Top 5 Things to do When You Get Your iPad 2 [Setup and Security]

There are a few things to do as soon as you get your iPad 2 home and out of the box. Today we are going to cover security, protection and a few other things to do right now.

Top 5 Things to do When you get Your iPad 2:

These steps are free, and should only take about 10 minutes, though the initial sync may take longer if you have a lot of apps and media.

Set up Find My iPad – 3 minutes

If you skipped past this when you first connected your iPad to iTunes, make sure you enable the free Find My iPad feature. This requires you to set oil a MobileMe account, but is completely free and will help you find your iPad if it is lost or stolen.

1. To setup Find My iPad, tap the settings icon on your iPad 2.
2. Tap on Mail, contacts and Calendars.
3. Add a MobileMe account.
4. Enter your Apple user ID, the same one you use to buy in iTunes. If you do not have an account the tool will walk you through creating one for free.
5. Verify your email by clicking on the link Apple sends you.
6. Go back to the MobileMe screen in Settings, and click the switch to “ON”

Set a Passcode – 1 Minute

Setting up a Passcode, or security lock, on your iPad is a good way to protect your important data and email accounts. By turning on a Passcode the iPad cannot be unlocked without a 4 digit code which keeps your data secure. You can even wipe the iPad, erasing all data if the Passcode is entered wrong ten times straight.

To set up a Passcode:

1. Tap Settings.
2. Choose Passcode Lock form the right side menu.
3. Tap turn Passcode on.
4. Enter a 4 digit Passcode that you will remember, ,but not something as simple as 1234. For help, use the letters to spell out a four letter word.
5. Enter the Passcode a second time to verify.
6. Choose how long you want the iPad 2 to wait before the Passcode turns on and locks the device.
7. When you turn your iPad on next, you will be prompted to enter your Passcode.

Put it in a Case – 1 minute

The quickest way to devalue your new iPad 2 is to leave it open to the elements. If you didn’t get the Smart Cover from Apple, look for a third party case or even a sleeve to keep your iPad 2 from being scratched. Within a month or two there will be many more case options available for purchase. You may also want to get a Zaggmate invisible shield or similar wrap to protect the back and screen from scratches.

Create an If Found Lockscreen Message – 1 minute

If you are prone to leaving your iPad 2 laying around, you should change the locksreen so that it has your contact information on it. This will make it easy to get your iPad back if it is lost. You may also have better luck with this tip if you add a reward.

How to Setup an If Found Message on the iPad 2:

1. Open the iPad Notes app.
2. Type a short message with your phone number and email including reward info.
3. Take a screenshot of it by holding the power button and home button at the same time.
4. Open the Photo app.
5. Open the screenshot you just took.
6. Tap on the image, choose the action icon in the upper right.
7. Choose use as wallpaper
8. Zoom in or out and move the image until it is where you want it to be.
9. Tap Use as Lockscreen.

If you want to get more advanced you could upload an image to a free photo editor like Picnik and add your information to a picture.

Sync your iPad – 3 minutes (to start may take longer to complete)

After you’ve prepared your iPad for the hazards of daily use, the last thing to do is to sync it up with your computer. If you are upgrading, you can restore form a backup of your previous iPad to get exactly what you had on the old device. If you are upgrading, but want to use. Anew computer, you can transfer the apps from your old iPad to the computer and then sync those apps to your iPad 2. Finally, if you are a new user, you can plug in and sync your music and movies over by simply plugging in and opening iTunes.

If you want to control what movies and other media are synced, visit the settings of your iPad when it is plugged in by clicking on the iPad name on the right menu bar and hen clicking on the tabs across the top to choose how many moves to transfer, what episodes of a TV show to transfer and what iPhoto albums to transfer to your iPad 2.

Stay tuned for more iPad 2 tips and guides.

Source : GottaBeMobile
Original Content : Top 5 Things to do When You Get Your iPad 2 [Setup and Security]