iPod: The Missing Manual, 7th Edition

Fancier Fingerwork for the iPod Touch

Now that you've mastered the old tap, drag, flick, and slide (see Chapter 1 for a refresher), there are two more iPod Touch moves to add to your repertoire. These maneuvers are used in the player's more visually-oriented programs, like its Safari Web browser, or in Photos and Movies.

Finger Spread and Pinch

Tiny Web page type can be hard to read, or maybe you want to take a more detailed look at a certain photo. To zoom in, place your thumb and index finger on either side of the part you want to see better, and make a spreading motion across the screen to zoom in to that area. To zoom out, pinch your fingers closer together. Chapter 11 is all about using the Web on the Touch, and Chapter 9 shows you how to give your photos (and fingers) a workout.

Double-Tap

You may be used to double-clicking a computer mouse, but on the iPod Touch, one tap usually does it. Still, there are at least two places within the Touch where double-tapping pays off:

• In the Safari Web browser or in Photos, tap the screen twice to quickly zoom in and magnify the area you just tapped.

• When watching a video, tap the screen twice to toggle back and forth between screen aspect ratios—the full-screen view (below, left) where the edges of the frame get cropped off, or widescreen, letterboxed view (right), which movie lovers favor because it's what the director really intended the scene to look like.