A Look At S60 Menu Organization - Part 2
I already took a look at what’s in my ‘Crap’ folder, the extensive list of apps and icons that I have no use for in my N95-3 and other S60-powered handsets. Most of them are sent to the ‘Crap’ folder simply because there’s already another shortcut that gives me access to the app, and I don’t need them in my menus if I have a shortcut.
The next logical step to this three-part series is, if that’s in my ‘Crap’ folder, how is the rest of my menu setup? Personally, I think that my way is extremely logical, and simple for a new S60 user. Following this post, I’ve actually hard-reset my N95-3, and will take a look at how illogical the default menu layout really is, so you can look forward to that for the conclusion to this mini-series. So without further ado, here’s the Symbian-Guru’s menu:
Clock is always default-left, as I use it daily, and that gives quick access. Again, it’s been in that exact position since my 6620, so it’s staying there. The Applications folder has taken center stage, for a number of reasons. Inside is the Application manager, Download! app, and any games. If I have multiple games installed, I’ll create a Games subfolder, but otherwise, they’re simply left in the folder. I have the Applications folder center stage because I install applications constantly, as I try out new ones and whatnot. Having it front and center gives me the quickest access.
The default-right position is currently occupied with a Contact folder, though in the past, this has been somewhat of a ‘wildcard’ position. The Contact folder contains Jaiku, SlickIM, and whatever other contact-related apps I may have installed at the time. This position, however, is open to change.
The next row is always the same and consists of Web, Office, and Tools. Web is anything having to do with the internet that didn’t fit into Media or Contact; i.e. the web browser, the Home Media app, and that sort of thing. Symella, which is one of the first apps I install, bounces between Media and Web, depending on how I feel when I setup the menus.
Office is anything related to a ‘business’ phone. Clearly on the Eseries this folder has more in it, but on my N95-3, it contains things such as QuickOffice, Voice Recorder, Calculator, Barcode Scanner, etc. Any email clients I may have installed will go in this folder, as well.
The Tools folder contains anything that’s a utility of sorts, or settings related. This includes Y-Browser, Handy Taskman, the Jaiku tool (which, really, could just as easily go into the Crap folder, as much as I use it), and anything else. Also within the Tools folder are two subfolders - Connectivity and Crap. Crap has been explained, and Connectivity is anything that connects. Bluetooth, Infrared, USB, etc.
The last row is Profiles, Settings, and Themes, and this row is largely another remnant from the S60v2 days, when they were in the base menu. On my N82, I use an app called ThemesLauncher, which gives me the missing ‘Themes’ icon, for quick access. I actually change themes a few times per week, so having it handy is nice.
That’s it, really. With this setup, everything has a clear logical place, according to its function or focus. Sure, there are overlaps, with apps such as Symella and Real Player, able to fit in Media or Web, but for the most part, it’s simple. Best of all, if someone who has never touched an S60 phone picks it up, they can hit the menu button and have little trouble finding the appropriate app (I’ve tested this with my family a bit).
So, what do you think? Are you struggling to see the method to my madness still, or do you agree that it’s incredibly logical and well-thought out? How do you set yours up?
For those interested, here’s the detailed account of what’s in each folder (with numbers corresponding to the position on the menu):
- Messaging
- Nav - GPS data, Landmarks, Nokia Maps, Location Tagger, Google Maps Mobile
- Media - Music player, radio, podcasting,video center, Real Player, Flash Player, Share Online, Internet Radio, Mobbler, Symella
- Clock
- Applications - App Manager, Download!, N-Gage
- Contact - Internet Telephone, Jaiku, Slick IM
- Web - Home Media, Web, Mobile Web Server
- Office - Calculator, Recorder, QuickOffice, Notes, Barcode, Zip, Converter, Adobe PDF, Calcium
- Tools - Connectivity, Crap, Memory, Y-Browser, Screenshot, Hi-N-Bye, MagicKey, Handy Taskman, Jaiku Tool
- Profiles
- Settings
- Themes
Haha, I so like the way you think! Cuz although it’s not identical, we do have so many things in common, it’s scary! JUNK is my equivalent to your CRAP, and well it almost contains the same apps. I too rename the Music folder to Media and throw the same things in it, plus Shozu should I add. And I also create Office, Web and GPS (not NAV) folders.
Which makes me think, if two persons across the globe think that the S60 menu should be organized this way, either these 2 persons are insane and S60 is doing a good job, either these 2 persons are sane and S60 is plain CRAZY. I’d like to think it’s the latter.
Well i am totally illogical in comparison with the above. Though the majority of my folders are remnents of my first s60 days so on main menu i have, contacts messaging calendar music applications media office weatherbud(as i check this everyday) d@ni(my personal folder) navigator(gps apps) tools and games. I try to keep all my apps in each folder to a maximum of 12 to avoid any slow down. I wont fill this comment with what goes where, but the folders give you a fairly accurate idea. I leave the crap stuff or unused stuff where they are but at end of my apps in each folder.
Interesting. Not something for me but certainly interesting. Personally my device is centred around data applications and “mobile journalism” (a blog by any other name…).
[img=http://media.share.ovi.com/m1/large/0280/a43f296fcd1c441b84bb866190040853.jpg]
I’m in the midst of a clear out and rearrange at the moment, and using Gmail as a place holder for Nokia Email as it wont run til I get my firmware update in a couple of months.
Looks like we all agree on renaming the Music folder and having a Web though.
I can see the logic behind it, and does in fact arrange my icons more or less that way.
However the most used applications that I can’t get on my active standby menu I try to put one the first menu screen.
Then I arrange the icons in categories after Music, Internet, Tools, GPS, Dictionary and Games.
In each folder I place the icons so that I can easily access them with my keypad (1 for the first in icon in the gridview etc.)
1. I try to constantly keep the most used ones in each category into the “twelve places”.
2. If however it don’t fit I try to put them downmost so that I can easily access them by pressing up two times.
In addition to placing them into categories I try to put the icons in such a way that they always make up for an odd number.
(Of cours that is not always possible, in which 2 come in)
All in all the logic is not that far from what you do on your computer on a daily basis. (Especially if you’re using Windows where the menu often will get clustered if you don’t arrange things into categories.)
Well, Rick, sounds like you need a little hacking lesson. Although there’s a trick with the Installer to move seemingly stationary icons into whatever folder you wish, including Media folder in the Applications folder, we Symbian Freaks prefer to edit the appshelldata.xml file that contains the menu layout.
If that’s a bit too advanced, try the free app called Menu Editor by Leftup from OPDA, which provides a GUI to the process, making it simple. You can check it out at http://www.symbian-freak.com/downloads/freeware/cat_s60_3rd/descriptions/systools/menu_edior_3rd_ed.htm.
This will return the freedom you need with your folders and menu layout.
Chris aka christexaport
At least I do know about this application and have changed names on several icons I’ve got to something more intuitive.
However christexaport there’s one thing you should know about the symbian-freak website.
It does not allow people to browse there directly, meaning that direct links won’t load up. (That’s at least what I get. The famous 404 not found message.)
It seems that there’s a new request for each link you click on the website, leading to this error. (If you link directly it won’t be any request at all).
Where’s that appshelldata.xml file?
It would be of help if you could answer that.
(I’ll probably find it after looking for a while)
Crap? Junk? Being a kindler, gentler kinda guy, my equivalent folder is named “Dump”.
I also observe the “12 folder system”, but with a different (yet eerily similar) configuration.
The link from Chris works. Well, it would work, if he wouldn’t have ended the line with a period which messes up the URL.
Click the URL below and you’ll see that the symbian-freak site has no problems at all with direct links.
Menu editor:
http://www.symbian-freak.com/downloads/freeware/cat_s60_3rd/descriptions/systools/menu_edior_3rd_ed.htm
Well, i would say that you are wasting an shortcut on Profiles. You can change the profiles on the fly with the power button over the phone. And i guess no one personalizes the profiles more than once.
Not a bad logic at all! i will try and arrange the folders and see how it works for me. though i may not want contacts, themes and clock in menu as all 3 are there in active standby short cuts!
by the way ricky, im curious to know what short cuts you have in AS and left and right soft key!
@666
Thanks for that info.
Guess I was a bit tired when I tried that not noticing the little “dot” at the end of the link.
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