Hi.
I'm Scott Stein, and congratulations, maybe you just got an iPad.
Is that why you're watching this video?
In that case, what do you do to set it up?
What happens next?
Well, whether you got the large Retina display iPad, or the iPad mini, the steps are the same because they have got the same operating system underneath.
And, here are the most important tips I found, the ones that I use when I set
an iPad to review, or when I purchase one for the first time.
Get To Know iCloud is my number one, because iCloud is not just the way to back up stuff from your previous iPad if you've had one, but it also connects all of your iOS devices, or even your Mac, and brings your contacts, your photo stream, if you have a photo shared notes, bookmarks and Safari.
And so, it instantly makes your iPad feel like your own.
Connect that iCloud account immediately, and learn to power use it.
And I recommend that you learn to back up in the
Cloud if you want to pay for those services.
Alternatively, you could use Google.
Google has a ton of apps available for the iPad, and you could put your email, your calendar information, your docs, and be able to leave on the Google Cloud all the time in your iPad, and really, not have to use Apples built-in-suite of apps.
Two, get your free stuff.
There's a ton of free content you can get on your iPad depending on whether you have magazines - real magazines, newspapers, your cable TV account.
All of these things have
iPad apps in many cases that provide free content right off the bat for you, and you can just enter you digital subscription information.
And boom!
You've got content to go.
You may already be subscribing in Netflix.
You may be subscribing to Hulu Plus, or you may already have a bunch of iPhone games that already have iPad optimized version.
So, check.
Look in your already downloaded apps that you can access via the app store.
Take advantage.
Three, store your media on the Cloud.
I know Cloud is a hot topic,
but when it comes to the iPad, you really don't want to be syncing back in with your computer all the time.
Although you can, it's going to get frustrating.
For music, there are a variety of services, iTunes, Mesh.
Spotify is a great subscription service for streaming.
You've also got Google Music, and Amazon Cloud Music, both of which work with the iPad in some capacity.
Take advantage.
Put all your music up there.
For video, the same thing; you've got, not only iTunes, but Amazon Instant Video, Netflix, a lot of different ways to rent and
access videos.
And for books, same thing; Amazon, the Nook, Google, and iBooks.
Number four, get into your settings, and add Facebook and Twitter.
You can actually activate that now on iOS6.
And having that baked in is going to enable you to easily share photos that you've taken, or other content web pages, for instance, without having to switch apps.
It's very easy to use.
It's very fun.
Though, I'd recommend in Facebook,
turn off contacts, and turn off calendar sharing with Facebook, because it suddenly going to spam you with all sorts of random invites, and contact information that, maybe, you didn't necessarily want in your contacts.
You can turn it off and then, deactivate that.
Number five, tweak your orientation lock.
This little switch on the side of the iPad that looks like the iPhones, and it defaults to a silence mode, which is not really useful on an iPad.
Change it over in the settings to 'orientation' lock, which means that when you activate it,
it won't actually turn when you turn the iPad, which is great for reading if you're reading any books or magazines.
So otherwise, it turns like this.
Small tip, very helpful.
Number six, make folders.
It's a very simple thing in iOS6.
You can drag apps into shared folders.
They all gather together in one icon to use, and then, you could pull them up in a snap.
You should make this based on categories that you are going to use; music, video, maybe kid apps -
things that you can get in a touch of a button.
It's not perfect, but it's a lot better than having to navigate through page after page of apps.
And number seven, get a case.
Get a bag.
These iPads are beautiful, but they're a little bit delicate, and they're something that you don't want to scratch, and dent.
And when you get them out of the box, they don't come with anything.
Now, the smart covers are really nice way to cover up the top, but they don't protect the back.
I like to get a back cover as well.
Or you can go with slip cases, and also
a great direction to go is maybe some sort of iPad friendly small bag that you can then put the iPad into.
Check out another piece I wrote recently on what makes a good iPad case, or iPad bag.
We have a ton of those listed at CNET.
That's really depending on your taste, but get something as soon as you can if it's not already in your little holiday gift basket.
I'm Scott Stein, and good luck with your iPad.
Check back at CNET for a lot more tips.
