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Turning Off Bluetooth

If you don't use Bluetooth for an external device such as a keyboard or a headset, turn it off. Choose Settings | General | Bluetooth to display the Bluetooth screen, and then move the Bluetooth switch to the Off position.

Turning Off Push Notifications

When you don't need to receive push notifications from applications such as the App Store, turn push notifications off to save battery life. To do so, choose Settings | Notifications, and then move the Notifications switch on the Notifications screen to the Off position.

NOTE If the Notifications item doesn't appear on the Settings screen, the iPad or iPhone doesn't contain any applications that are set to use notifications.

If you want to turn off notifications for a particular app rather than turning them off across the board, touch the app's entry on the Notification screen to bring up its control screen.

Getting Your E-Mail Less Frequently

E-mail is so vital to both business and social life these days that it's a wrench to check it less frequently-but you can reduce the demands on the iPad's or iPhone's battery life by doing so. If your e-mail accounts support push, you can turn that off too.

To turn off push or to change the frequency with which the iPad or iPhone checks for e-mail, follow these steps:

1. Choose Settings | Mail, Contacts, Calendars to display the Mail, Contacts, Calendars screen.
2. Touch the Fetch New Data button to display the Fetch New Data screen.
3. To turn off push mail, move the Push switch to the Off position.
4. In the Fetch area, set the schedule for checking for mail: Every 15 Minutes, Every 30 Minutes, Hourly, or (the horror!) Manually.

TIP If you use some e-mail accounts only occasionally, turn off automatic checking on them. Choose Settings | Mail, Contacts, Calendars to display the Mail, Contacts, Calendars screen, and then touch the account you want to change. On the Account Info screen, move the Account switch or the Mail switch to the Off position. This will help protect you from hauling down a dozen highresolution snaps of Cousin Grace's snaggletoothed mutt when you least need them.

Culling Power-Greedy Third-Party Apps

Some apps are worth every milliamp of power they consume, but many apps are relentlessly greedy and not worth the juice. As you use the iPad or iPhone, watch out for third-party apps that keep the screen fully lit rather than allowing it to dim, or that prevent the device from locking. Unless any such app is vital, look for a better-behaved alternative, or simply remove it from the devices you manage.

NOTE If you use the iPod feature of the iPad or iPhone frequently, you can save some power by turning off the equalizer. To do so, choose Settings | iPod | EQ, and then touch the Off button on the EQ screen. But most people find the equalizer improves the sound so much that turning it off is too big a sacrifice on the altar of power.