When iOS 5 was released on the iPad one of the more exciting news was wireless sync’ing. At first glance it sounds amazing. One of the annoyances of Apple products was needing to connect it to a computer to sync. If the iPad is to be a laptop replacement then it should not need a laptop in order to function. So a wireless sync comes close to solving that issue.
However this so-called wireless sync is not as free of wires as you might think. In order for your iPad to sync to your computer, your iPad must be connected to a power source or have 50% or more battery left. I never do charge my iPad on anything other than my computer, so this wi-fi syncing doesn’t appeal too much to me, at least not yet. I suspect in future iOS updates, maybe in iOS 6, we’ll be able to truly wirelessly sync.
Apple has been pretty late in entering the cloud storage game. The leaders in this field are Amazon, DropBox and SugarSync. Apple has tried and failed before, their MobileMe service never did take off. Now Apple is trying once again with iCloud, which will be explained here.
First of all, what is this “cloud” we speak of? Cloud storage is like a hard drive in the sky. With cloud storage services you make files you have on one device available on your other devices. Cloud storage also serves as a backup service. Even if you lose your device(s) all of your stuff is stored securely in the cloud. Here is what iCloud does:
iOS 6 is the long awaited update to the iOS software that powers iPhones and iPads. Its latest refresh has raised the bar once again. While there are many new and updated features in iOS6, here are five of the things we love the most about iOS 6.
One of the best features in iOS 5 for the iPad was the new multi tasking gestures made available. These multi-touch gestures enable you to touch the screen with four or five fingers and do things that previously would have required the use of the home button.
To use the gestures you will first need to enable them. On your iPad, go to the System Settings app and select General. From there, find the Multitasking Gestures and swipe them On. Now you’re all set to begin using the four or five finger multitouch gestures. Here’s how to use them:
One of the neat things about the iPad is the ability to take a picture of your screen. There are several reasons why you would want to take a screenshot. You can take a screenshot of a webpage, of an app, of your home screen or anything else that is currently on your screen.
First let’s go through the process of how you can take a screen shot of your screen on the iPad. When you have what you want to take a picture of ready on your screen, hit the Home button and the Power button simultaneously. When you do that your screen will flash bright white and you will hear the sound of a picture being taken. The new image you have created will now be in your pictures app.
When I first got my iPad a couple of years ago I wanted a to-do list app. What I was looking for was a simple and straightforward way to add a list of items and check them off as I completed them. It would be even nicer if I could get a reminder too. So I downloaded a few free and paid apps but none were really to my liking.
Then there was the big iOS 5 update and Apple decided to include a native reminders app. This new Reminders app leaves all the other task management type apps in the dust. The beauty of this app is that you can use it as a to-do list where you can quickly add items to a list which you can later check off one by one as you complete. But you can also use it to remind you of things you need to do. It can remind you hours from now, weeks from now or months from now. It can even remind you when you get near a place via its location based alerts. Let me go over the main features of the Reminders app in iOS 5.
