Chapter 5
Browsing the Internet with Safari
Get ready to . . .
Add Web Clips to the Home Screen
Save an Image to Your Photo Library
Make Private Browsing and Cookie Settings
Getting on the Internet with your iPad is easy, using its Wi-Fi or 3G capabilities. After you’re online, the built-in browser, Safari, is your ticket to a wide world of information, entertainment, education, and more. Safari will look familiar to you if you’ve used it on a PC or Mac device before, though the way you move around by using the iPad touchscreen might be new to you. If you’ve never used Safari, this chapter takes you by the hand and shows you all its ins and outs.
In this chapter, you discover how to connect your iPad to the Internet and navigate among web pages. Along the way, you see how to place a bookmark for a favorite site or place a web clip on your Home screen. You can also view your browsing history, save online images to your Photo Library, or e-mail or tweet a hotlink to a friend. You explore the Safari Reader and Safari Reading List features and learn how to keep yourself safer while online using private browsing. Finally, you review the simple steps involved in printing what you find online.
Connect to the Internet
How you connect to the Internet depends on which iPad model you own:
The Wi-Fi–only iPad connects to the Internet only via a Wi-Fi network. You can set up this type of network in your own home using your computer and some equipment from your Internet provider. You can also connect over public Wi-Fi networks, referred to as hotspots. You’ll probably be surprised to discover how many hotspots your town or city has: Look for Internet cafés, coffee shops, hotels, libraries, and transportation centers such as airports or bus stations, for example. Many of these businesses display signs alerting you to their free Wi-Fi.
If you own a Wi-Fi- and 3G-enabled iPad, you can still use a Wi-Fi connection, but you can also use the paid data network provided by AT&T or Verizon to connect from just about anywhere you can get cellphone coverage via a cellular network.
If you have a 3G model, you don’t have to do anything; with a contract for 3G coverage the connection is made automatically wherever cellular service is available, just as it is on your cellphone. To connect to a Wi-Fi network you have to complete a few steps.
1. When you’re in range of a hotspot, if access to several nearby networks is available, you may see a message asking you to tap a network name to select it. After you select one (or if only one network is available), you see a message similar to the one shown in Figure 5-1.
2. If you’re required to enter a network password, do so.
3. Tap the Join button and you’re connected.
Figure 5-1
See Chapter 1 for more about the capabilities of different iPad models and the costs associated with 3G.
Free public Wi-Fi networks typically don’t require passwords. However, it’s then possible for someone else to track your online activities over these unsecured networks. Avoid accessing financial accounts or sending sensitive e-mail when connected to a public hotspot.
Explore Safari
1. After you’re connected to a network, tap the Safari icon on the Home screen. Safari opens, probably displaying the Apple iPad home page the first time you go online (see Figure 5-2).
2. Put two fingers together on the screen and swipe them outward to enlarge the view, as shown in Figure 5-3. Double-tap the screen with a single finger to restore the default screen size.
3. Put your finger on the screen and flick upward to scroll down on the page.
4. To return to the top of the web page, put your finger on the screen and drag downward or tap the Status bar at the top of the screen.
Using the pinch method to enlarge or reduce the size of a web page on your screen allows you to view what’s displayed at various sizes, giving you more flexibility than the double-tap method.
When you enlarge the display, you gain more control using two fingers to drag from left to right or from top to bottom on the screen. On a reduced display, one finger works fine for making these gestures.
Figure 5-2
Figure 5-3
Navigate among Web Pages
1. Tap in the Address field. The onscreen keyboard appears (see Figure 5-4).
2. To clear the field, press the Delete key on the keyboard. Enter a web address; for example, you can go to this book’s companion website: www.iPadMadeClear.com.
3. Tap the Go key on the keyboard (refer to Figure 5-4). The website appears.
• If, for some reason, a page doesn’t display, tap the Reload icon on the right end of the Address field.
• If Safari is loading a web page and you change your mind about viewing the page, you can tap the Stop icon (the X), which appears on the right end of the Address field during this process, to stop loading the page.
4. Tap the Previous arrow to go backward to the last page you displayed.
5. Tap the Next arrow to go forward to the page you just came from.
6. To follow a link to another web page, tap the link with your finger. To view the destination web address of the link before you tap it, just touch and hold the link; a menu appears that displays the address at the top, as shown in Figure 5-5.
By default, AutoFill is turned on in iPad, causing entries you make in fields such as the Address field to automatically display possible matching entries. You can turn off AutoFill by using iPad Settings.
Figure 5-4
Figure 5-5
Use Tabbed Browsing
1. With iOS 5 comes tabbed browsing, a feature that allows you to have several websites open at once on separate tabs so you can move easily among those sites. To add a tab, tap the plus sign near the upper-right corner of the screen (refer to Figure 5-2).
2. The search field becomes active and a drop-down list and the onscreen keyboard appear (see Figure 5-6). You can tap an item from a recent search, or tap in the search field and enter the name of a site to open. The site opens on a new tab.
3. You can now switch among open sites by tapping another tab.
Using tabbed browsing you can not only place a site on a tab but also a search results screen. If you recently searched for something, those search results will be on your Recent Searches list. Also, if you are displaying a search results page when you tap the plus sign to add a tab, the first ten suggested sites in the results will be listed there for you to choose from.
Figure 5-6
View Browsing History
1. As you move around the web, your browser keeps a record of your browsing history. This record can be handy when you want to visit a site that you viewed previously but have forgotten its address. With Safari open, tap the Bookmark icon.
2. On the menu shown in Figure 5-7, tap History.
3. In the History list that appears (see Figure 5-8), tap a date if available, and then tap a site to navigate to it.
Figure 5-7
Figure 5-8
To clear the history, tap the Clear History button (refer to Figure 5-8). This button is useful when you don’t want your spouse or grandchildren to see where you’ve been browsing for birthday or holiday presents!
You can tap and hold the Previous button to quickly display a list of your browsing history.
Search the Web
1. If you don’t know the address of the site you want to visit (or you want to research a topic or find other information online), get acquainted with Safari’s Search feature on iPad. By default, Safari uses the Google search engine. With Safari open, tap in the Search field. The onscreen keyboard appears.
2. You can tap on one of the suggested sites, or enter a search word or phrase, and tap the Search key (see Figure 5-9) on your keyboard.
3. In the search results that are displayed, tap a link to visit that site.
To change your default search engine from Google to Yahoo! or Bing, in iPad Settings, tap Safari and then tap Search Engine. Tap Yahoo! or Bing and your default search engine changes.
You can browse for specific items such as images, videos, or maps by tapping the corresponding link at the top of the Google results screen. Also, tap the More button in this list to see even more options to narrow your results such as searching for books or YouTube videos on the subject.
Figure 5-9
Add and Use Bookmarks
1. Bookmarks are a way to save favorite sites so you can easily visit them again. With a site you want to bookmark displayed, tap the Menu icon.
2. On the menu that appears (see Figure 5-10), tap Add Bookmark.
3. In the Add Bookmark dialog, shown in Figure 5-11, edit the name of the bookmark if you want. To do so, tap the name of the site and use the onscreen keyboard to edit its name.
Figure 5-10
Figure 5-11
4. Tap the Save button.
5. To go to the bookmark, tap the Bookmarks icon.
6. On the Bookmarks menu that appears (see Figure 5-12), tap the bookmarked site you want to visit.
Figure 5-12
If you want to sync your bookmarks on your iPad browser to your computer, connect your iPad to your computer and make sure that the Sync Safari Bookmarks setting on the Info tab of iTunes is activated.
When you tap the Bookmarks icon, you can use the Bookmarks Bar option to create folders to organize your bookmarks. When you next add a bookmark, you can then choose, from the dialog that appears, any folder to which you want to add the new bookmark.
Use Safari Reading List
1. The Safari Reading List provides a way to save sites that contain content you want to read at a later time so you can easily visit them again. With a site you want to add to your Reading List displayed, tap the Menu icon.
2. On the menu that appears (refer to Figure 5-10), tap Add to Reading List. The site is added to your list.
3. To view your Reading List, tap the Bookmarks icon and tap Reading List.
4. On the Reading List that appears (see Figure 5-13), tap the content you want to revisit and resume reading.
Figure 5-13
If you want to see both Reading List material you’ve read and that material you haven’t read, tap the All tab in the Reading List pane (refer to Figure 5-13). To see just the material you haven’t read, use the Unread tab.
To save an image to your Reading List, tap and hold the image until a menu appears, and then tap Add to Reading list. To delete an item, with the Reading List displayed swipe left or right on an item and a Delete button appears. Tap it to delete the item from Reading List.
Utilize Safari Reader
1. The Safari Reader feature gives you an e-reader type of experience right within your browser, removing other stories and links as well as those distracting advertisements. When you are on a site where you’re reading content such as an article, Safari displays a Reader button on the right side of the address field (see Figure 5-14). Tap the Reader button. The content appears in a reader format (see Figure 5-15).
Figure 5-14
Figure 5-15
2. Scroll down the page. The entire content is contained in this one long page.
3. When you finish reading the material, just tap the Previous button to go back to its source.
To enlarge the text in the Reader tap the large A in the top-left corner (refer to Figure 5-15).
Add Web Clips to the Home Screen
1. The Web Clips feature allows you to save a website as an icon on your Home screen so that you can go to the site at any time with one tap. With Safari open and displaying the site you want to add, tap the Menu icon.
2. On the menu that appears (refer to Figure 5-10), tap Add to Home Screen.
3. In the Add to Home dialog that appears (see Figure 5-16), you can edit the name of the site to be more descriptive, if you like. To do so, tap the name of the site and use the onscreen keyboard to edit its name.
Figure 5-16
4. Tap the Add button. The site is added to your Home screen.
Remember that you can have as many as 11 Home screens on your iPad to accommodate all the web clips and apps you download (though there is a limit to how many will fit). If you want to delete an item from your Home screen for any reason, press and hold the icon on the Home screen until all items on the screen start to jiggle and Delete icons appear on all items except the preinstalled apps. Tap the Delete icon on each item you want to delete, and it’s gone. (To get rid of the jiggle, tap the Home button again.)
Save an Image to Your Photo Library
1. Display a web page that contains an image you want to copy.
2. Press and hold the image. The menu shown in Figure 5-17 appears.
Figure 5-17
3. Tap the Save Image option (refer to Figure 5-17). The image is saved to your library.
Be careful about copying images from the Internet and using them for business or promotional activities. Most images are copyrighted, and you may violate the copyright even if you simply use an image in (say) a brochure for your association or a flyer for your community group. Note that some search engines’ advanced search settings offer the option of browsing only for images that aren’t copyrighted.
Send a Link
1. If you find a great site that you want to share, you can do so easily by sending a link in an e-mail. With Safari open and the site you want to share displayed, tap the Menu icon.
2. On the menu that appears (refer to Figure 5-10), tap Mail Link to this Page.
3. On the message form that appears (see Figure 5-18), enter a recipient’s e-mail address, a subject, and your message.
Figure 5-18
4. Tap Send and the e-mail goes on its way.
The e-mail is sent from the default e-mail account you have set up on iPad. For more about setting up an e-mail account, see Chapter 6.
To tweet the link using your Twitter account, in Step 2 of this task choose Tweet, enter your tweet message in the form that appears, and then tap Send. For more about using Twitter with iPad, see Chapter 7.
Make Private Browsing and Cookie Settings
Apple has provided some privacy settings for Safari that you should consider using. Private Browsing automatically removes items from the download list, stops Safari from letting AutoFill save information used to complete your entries in the search or address fields as you type, and doesn’t save some browsing history information. These features can keep your online activities more private. The Accept Cookies setting allows you to stop the downloading of cookies (small files that document your browsing history so you can be recognized the next time you go to or move within a site) to your iPad.
You can control both settings by choosing Safari in the Settings window. Tap to turn Private Browsing on or off (see Figure 5-19). Tap the arrow on Accept Cookies and choose to never save cookies, always save cookies, or only save cookies from visited sites.
You can also use those two settings to clear your browsing history, saved cookies, and other data manually (refer to Figure 5-19).
Figure 5-19
Print a Web Page
1. If you have a wireless printer that supports Apple’s AirPrint technology (Hewlett-Packard is the only manufacturer that makes these at present), you can print web content using a wireless connection. With Safari open and the site you want to print displayed, tap the Menu icon.
2. On the menu that appears (refer to Figure 5-10), tap Print.
3. In the Printer Options dialog that appears (see Figure 5-20), tap Select Printer. In the list of printers that appears, tap the name of your wireless printer.
Figure 5-20
4. Tap either the plus or minus button in the Copy field to adjust the number of copies to print.
5. Tap Print to print the displayed page.
The apps Printopia and AirPrint Activator 2 make any shared or network printer on your home network visible to your iPad. Printopia has more features, but is more expensive, while AirPrint Activator is free.
If you don’t have an AirPrint-compatible wireless printer or don’t wish to use an app to help you print wirelessly, just e-mail a link to the web page to yourself, open the link on your computer, and print from there.