More iPhone Nuggets

I’m embracing this blog’s role as a source of iPhone things.

So, I figured I’d share some tips and tricks, a.k.a. stuff that might be in the manual you and I didn’t read.

If you have an iPhone, bookmark this post immediately. Rather than regurgitate them as my own, I’ll run the headline versions:

• Tap to scroll to the top of any page in any application
• Use Google to resolve your domain typing
• Find the shortcuts for .net, .edu and .org
• Press and hold for alternate or accented characters, like Ä or ê
• Click and hold links for details
• Perform a soft reboot
• Take a screenshot
• Set parental controls
• Save any image from Safari
• Fast forward and rewind music and video
• Delete emails in bulk or individually
• Use double-tap Home for multiple functions

I’d wager at least one of those is both new and hugely useful to you. I immediately tested out “Save any image from Safari” and changed my wallpaper to something cooler. Protip for this one: use zoom in/out to make the image fit better.

I guess SmashPhone thought 12 wasn’t enough, since they blogged another eight this week. Again, headline versions:

• Tab space bar twice for a period.
• Tap the bottom corner to navigate between home screens
• Take out your SIM card during backup and sync
• Change out or move the dock icons
• Capitalize and add punctuation automagically
• Tap a column twice in Safari to auto-size it to the phone’s screen width
• Customize the “Add to Home Screen” logo to content on that page
• Use your headphones’ mutli-function button

That last one was definitely a protip. The others are hit and miss.

I wonder why Apple doesn’t make some of these commonly useful features more obvious, or turn them on by default. It could be a genius way to keep the conversation going as the Easter Eggs are found.

Or I suppose these “tips” could be documented in the user guide that comes with the iPhone, but I wouldn’t know. You could drop an RTFM on me here, but that only works if you read it yourself. Didn’t think so.

Bonus tip: Ever wondered why the soft keypad doesn’t do caps lock? It actually does. Here’s how to enable it:

1. Settings
2. General
3. Keyboard
4. Ta-da!

When you want to use it, double-tab the Shift arrow, and it’ll turn blue. WOO-HOO.

Sadly, still no way to copy and paste, probably my top missing feature.

I’m sure you’re feeling all warm and fuzzy about the stuff your iPhone can do. Care to share any of your own protips? Or vent about how it’s not your Blackberry or some other mobile device you shunned for it? Or even vent about how awesome your Blackberry is compared to the dumb iPhone and you can’t believe all the hype?

Find the comments.