iPad Portable Genius, 3rd Edition

Chapter 3: How Do I Configure My iPad or iPad mini?

If you’ve made your way through the first two chapters of this book, then you know your way around your iPad or iPad mini, and you’re connected to a network. What else could anyone need? You’d be surprised. Although the iPad and iPad mini work like champs right out of the box, even champs can improve their game. You may find that the default settings make sense for the average user, but you’re far from average — after all, you bought this book! This chapter shows you how to configure your tablet to work the way you do.

Creating a Custom Home Screen

Working with App Notifications

More Useful Configuration Techniques

Configuring Your Tablet for Social Networking

Creating a Custom Home Screen

When you first start your iPad or iPad mini (and each time you press the Home button), the Home screen appears. You use this screen as the launching pad (so to speak) for all your tablet adventures. Using the Home screen requires almost no training: just tap the app you want and it loads, lickety-split. It’s perfection!

Oh, but things are never as perfect as they appear, are they? Consider the following:

• When you hold your iPad or iPad mini, the icons in the left and right columns are a bit easier to tap because they’re easily reachable with your thumbs.
• If you have more than 20 icons, they extend to a second (or third, or fourth) Home screen. If the app you want isn’t on the main Home screen, you must first flick to the screen that has the ...