The App Store is brimming with nifty apps enticing you to sift, sort and share the contents of the Internet in countless slick ways. However, Safari’s toolset mean it’s almost guaranteed to remain one of your core applications.
Using the web browser for basic searching is simple enough; it’s stuffed with tricks, shortcuts and power features to help you find and store the information you need. Used together, they can deliver a serious boost to your productivity. Some of these are handy time-savers, while others help you save and sort through the websites you need.
For next-level web searching, try social bookmarking site Delicious, which allows you to group and share bookmarks and has a good-looking iPad app – DBD Delicious Bookmark Discovery is priced at $4.49.
Vital Info
Device: iPad
Difficulty: Beginner
Time required: 5 minutes
What you need
Safari
Step 1: Suffix shortcuts
Shave a few seconds off your search time when entering web addresses by holding down the .com button – this brings up a range of other common suffixes, including .co.uk and .org. Slide your finger over your choice, then release to enter it.
Step 2: Home page icons
Get instant access to the sites you use most by adding shortcuts to your home screen, so they appear as an icon. Tap the arrow icon to the left of Safari’s address bar, select Add to Home, then edit the text that will appear on your home screen.
Step 3: Fill in the gaps
The AutoFill option takes some of the tedium out of filling in forms. Add your details to Contacts, then go Settings > Safari > AutoFill. Turn on Use Contact Info and select your own name in the My Info tab. For extra security, turn off Names and Passwords.
Step 4: Leave your mark
If you’ve found an interesting page, you can bookmark it by tapping the arrow to the left of the address bar and selecting Add Bookmark. To organise your bookmarks into folders, simply tap the book icon, then select Edit > New Folder.
Step 5: Called to the bar
For quick reference, you can display your bookmark folders across the top of the screen: in the Bookmarks menu, tap Bookmarks Bar and then create your folders. To display it all the time, select Settings > Safari > Always Show Bookmarks Bar.
Step 6: In sync
Sync your bookmarks with Safari on your Mac or MacBook or Internet Explorer on your PC or laptop. You’ll need iTunes 10.5 or later on the computer you want to sync with. Connect the iPad and in iTunes, select iPad > Info > Other > Sync Bookmarks.
