One of the niftiest features in the new iOS 5 software for the iPad is one that I’d almost completely forgotten about: the ability to split the on-screen keyboard in half, handy if you prefer pecking with your thumbs rather than your fingers.

The split-keyboard trick in iOS 5 works whether you hold the iPad horizontally or vertically.

To do it, just call up the keypad in any iPad application, from email to the web browser.

Related: How to split the iPad’s keyboard in two

Then, tap and hold both sides of the keypad (near the edges or in the middle, it doesn’t matter) and pull it apart.

Snap! The keypad will split neatly in two, allowing you to type with your thumbs while holding the iPad—and yes, the trick works whether you holding the iPad vertically or horizontally.

Don’t like the split keyboard? Just tap and hold each half again and push ‘em back together. No harm, no foul.