Hi Lauren,
I just received the following and thought of you. it is written for sighted
users, but most of these suggestions are appropriate for all users. Don't
worry if you don't understand any 1 of these, just pick those that you want
to try. That is pretty much good advice for using the phone, learn a little
at a time and your skills will build pretty quickly.
Good luck.
Warmest Regards,
Fred
Got this from another group.
25 Awesome iPhone tips and tricks
By Marc Saltzman | Digital Crave
Wether you're a seasoned user or brand new to the iPhone you're probably not
using your smartphone to its fullest. Don't worry, you're not alone, as
these pocket-sized computers boast many hundreds of features buried in the
operating system. So here we share a number of our favorite iPhone tips Some
of which you may know already. Hopefully there's a good number of ones you
aren't aware of yet. Most of these following 25 suggestions will work with
all versions of the iPhone, but be sure to have the latest software
installed (iOS 5.1).
1. Take a photo with your headphone cord: Now that you can use the volume
up or down buttons to snap a photo, steady your hand while framing up the
photo and when you're ready to take the picture, press the button on the
cord so it won't shake the iPhone. Voila!
2. Dry out a wet iPhone: You're not the first one to drop an iPhone into a
sink. If this happens, don't turn it on as you can damage the smartphone by
short-circuiting it. Lightly towel dry the phone. Don't use a hairdryer on
the phone as it can further push moisture into areas that aren't wet.
Submerge the iPhone in a bowl or Ziploc bag of uncooked white rice and leave
it overnight. If you have it, try using a desiccant packet you might find
with a new pair of shoes or leather purse.
3. Dismiss suggested words: If you're typing an email or note and the
virtual keyboard is suggesting the correct spelling of the word - and you
don't want to accept it - you don't need to tap the tiny "X" at the end of
the word in question. Simply tap anywhere on the screen to close the
suggestion box.
4. Take photos faster: Even if your iPhone is locked you can double-tap on
the Home button and you'll see a camera icon you can tap to open the camera
immediately. Now you can use the volume up button to snap the photo, too.
You can also use the volume up on the headphone cord to take a photo (if you
want to) and pinch the screen to zoom instead of using the slider bar.
5. location-based reminders: You probably know Siri can be used to set a
reminder, like saying "Siri, remind me to call mom at 4pm today." But did
you know you can set location-based reminders on your iPhone 4S? Say "Remind
me to call mom when I leave here" or "Remind me to call mom when I get home"
and you'll be notified accordingly.
6. Get word definitions: Apple has recently added a built-in dictionary and
you can access it in most apps that let you select a word. Simply press and
hold on a word - such as in an email, reminder, iBooks, and so on - and
you'll see a pop-up option for "Define."
7. Revive a frozen iPhone: If your smartphone freezes on you and pressing
the Sleep/Wake button on top of the device doesn't do anything, don't panic.
Instead, press and hold the Home button and the Sleep/Wake button at the
same time. You'll be prompted to swipe the "Slide to Power Off" tab. This
so-called "hard reset" resuscitates the frozen iPhone
wait through a full shut down and restart the IPhone.
8. Get more done in less time: You can create shortcuts to words and
phrases you use a lot, such as Northern California Association for
Employment in Education. In Settings, go to General, then Keyboard, and
select Add New Shortcut. Now you can add new words or phrases and assign
shortcuts to them (such as "NCAEE," in the above example, and it'll type out
the full word each time.
9. See a 6-day weather forecast: If you're one of the many weather junkies
out there, you probably know you can swipe down the iOS device's screen and
you'll see the Notifications center. Weather will be at the top, but did you
know you can swipe to the left or right and you'll toggle between current
conditions and a 6-day forecast? Plus, jump to the Weather app by tapping
anywhere on the weather bar inside Notifications screen.
10. Select URL domains faster: When typing a website address in Safari, you
don't have to type the ".com." For example, you can type "yahoo" in the URL
box to get to yahoo.com. On a related note, you can press and hold down the
.com button and you'll see a list of alternatives to choose, such as .net,
.org and .edu.
11. Make your own ringtone: Don't settle with the ringtones provided by
Apple and you need not pay your carrier for more of them. As the name
suggests, the free Ringtone Maker
<http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ringtone-maker-make-free-ringtones/id3909292
78?mt=8> app lets you take a clip from your favorite songs and make
ringtones out of them in seconds.
12. Feel and see when people call: Apple has added a number of
accessibility features to iOS 5, specifically designed to assist those with
hearing, vision, mobility and other disabilities. For example, those who are
hearing impaired might opt to have the LED flash when a call comes in. If
you're totally blind or havelow vision, you could set a unique vibratioe
pattern for different
people in your Contacts, so you know who's calling.
13. Find your lost iPhone: As long as you sign up in advance, the free Find
My iPhone app will help you locate your device on a map (on your computer or
other iOS device). You can display a message or initiate a loud ring (in
case it's under the cushions), or remotely lock or wipe its data.
14. Save photos in Safari: You're surfing the web in Safari and stumble
upon a photo you'd like to save. Simply press and hold on a photo when on a
website and you'll be prompted with a menu asked if you'd like to "Save
Image." Once the photo is saved, you can view it offline, email it or set it
as wallpaper.
15. Take an iPhone screen grab: On a related note, if you want to take a
screenshot of a website or application, press down on the Home button and
tap the Sleep button. You'll hear the camera click, see a white flash and
the screenshot will be saved to your Camera Roll.
16. Get new sounds: It's been a long time coming, but Apple has added the
ability to select custom tones for incoming text messages, newemails,
voicemails, tweets, calendar alerts, reminders and more. You can select
something you like from within the Sounds menu. You'll also notice you can
scroll to the top of this list of sounds and you'll see a "Buy More Tones"
option, which takes you to iTunes.
17. Zip to the top of the page: In Mail, Safari, Contacts and other apps,
simply tap the status bar at the top of the screen - the area that displays
time, battery and cell bars - to jump back to the top quickly.
18. Prolong your battery: Speaking of the battery, here's how to squeeze
more life out of your iPhone.
Turn down the brightness of your screen, turn off wireless radios you don't
use (such as GPS, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth) and reduce the number of apps with
info you have "pushed" to your phone. Also, make sure you lock it before
putting in your pocket, purse or backpack or else it could turn on and drain
the battery.
19. Spread out the keyboard for easier typing: Here's a tip for iPad
You like typing while holding the tablet, rather than stretch your fingers
or thumbs for those middle letters like G, H, Y or B, you can drag the
keyboard to each side of the screen to separate it into two, allowing you to
easily type while holding it.
20. Learn some gestures: Close any app ridiculously fast by putting your
four fingers and thumb stretched on the screen and pinch inwards. Sweet! You
can also magnify what's on your iPhone screen with a three-finger tap.
You'll first need to go to Settings, General, Accessibility, and select the
various gestures options here.
21. Create an "app" out of a website you visit often: To add a website to
your Home screen, just visit the webpage in Safari and at the top of the
screen, tap the Go To icon and select "Add to Home Screen."
22. Create a music playlist on the fly: You no longer need a computer to
create a playlist. In the Music app, tap Playlists, then select Add Playlist
and give it a name ("Marc's Workout Mix"). Now, tap any song (or video) to
add it to the playlist. You can add individual songs, entire albums, or all
songs by a particular artist.
23. Don't waste your day deleting messages individually: You can delete
unwanted emails en masse rather than deleting one at a timeyou're your
Inbox, simply click the Edit button and check off the emails you want to
delete with your finger and then choose Delete.
24. Keep track of your texting limits: If you don't have the best texting
plan and don't want to unnecessarily pay to send more texts than you need,
here's a tip to turn on the character count in the Messages app. Enable this
in the Settings>Message option to keep an eye on your word count. Usually,
your one text becomes two after 160 characters.
25. Mirror your iPhone with your TV: If you own an Apple TV and wwirelessly
share exactly what's on your iPhone 4S or second- and
third-generation iPad with your HDTV, connected to an Apple TV - such as
games, apps or videos. Simply double-tap the Home button, swipe all the way
to the right and select AirPlay Mirroring.
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-----Original Message-----
From: electronics-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:electronics-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Lauren Merryfield
Sent: Tuesday, July 10, 2012 1:05 AM
To: Discussion of accessible electronics and appliances
Subject: [Electronics-talk] I finally made my decision and took the iPhone
plunge
Hi,
I tried to weigh info from you guys about the iPhone vs Android, and I
decided that since I am not the techiest person in the world, that I would
upgrade from the Haven to the iPhone! So, I may be asking you guys some
weird questions. I am reading "getting started with the iPhone" but there
is so much info there I know I won't even begin to remember much in my first
reading. Right now, I need straightforward directions on how to make and
answer calls, how to redial, how to do numbers that aren't in contacts yet,
and how to use contacts. Then I will start learning other things.
Thanks,
Lauren
advice from my cats: "meow when you feel like it."
The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be
understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them.
-- Ralph Nichols
Visit us at catliness.com
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