Quick Mute

The mute button on the iPhone is located on the left edge of the device above the volume up/down rocker switch. On the iPad, the button above the volume switch performs a different function—locking screen rotation. You can mute the iPad by adjusting the volume all the way down in the Settings >General >Sounds screen. But there's an easier and quicker way to this. Simply hold down the volume rocker for a couple seconds. The iPad's volume will jump to zero. (Sharon Zardetto, author of Take Control: The Mac OS X Lexicon gets credit for pointing out this tip.)