Apple is known for loading its software with handy shortcuts and tricks to make your life easier. You will struggle to find a definitive list of these in the documentation, and many people actually discover them by accident.

With the iPhone and iPod touch, Apple designed a whole new operating system. Essentially a stripped down version of Mac OS X, the iPhone/iPod OS has some great hidden shortcuts and timesavers, which could make your everyday use of the device quicker and easier.

The revolutionary Multi-Touch interface isn't just designed to be tapped, there are actually a host of gestures and movement combinations that perform specific actions. And despite only having two hardware buttons, these work differently depending on how you press them.

Some of the tips related to making calls will only work on an iPhone, of course, but most of these shortcuts will also work on the iPod touch.

01. Show iPod controls

The iPod application has the ability to run in the background. If you're using a different app and you want to pause or skip a track, double tap Home to display iPod controls.

02. Tap the title bar

Scrolling to the top of a page in Safari can be slow. Double-tap on the title bar where the time is displayed and you will jump back to the top. This also works with SMS conversations.

03. Control iPod when locked

If your iPhone/iPod touch is locked but you need to change the volume, pause or skip tracks, double-tap Home and you can control the iPod app and see what track is playing.

04. Make calls from Safari

Phone numbers in Safari display as links. If you press and hold on the number for a couple of seconds, it will display in a pop-up window. This also works with web links.

05. Quick delete button

You can delete items by swiping your finger across the right side of emails, SMS conversations or podcasts when in List view. Videos are marked and erased at the next sync.