georgehe01: Go To URL Faster on iPad

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Go To URL Faster on iPad

The process of loading a URL in a new tab on iPad can be rather cumbersome and slow. First, one launches Safari from the home screen, waits for the app to open and the old webpage to re-render, then one hits the tab switch button, presses the new tab space, waits for that tab to open, waits for it to switch to the search panel (this is the most irritating part of the process, since it seems to take even longer when what one really wants is the URL bar), and finally, one clicks on the URL bar to enter in a new URL.

To simplify this process considerably, just add a new icon to your Springboard that goes directly to about:blank. Details after the jump.

To add the new icon to your home screen, first open a new tab in Safari according to the usual method, and direct it to the url, about:blank. Then tap the more options icon (iOS 4.2) or the + icon (iOS 3.2) and select, 'Add to home'. Give your icon a name like 'New tab' or whatever you like then tap ...