From zipping to the top of a web page to restoring your app, settings, and other backup data from iCloud, here’s a dozen tips for getting the most out of your precious iPhone.

1. How to zip back to the top of a web page

You just finished scrolling down a lengthy New York Times story on the iPhone, and you want to go back to the beginning to see the photo again—but you’re dreading the prospect of having to flick, flick, and flick all the way back to the top of the page. Well, try this.

2. Where to find the iPhone’s camera shortcut

Can’t find the new camera shortcut on the iPhone’s lock screen? Don’t feel bad—it’s well hidden. Here’s how to find it.

3. How to send multiple pictures from your iPhone at once
You just squeezed off a series of art shots on your trusty iPhone and you’re dying to send them to your friends … but you’re probably not looking forward to digging into your camera roll, opening each photo, and then tediously emailing or picture-messaging them one at a time.

Well, here’s the thing: the iPhone’s Photos app actually does have an option for sending a bunch of photos at once, but it’s easy to miss.

4. 5 essential iPhone typing tips

Wish you could send a text message in ALL CAPS? Can’t find the em dash key? Tired of your iPhone constantly fixing your typing, even when it doesn’t need to be fixed? Read on for five iPhone typing tips you need to know.

5. How to create custom keyboard shortcuts

Yes, it’s a lot easier to just type “ut” on the iPhone’s virtual keypad than it is to tap out “You there?” The only problem is that not everyone will know what “ut” means, not to mention “omw” (on my way) or even the ubiquitous “omg” (oh my god!).

Luckily, there’s a new feature in iOS 5 for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch that lets you set up your own custom, time-saving keyboard shortcuts—perfect for spelling out exactly what you mean, without having to type all those letters.

6. Find out if your iPhone is running out of storage space

Is your iPhone’s memory starting to get crowded?  There’s an easy way to check just how much space is left on your handset—and which apps, videos, music playlists, and other items are hogging your iPhone’s storage.

7. How to restore your iPhone (or iPad) with iCloud Backup

Once configured properly, iCloud Backup will automatically make copies of all the settings, accounts, messages, photos, and applications settings on your iDevice and stores them on Apple’s servers.

There they’ll wait patiently, in case something bad ever befalls your handset. As someone who’s seen his fair share of computers and phones fail on him over the years, I wanted to put iCloud Backup to the test before trusting it with my precious data. Here’s what happened.

8. Create an iPhone calendar event or contact directly from email

Get an invitation in your email inbox to an event you don’t want to miss, or from someone you want to keep in touch with? If you got the message on your iPhone, you’re just a few taps away from marking the event in your iPhone’s calendar, or from creating a contact for the sender in your mobile address book.

9. Create custom vibrations for your contacts

Want to know if that buzz from your silenced iPhone is a call from your spouse, and not just some random cold call? Well, guess what: you can create a custom vibration pattern and assign it to any contact you choose.

10. Zoom in on your iPhone’s entire display

You probably know how to zoom in on a web page in the iPhone’s Safari browser by “pinching” the page with your fingertips, but what if you want to magnify the entire iPhone screen, including even the digital clock and battery icon at the top of the display?

The trick, as it turns out, is a three-finger tap—but you’ll have to tweak a key iPhone setting first.

11. Turn off your iPhone’s unread email badge

It taunts you when you’re at work, it mocks you on weekends, and it may even torment you on vacation.

Yes, I’m talking about the bright red badge on the iPhone (and iPad) home screen that tells you exactly how many emails—work, personal, or otherwise—you haven’t gotten around to reading yet. The good news, though, is that the iPhone’s unread email badge is easy to turn off

12. How to revive a frozen iPhone

So, you’re happily swiping away on your iPhone when all of a sudden, it goes haywire—an app freezes up, the web browser spins and spins, or the screen simply stops responding to your fingertaps. Now what?