iPod Tips
Re-create iPod Audio Controls
If you listen to audiobooks on an iPod, you probably know that, since the fourth-generation iPod's release, you've had the option to make the playback speed faster or slower, as you prefer. The iPhone shares that feature. Just tap on the Settings button and then on the iPod option; tap on the Audiobook Speed entry and, in the resulting screen, choose Slower, Normal, or Faster. Other iPod features also appear on the iPhone: You can use the Settings screen to turn on Sound Check (to make volume more consistent from one track to another) and to select any of 22 included equalization presets.
Change iPod Icons
By default, the buttons at the bottom of the iPod screen are Playlists, Artists, Songs, Videos, and More. You can change those first four in the same way as you would the commands that appear on an iPod's main screen. Simply tap on the More icon, and then tap on the Edit button in the upper left corner of the resulting screen. A Configure screen will appear with icons for Albums, Podcasts, Audiobooks, Genres, Composers, Compilations, Playlists, Artists, Songs, and Videos. To substitute one of these icons for one that appears at the bottom of the iPod screen, just tap and hold on the icon you prefer and drag it over the icon you want to replace. Tap on Done when you're finished.
Delete Already-Viewed Videos
Even 8GB can feel confining when it comes to storing videos; a single full-length movie can take up 1GB of storage. To ease the storage crunch, the iPhone offers to delete videos after you've finished watching them. Just tap on the Delete button, and Pirates of the Caribbean will disappear from your iPhone, freeing up more space.
Other Tips
Here are a few other handy tips.
Store Other Program Files
One benefit of the iPod is that it can store files as well as play music. An out-of-the-box iPhone can't -- unless you have the help of a Mac and a $10 utility. The program, Ecamm Network's iPhoneDrive, lets you view files on your iPhone in a Finder-like interface. You can copy files to and from your iPhone via drag and drop, some simple buttons, or the program's File menu.
Choose How You Listen to Voice Mail
If you have a Bluetooth headset, incoming calls get routed there automatically. But that doesn't happen when you call up Visual Voicemail. However, an Audio button on the Visual Voicemail screen lets you specify how you listen to your message: via a handset, the built-in speaker, or a Bluetooth headset.
Scroll Through Contacts Another Way
Everyone knows that you can scroll through the list of contacts on your iPhone two ways -- either flick your finger on the list to scroll up or down, or tap on one of the letters in the alphabet running down the right side of the screen to jump to contacts beginning with that letter. But there is a third way: hold your finger on the alphabetical list, and then slide up and down -- you'll be able to scroll through your contacts in a more controlled manner than by flicking your finger.
Use Favorites and Recents for More Than Calls
Favorites and Recents are part of the iPhone's main Phone screen; Favorites is the iPhone's version of frequently called numbers, and Recents is a list of the numbers of people you've called recently and calls you've missed. You can tap on any number in these lists to place a call quickly. But this is not just a phone feature: Assuming that a number or name in Favorites or Recents belongs to a mobile phone, you can also send it an SMS message. Just tap on the right angle bracket icon next to the contact name or number, and then tap on the Text Message button at the bottom of the contact listing.
Get Driving Directions Fast
One of the primary uses for the iPhone's Maps application is to get driving directions. Both the starting and destination fields offer a Bookmarks icon, so you can quickly use a bookmark, a recent location, or a contact when searching for directions. The first thing you should do in Maps is find your own address and bookmark it -- this will make finding directions to and from locations much easier.
Sync Notes
One of the major limitations of the iPhone's Notes application is that you can't sync it with data from any program on your Mac. There's a workaround, however. Each contact has a notes field. So you can create a fake contact and paste any info you like in the notes field for that contact in Address Book. One sync later, all that information will be at your fingertips.
Reboot Your Phone
Pretend for a moment that your iPhone suddenly stops responding. Pushing the Home button does nothing. Pressing the sleep/wake button is equally ineffective. What do you do? Apple's first reset tip is to press and hold the Home button for about six seconds to quit any application that might have locked up your iPhone. But if that doesn't work, try pressing and holding both the Home and sleep/wake buttons; after about ten seconds the Apple logo will appear. (This reboot trick takes a little bit longer than the iPod equivalent -- holding down the Select and Menu buttons usually restarts your music player after just four seconds.)
Macworld Senior Editors Christopher Breen, Dan Frakes, and Jonathan Seff; Macworld.com Executive Editor Philip Michaels; and Macworld.com News Director Jim Dalrymple contributed to this article.
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