Ever since the very first iPhone was released over 2 years ago, I’ve been enjoying mine.  Recently, I upgraded to the iPhone 3GS, and couldn’t believe the speed difference!

I’m always on the lookout for shortcuts, and tips to get things done more efficiently.  If you have any good things to share, please do!

Here are 7 iPhone Shortcuts You Should Know:

1. Send an incoming call directly to voice mail.
   If you’re receiving incoming call, and want to send it directly to voice mail, simply press the on/off button (upper right, top of phone) twice.
2. Search your iPhone with Spotlight.
   Spotlight on the Mac has been an amazing tool, and when they introduced it on the iPhone with the v3.0 release of iPhone’s software – I couldn’t wait to try it out.  To get to Spotlight, simply press the Home button when you’re looking at your Applications screen.  To go back to your Application screen, press Home again!
3. See a web page up close.
   This is awesome!   If you want to zoom into a column of text, or a picture (or any element for that matter) on a web page.  Simply double-tap on it, and the iPhone will zoom into it.  If you keep double-tapping, it will zoom back out.
   
4. Zoom out with one hand in Maps.
   So often I use the Maps feature as a GPS when I’m renting a car.   It’s easy to zoom into the Map by double-tapping, however, if you want to zoom out, without having to use two hands, you simply need to double-tap with two fingers.
5. Get to your Favorites FAST!
   The iPhone let’s you create a Favorites list of people you call most frequently.   To get to it, quickly, from anywhere, simply double-click the Home button (it’s the only physical button on the front of the iPhone).
6. Automatically add a period and space when typing.
   This saves tons of time, simply double space when you’re typing (in e-mail, text, on the web, etc), and a period (.) and a space will automatically be inserted.
7. Reset your phone!
   I’ve only had to do this twice in over 2 years, but if your phone gets totally locked up, it might require a reset.   There are two types of resets, a soft reset, and a hard reset.   It’s recommended to start with the soft reset, which is accomplished by pressing and holding the On/Off button on the top of the iPhone until the red slider appears.  For a hard reset, press and hold the On/Off button and Home button until the Apple Logo appears.

If you’re looking to learn more about your iPhone, I highly recommend checking out The IPhone Book on Amazon.

• iPhone User Guide,
• iPod touch User Guide,
• MacBook Pro (13-inch),
• iPod Shuffle (3rd Generation),
• Mac Mini,
• iPod Nano, and more!

Be sure to visit Apple’s Manuals on the web!

If you’re interested in learning more about your Apple products, be sure to read these books, they’re great!

• Switching to the Mac – The Missing Manual
• Macs All-in-One Desk Reference for Dummies
• iPod & iTunes for Dummies

Enjoy!

Switching to the Mac: The Missing Manual

I really appreciated David’s direct approach to telling you the equivalent:

• program (such as Textedit on the Mac for Notepad in Windows),
• utility such as System Preferences on the Mac for Control Panel in Windows), or
• keyboard shortcut (such as Command + Tab on the Mac for Alt + Tab on the PC – used to switch between programs, by the way!)

If you’re looking for a great book to help you get used to the Mac, give Switching to the Mac: The Missing Manual a try.

Have a great day!

Charly