Perhaps you ’re only interested in the fancy - shmancy apps on your iPad — you cognize , the one that are just versions of Mac apps , like Mail andSafari . But if you desire to bed what the iPad isreallycapable of , you ’ll have to dig deeply into its real workhorse app : options .
options is where the nitty - gritty befall : where you could do things beyond even the capableness of even the most powerful iPad app . I took a stroll through the app to find out what ’s young and unlike on the iPad .
Split personality
The split - paneling thought , available in both portrait and landscape painting , makes configurations much more usable .
First , the interface . In landscape style , options use the split - dot view that ’s become so intimate to iPad substance abuser from Mail and elsewhere . In options ’ left pane , you ’ll get a leaning of the different categories of organization setting and for apps ( both build - in and third - party ) . On the right are the contents of whatever section you ’re currently viewing .
As with Mail , this is a enceinte improvement over the iPhone ’s preferences app , which take you to drill down multiple levels to get to some function , and then all the style back up again . Having the top level of seafaring always available is great for jumping back and onward . ( One surprisal of configurations is that unlike other apps that use the stock split - Zen view , the configurations appretainsthat layout in portrait mode as well . )
The split-pane view, available in both portrait and landscape, makes Settings much more usable.
Apple ’s clearly remove the time to ensure most segment do n’t require you to plunge more than one grade down : for more involved tasks ( setting up ring mail explanation , for example , or most tasks that necessitate you to move into textbook ) , the iPad will often pop up a dialog boxful in the midriff of the concealment . This approach has the welfare of making sure that you do n’t get lost in the interface : the rest of options is still clearly seeable , though dimmed , behind the dialog windowpane .
Organizationally , there have been some variety , too : the iPhone ’s Brightness and Wallpaper sections have been combined into one ; Sounds now lives under General ; and options for third - political party apps are now more clearly delineated . Otherwise , though , it looks pretty similar to the iPhone ’s place setting in most spot .
What’s new
The iPad ’s not the iPhone , so there are lot of newfangled options here , as well as a few miss features . Many of the missing characteristic are ones that were take away because of the lack of 3 M connectivity on the Wi - Fi - only iPad — for example , the Wi - Fi - only iPad has no Airplane Mode Pseudemys scripta . We have a bun in the oven many of these to render in the Wi - Fi + 3 G iPad available later this month .
raw preferences get you use your iPad ’s lock covert as a digital photograph frame .
A brand name new top - point section , Picture Framelets you ready up the iPad ’s digital photo skeletal system feature , which you could get at from the twist ’s lock screen . you could prefer between two transition — the Hellenic Dissolve and a bully fold Origami issue — and choose which photos you want the slideshow to pull from : all of your include photograph , or certain albums or events .
New settings let you use your iPad’s lock screen as a digital photo frame.
You also have the option to shuffle your photos , and , if you ’ve picked the Dissolve passage , you could choose to have the photograph soar up in on observe faces ( which is now and then amusing , give Apple ’s sometimes trembling face detection engineering science ) . The Origami conversion automatically frames shots on cheek , which is a nice touching .
As name above , Brightness & Wallpapercombines two sections from the iPhone ’s configurations app . But what ’s really new here is that not only can you take a background for the iPad ’s curl screenland , you could also pick out one to reside behind your Home screen . And , if you palpate like it , they can even be two different picture show .
Mail , Contacts , and Calendarsare virtually indistinguishable between the iPhone and iPad , although the Wi - Fi - only iPad obviously does n’t allow you to import contacts from a SIM card .
The iPad’s interface is available in far fewer languages than the iPhone’s.
Safari ’s preferences now have a toggle switch to always show the web browser app ’s Bookmarks Bar . Strangely , the Plug - Ins slider from the iPhone has go away .
UnderiPodsettings , you wo n’t ascertain the iPhone ’s handshaking to Shuffle feature , and the iPad has break out the video taste to a separateVideosection , though it carry the same part .
The modulation choices that appear in the iPhone’sPhotossettings have moved to the iPad ’s much more capable Photos app .
Generalcontains the iPad ’s systemwide setting . The Wi - Fi - only version lacks the iPhone ’s employment sub - menu , but it adds theSoundssubsection , which itself loses phone - related feature such as Vibrate , Ringtone , New Text Message , New Voicemail , and so on .
Under theNetworksubsection , you ’ll find the iPad has the same VPN and Wi - Fi computer menu as the iPhone , and of course the Wi - Fi - only model does n’t have the either the iPhone 3GS ’s Enable 3 G or Data Roaming toggles . If you place up a VPN connection , then you ’ll be capable to toggle it on or off from the top - degree preferences list in the left - hand panelling .
TheAuto - Lockoptions have transfer slightly , as befitting the iPad ’s more capacious battery : instead of the iPhone ’s never and one to five minute of arc choice , the iPad set off at two minutes , with options for five , ten , or 15 minutes , in addition to never shut away .
UnderPasscode , you ’ll chiefly obtain the same options as the iPhone , minus the 3GS ’s Voice Dial selection and with a new slipper to wrench the Picture Frame characteristic on or off .
TheHomebutton selection are slightly altered from the iPhone : you ca n’t set double - clicking the Home button to Phone Favorites or Camera , naturally , but otherwise they ’re identical .
UnderDate & Time , the Wi - Fi - only iPad does n’t let you place the clock time automatically — since this is probably due to the lack of 3 G networking , it may return in the Wi - Fi + 3 G version .
TheKeyboardoptions have been rearranged slightly : there ’s now a sub - option under International Keyboards to commute the keyboard layout for both the software system and hardware keyboards . With the English keyboard , you’re able to changed the layout from the nonpayment QWERTY toAZERTYorQWERTZ , and you’re able to have the hardware keyboard do up as U.S. , Dvorak , U.S. International – PC , U.S. Extended , British , French , German , Spanish – ISO , Italian , Dutch , and Belgian .
The iPad ’s international keyboard options are far more limited than the iPhone ’s , with only 12 option in addition to the U.S. layout : Chinese ( Simplified ) Handwriting , Formosan ( Simplified ) Pinyin , Dutch , English ( UK ) , Flemish , French , French ( Canada ) , German , Italian , Japanese , Russian , and Spanish . However , when you sum up those additional keyboards , you often have the choice of several unlike computer hardware and software keyboard layouts . For object lesson , under Russian you’re able to correct the hardware keyboard layout to Russian – personal computer , Russian , and Russian – Phonetic .
The iPad ’s user interface is uncommitted in far few languages than the iPhone ’s .
The iPad lacks the iPhone 3GS ’s Voice Control characteristic , so it ’s no surprisal the Voice Control language options are overlook under theInternationalsection . And if you require to change your iPad ’s whole interface into a different language , you ’ll look considerably fewer options than on the iPhone : the iPad only offer English , French , German , Japanese , Dutch , Italian , Spanish , Formosan , and Russian . look these choices to increase as the iPad sees release in more and more outside markets .
Accessibilityis fairly similar to the 3GS , though the VoiceOver section adds options for using phonetics and pitch alteration .
And the iPad also has the same toggle to show the battery percentage monitor as the iPhone 3GS does ; you ’ll line up it under the General incision .
Set it and forget it
deplorably , there are n’t on the nose any ground - shaking surprise in the iPad ’s preferences app . you may wait changes as time goes on — specially in terms of additional functionality when the Wi - Fi + 3 G iPad finally gets released . Still , the addition of the split - pane user interface makes options much easier to sail , especially for fast changes like Wi - Fi networks , and overall it ’s a nice update .
