I have read somewhere that the iPad 2 battery will last longer if it is run it to empty once a month. If this is true and significant, I would like to know if the settings and apps will revert to the factory situation. This concerns me because I have a 'firewall' (if that is the right term) which is so good that it would be a nightmare for me to try to reconnect my iPad 2 to my home network (for which I am truly grateful to a most eminent member of WAMUG)..
Alan, beware of what you read about batteries. Lots of the advice about running batteries down dates from the days of NiCd cells. Generally speaking, Lithium batteries don't take kindly to deep discharge so I would take a bit of convincing that running the iPad right down was a good idea. (It might enable the software to re-calibrate its estimation of battery life though, so your battery could then 'last longer' before you get a low battery warning)
On the other hand, the battery ages a bit each time it is taken up to its full charge state so over-frequent 'top up' charges aren't a good thing either. One other point that is often not discussed - the capacity of a Lithium battery is quite temperature sensitive so, if you fully charge a battery in the warm of your house then take it out on a cold winter's day, it will effectively become overcharged. And of course, over-charging Lithium cells stresses them even more than over-discharge. . .
You shouldn't loose any settings even if you discharge your iPad to death, everything is held in flash NAND memory, so there are no volatile settings. Best battery advice for lithium polymers is to charge, and use until only a few percent is left and then charge again. Constant top ups aren't good exercise!
Alan Cox 