How to set up and customise the home screen on the Motorola DEXT

The Motorola DEXT's Android smartphone user interface is complemented by Motorola's MOTOBLUR system that brings many favourite online social networking, email and other communication  services into one account, with info updates presented in widget panels on the home screen.

But as well as the headline-grabbing MOTOBLUR system, the Motorola DEXT also enables users to create home screen shortcuts to numerous onboard features, applications and browser bookmarks. These appear as small icons onscreen, a quick press of which opens them up. You can also select a range of widgets to populate the home screen, and  add folders to make content or information easily accessible.

Widgets, shortcuts, folders and so on can be added anywhere that's free on the home screen and moved around. You can add as many as you like and change around your selection as much as you want with just a few finger taps.

Like other Android smartphones, the Motorola DEXT offers multiple 'panels' for its home screen, giving you plenty of room to add extras to the screen without it getting too cluttered. The home screen stretches across five joined up 'panels' (you can swipe left and right to see them).

It's easy to set up the home screen to add the application shortcuts, widgets, etc. that you want to make the DEXT even easier to use. Here's how...

Setting up and customising the home screen

1. On any free part of the home screen where you'd like to add a shortcut, widget or folder, press and hold for a couple of seconds.
2. An Add To Home Screen panel appears. Press the option you'd like to use.
3. If you press Shortcuts, a list of category options appears, including Applications, Bookmark, Contact, Google Mail Label and Music Playlist.
4. Pressing one of the categories opens up a further list of options, giving you numerous shortcuts to choose from. Press the one you wish to add as a shortcut.
5. The shortcut list closes and your shortcut icon appears onscreen where you originally pressed the screen in Step 1. By pressing and holding the icon, you can move it elsewhere on the screen.
6. You can also add shortcuts from the Main Menu. Open up the Main Menu by pressing the central Menu button at the bottom of the screen. Press and hold the feature icon you wish to use as a shortcut. In a moment, the menu closes and the icon is copied to your home screen, where you can place it by moving your finger and releasing it to drop it in place.
7. If after Step 1 you press Widgets, a list of widgets appears. These widgets are mini apps that can be used to access or operate certain functions from the homescreen. These include various online-based widgets for messages, happenings, social status, weather and RSS news feeds, plus a selection of MySpace options. You also get widgets for an analogue clock, calendar, music player, picture frames and a Google search bar. Press the one you want to select.
8. The new widget appears onscreen. Repeat the process to add any other widgets you want to use.
9. Press the widget onscreen to open up the application.
10. After Step 1, you can also select Folders. This enables you to place folder icons onscreen, as you might do a on a desktop PC. Press the folder option you want to use.
11. The Folders menu disappears and a folder icon appears on your desktop. As before, you can repeat the process as many times as you want to.

• Whether you've chosen a shortcut, widget or folder, activating them or their function is simply a matter of pressing the appropriate icon you want to use.

Deleting items from the home screen

1. If you want to delete a shortcut, widget or folder from the home screen display, press and hold the appropriate icon for a moment.
   
2. A bin appears in the central button at the bottom of the display. Still holding the icon, drag it over the bin icon. The icon disappears from the display.