Spotlight Search on your iPhone or iPad is an awesome resource.  And this week I learned a couple of new capabilities that I wanted to share.  

Spotlight Search is the search function that you access by swiping down from the middle of your home screen.  See the featured nugget below for a more detailed description about accessing the search function.

The most prominent element of the Spotlight Search function is the Search bar at the top of the screen.   So what can you type (or dictate if you use the microphone next to the space bar on the keyboard) into the search bar?  That is the surprising thing about spotlight search.  You can make so many types of requests.  New for me this week included:

• Getting the current temperature without launching the Weather app.  Simply type (or say) “current temperature.”
• Calculating a tip at a restaurant without launching the Calculator.  Simply type 29.67 * .2 (if the service was good.)
• Locating a nearby business without launching Maps.  Simply type “Target.”