iPad Portable Genius, 2nd Edition

Chapter 5How Can I Get More Out of Web Surfing?

One of the most popular modern pastimes is web surfing. Now, you can surf even when you’re out and about thanks to the large screen on your iPad or iPad mini, and support for speedy networks, such as LTE and Wi-Fi. You perform these surfin’ safaris using (appropriately enough) the easy-to-use Safari web browser app. The Safari app has many options and features, some of which are hidden in obscure nooks and crannies of the iOS interface. If you think your surfing activities could be faster, more efficient, more productive, or more secure, this chapter can help.

Touchscreen Tips for Surfing

The case in favor of crowning the iPad and iPad mini the best web surfing appliances ever isn’t hard to make: they’re blazingly fast, render most sites perfectly, and the large screens mean that you almost always see a complete (horizontally, at least) view of the regular version of each page, rather than a partial view, or an ugly, dumbed-down mobile version.

But what really sets iPad and iPad mini web surfing apart, not only from other tablets, but also from desktop, notebook, and netbook computers, is the touchscreen. With other devices, although you can click links and fill in forms, the page is really a static entity that just sits there. However, with the iPad and iPad mini (as well as their smaller touchscreen cousins, the iPhone and iPod ...