Setting up and using Widgets on the Samsung Blade S5600

The Touchwiz user interface from Samsung lets you get all sorts of smartphone functionality without having to do anything at all complicated - all through the power of Widgets.

These include phone features such as the music and radio players, calendar, image gallery, memo, games, clock and world time features, plus favourite contacts, voice recorder, and so on.

In addition, there are Widgets for web-based features and services, including Facebook and MySpace Widgets, a Share Pix online uploading app, a Google search Widget, AccuWeather.com app, plus links to Samsung download pages that include a More Widgets search and download facility.

With a large choice of Widgets pre-loaded onto the phone, you can customise your home screen to display exactly the Widgets you find useful or entertaining.

And you can change them around quickly and easily as much as you like - a pop-out Widgets toolbar on the home screen enables you to browse through the lineup of Widget icons, dragging and dropping the ones you want onscreen. You can rearrange them as much as you want, and add more options into the toolbar.

In addition, it's possible to download more Widgets, accessing the ones you want with a few quick screen presses.

Setting up home screen Widgets

1. Press the arrowed tab on the bottom left of the home screen (Figure 1).
2. The Widgets toolbar opens up on the left side of the screen (Figure 2).
3. Scroll through the Widgets toolbar to see the rundown of widgets available, represented by the small icons (Figure 3). Swipe your finger up or down to quickly browse through the toolbar, or hold your finger on and drag to move more slowly.
4. To add a Widget to your home screen, touch and hold onscreen and drag onto the main part of the home screen. You can place the widget wherever you want on the screen. Take your finger off to drop it in place (Figure 4).
5. You can drag and drop more Widgets onto the home screen. You can place as many as you like (Figure 5), move them around as much as you want, or drag them back to the bar. Although it may look cluttered, you can arrange them so some widgets are lower down "off screen'' - you can scroll down to see them.
6. Once you have selected the Widgets you want to use, close the toolbar by pressing the arrowed tab on the bottom left of the display. The toolbar closes and the Widgets remain onscreen (Figure 6).
7. You can still move the Widgets around as much as you want (Figure 7).
8. To use a Widget, simply tap it to select and press to open. The Widget will open and you can begin to use the application or service (Figure 8).

To change them around, open the toolbar as before, and simply drag the Widgets you require on or off the display.

Adding more Widgets to the toolbar
As well as the initial set of Widgets you can see in the toolbar, a number of other Widgets can be shown on the toolbar for other features applications within the phone.

You can choose which Widgets are displayed on the toolbar via one of the settings menus in the phone. Usefully, Samsung has also included a Widget for setting these up on the toolbar.

1. Open the toolbar as before. Scroll down to select the Widgets Settings icon - it looks like a cog - and press (Figure 9).
2. You are taken into the Widgets Settings menu (Figure 10). This is a list of apps and features you can select to be displayed on the toolbar - the ticked options are the ones shown in the toolbar.
3. Press the unticked ones you want to display, and a tick appears. Pressing a ticked option deselects it from the toolbar (Figure 11).
4. Scroll down the list and tick or untick as required. Press Save to keep your selection.
5. You are returned to the home screen. Open the toolbar by pressing the tabbed arrow. The amended toolbar appears, with new selections showing, and ones you've deselected omitted (Figure 12).
6. You can now drag the new Widgets onto the homescreen in the same way as before (Figure 13).

Downloading new Widgets
In addition to the pre-loaded Widgets selection, you can search for and download new Widgets from Samsung. A More Widget icon in the toolbar can be used to access these from Samsung's mobile internet portal.

1. Open the toolbar by pressing the arrowed tab.
2. Scroll down to select the orange and red More Widgets icon (Figure 12). Drag on to the home screen.
3. A message appears warning of possible network connection charges (Figure 14). Press Yes to continue.
4. Close the toolbar by pressing the arrowed tab. Press the More Widgets panel onscreen to select (Figure 15). You can now search for Widgets online, by Category, Latest, Most Downloaded or Top Recommended. Alternatively, you can do a word search, by tapping the bank panel and typing in a key word.
5. Press one of the search options and the first time you will get a choice of Settings (Figure 16). Press to select.
6. In a few moments a list of Widgets is displayed onscreen (Figure 17). Scroll though the list by using the small arrowed buttons on the bottom right of the More Widgets panel.
7. Press the Widget on the list that you want to download. The phone will connect to the Samsung download site, displaying details of the Widget you've selected (Figure 18). Press the Download button onscreen.
8. The Widget should download in a few seconds. It will be automatically added to your Widgets toolbar. Press the Call End button to exit the download service.
9. Open the Widget toolbar. Scroll down the toolbar until you find the new Widget you have downloaded (Figure 19). (You can drag the More Widgets toolbar back into the toolbar, if required.)
10. Drag the new Widget on to your home screen and drop it in place, as before (Figure 20). Close the toolbar when you've completed your amendments. Press the Widget on the homescreen to open and use it (Figure 21).