diff --git a/ionic/config/config.ts b/ionic/config/config.ts
index 0fa0a6ab44..3ae34c824b 100644
--- a/ionic/config/config.ts
+++ b/ionic/config/config.ts
@@ -124,7 +124,9 @@ export class Config {
    * Returns a single config value, given a key.
    *
    * @param {string} [key] - the key for the config value
-   * @param {any} [fallbackValue] - a fallback value to use when the config value was not found, or is config value is `null`. Fallback value defaults to `null`.
+   * @param {any} [fallbackValue] - a fallback value to use when the config
+   * value was not found, or is config value is `null`. Fallback value
+   *  defaults to `null`.
    */
   get(key: string, fallbackValue: any = null): any {
 
@@ -232,13 +234,42 @@ export class Config {
   /**
    * @name getBoolean
    * @description
-   * Same as `get()`, however always returns a boolean value.
-   *
+   * Same as `get()`, however always returns a boolean value. If the
+   * value from `get()` is `null`, then it'll return the `fallbackValue`
+   * which defaults to `false`. Otherwise, `getBoolean()` will return
+   * if the config value is truthy or not. It also returns `true` if
+   * the config value was the string value `"true"`.
    * @param {string} [key] - the key for the config value
+   * @param {boolean} [fallbackValue] - a fallback value to use when the config
+   * value was `null`. Fallback value defaults to `false`.
    */
-  getBoolean(key: string): boolean {
+  getBoolean(key: string, fallbackValue: boolean = false): boolean {
     let val = this.get(key);
-    return (val || val === 'true') ? true : false;
+    if (val === null) {
+      return fallbackValue;
+    }
+    if (typeof val === 'string') {
+      return val === 'true';
+    }
+    return !!val;
+  }
+
+
+  /**
+   * @name getNumber
+   * @description
+   * Same as `get()`, however always returns a number value. Uses `parseFloat()`
+   * on the value received from `get()`. If the result from the parse is `NaN`,
+   * then it will return the value passed to `fallbackValue`. If no fallback
+   * value was provided then it'll default to returning `NaN` when the result
+   * is not a valid number.
+   * @param {string} [key] - the key for the config value
+   * @param {number} [fallbackValue] - a fallback value to use when the config
+   * value turned out to be `NaN`. Fallback value defaults to `NaN`.
+   */
+  getNumber(key: string, fallbackValue: number = NaN): number {
+    let val = parseFloat( this.get(key) );
+    return isNaN(val) ? fallbackValue : val;
   }
 
 
@@ -284,24 +315,22 @@ export class Config {
    * @name settings()
    * @description
    */
-  settings() {
-    const args = arguments;
-
-    switch (args.length) {
+  settings(arg0?: any, arg1?: any) {
+    switch (arguments.length) {
 
       case 0:
         return this._s;
 
       case 1:
         // settings({...})
-        this._s = args[0];
+        this._s = arg0;
         this._c = {}; // clear cache
         break;
 
       case 2:
         // settings('ios', {...})
         this._s.platforms = this._s.platforms || {};
-        this._s.platforms[args[0]] = args[1];
+        this._s.platforms[arg0] = arg1;
         this._c = {}; // clear cache
         break;
     }
diff --git a/ionic/config/test/config.spec.ts b/ionic/config/test/config.spec.ts
index 1c76ca4cbb..83a87bd430 100644
--- a/ionic/config/test/config.spec.ts
+++ b/ionic/config/test/config.spec.ts
@@ -444,6 +444,80 @@ export function run() {
     expect(config.get('occupation', 'Weather Man')).toEqual('Weather Man');
   });
 
+  it('should get a boolean value with a boolean config value', () => {
+    let config = new Config({
+      key1: true,
+      key2: false
+    });
+    expect(config.getBoolean('key1')).toEqual(true);
+    expect(config.getBoolean('key2')).toEqual(false);
+  });
+
+  it('should get a boolean value with a string config value', () => {
+    let config = new Config({
+      key1: 'true',
+      key2: 'false',
+      key3: 'whatever'
+    });
+    expect(config.getBoolean('key1')).toEqual(true);
+    expect(config.getBoolean('key2')).toEqual(false);
+    expect(config.getBoolean('key3')).toEqual(false);
+    expect(config.getBoolean('key4')).toEqual(false);
+    expect(config.getBoolean('key5', true)).toEqual(true);
+  });
+
+  it('should get a boolean value with a number config value', () => {
+    let config = new Config({
+      key1: 0,
+      key2: 1,
+      key3: 'whatever'
+    });
+    expect(config.getBoolean('key1')).toEqual(false);
+    expect(config.getBoolean('key2')).toEqual(true);
+  });
+
+  it('should get a number value with a number config value', () => {
+    let config = new Config({
+      key: 6
+    });
+    expect(config.getNumber('key')).toEqual(6);
+  });
+
+  it('should get a number value with a string config value', () => {
+    let config = new Config({
+      key: '6',
+      numThenString: '6baymax',
+      stringThenNum: 'baymax6'
+    });
+    expect(config.getNumber('key', 5)).toEqual(6);
+    expect(config.getNumber('numThenString', 4)).toEqual(6);
+    expect( isNaN(config.getNumber('stringThenNum')) ).toEqual(true);
+  });
+
+  it('should get a number NaN value with a NaN config value', () => {
+    let config = new Config({
+      allString: 'allstring',
+      imNull: null,
+      imUndefined: undefined
+    });
+    expect( isNaN(config.getNumber('notfound'))).toEqual(true);
+    expect( isNaN(config.getNumber('allString'))).toEqual(true);
+    expect( isNaN(config.getNumber('imNull'))).toEqual(true);
+    expect( isNaN(config.getNumber('imUndefined'))).toEqual(true);
+  });
+
+  it('should get a number fallback value with a NaN config value', () => {
+    let config = new Config({
+      allString: 'allstring',
+      imNull: null,
+      imUndefined: undefined
+    });
+    expect( config.getNumber('notfound', 6)).toEqual(6);
+    expect( config.getNumber('allString', 6)).toEqual(6);
+    expect( config.getNumber('imNull', 6)).toEqual(6);
+    expect( config.getNumber('imUndefined', 6)).toEqual(6);
+  });
+
   it('should get settings object', () => {
     let config = new Config({
       name: 'Doc Brown',