apps?
 
if I set up a US itunes account to get the ABC Player and iBooks apps, do I have to keep syncing with this US account or can I switch back to a UK account afterwards and not lose the apps?

You can use both accounts without the fear of losing any apps. Someone may correct me but I am pretty sure that you can only use your Ipad to sync with one region and you will have to sync from another computer for the other region, I dont think you can access two sites from the same device. My Ipad is set up for the US region and I use my laptop to access the UK Itunes account.

One other point, whilst you can download the ABC player, you will need to be in the US to access it or have a US VPN connection if you want to watch it from the UK. I think PureVpn is what many people on this site recommend.
 
You can use both accounts without the fear of losing any apps. Someone may correct me but I am pretty sure that you can only use your Ipad to sync with one region and you will have to sync from another computer for the other region, I dont think you can access two sites from the same device. My Ipad is set up for the US region and I use my laptop to access the UK Itunes account.

One other point, whilst you can download the ABC player, you will need to be in the US to access it or have a US VPN connection if you want to watch it from the UK. I think PureVpn is what many people on this site recommend.

You can now use the US iPad to access both the US and UK stores - you just have to log into the right account by going to SETTINGS -> STORE.

Started working for the UK side today.
 
So what is behind the bookcase ?..I've dragged that thing down as far as i can get it and all I see is the apple logo :confused:
 
I didn't have a screen protector so have left the plastic wrapper on the iPad & cut around the dock port with a pair of scissors. I then inserted the iPad into the apple case and voilà no more fingerprints on the screen!

You can cutout other ports if needed, the speaker sounds fine without cutting out. Makes the screen look glossy so may be a problem in bright sunlight but it's fine indoors.

Obviously you can't do this if you have already removed the original plastic wrapper.
 

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