The Nokia N97's touchcsreen user interface provides an easy and intuitive way to find your way around the phone. But if you want to make it even easier to get to your most-used features, you can add Shortcut buttons to the home screen.

Out of the box, the phone is set up with a Contacts Bar option on the home screen, which can be set up to provide quick one-press access to four of your favourite contacts, simply by tapping an picture-lablled button towards the top of the screen.

But as well as offering fast access to contacts using the Contacts bar, you can change the N97's set-up to have function Shortcuts onscreen instead. These can provide hotkey fast access to open key features and apps, such as the calendar, new messages, the GPS maps function, and the FM radio. These Shortcuts can be changed to whatever you want.

Here, we show you how to change your home screen to add Shortcuts...

Setting up the Shortcuts bar

1. From the home screen (Figure 1), press the central Menu key beneath the screen.
2. Press Settings (Figure 2).
3. Press Personal (Figure 3).
4. Press Home screen (Figure 4).
5. Press Home screen theme (Figure 5).
6. Press Shortcuts bar (Figure 6).
7. When selected, you are returned to the home screen, with the Shortcut bar icons on the top of the display replacing the Contacts bar icons (Figure 7).

To use one of the four shortcuts, simply tap the appropriate icon.

Changing shortcuts
You can change the selection of shortcuts in the Shortcuts bar to whatever suits you.

1. From the home screen (Figure 7), press the central Menu key beneath the screen.
2. Press Settings (Figure 2).
3. Press Personal (Figure 3).
4. Press Home screen (Figure 4).
5. Press Shortcuts (Figure 8).
6. A list of shortcuts appears, representing the ones shown in the Shortcuts bar in order from the left to right, numbered from 1 to 4 (Figure 9). Press the shortcut you want to change (in this example, Shortcut 3).
7. You now have the choice to select either an application shortcut or a bookmark from your browser as a shortcut - so you can visit a favourite website at the touch of a button. If you want to choose another app, press Application (Figure 10).
8. A long list appears of available applications you can use as shortcuts (Figure 11). Scroll up or down using your finger or stylus to see all the available options.
9. Press the option you want to add to your shortcuts, and you are returned to the Shortcuts menu with the changed shortcut shown in the panel (Figure 12). You can continue to change as many shortcuts as you like in the same way.
10. When you're satisfied with your changes, press the red call End button beneath the display to return to the home screen. The Shortcuts bar icons have changed (Figure 13).

You can change shortcuts any time you want by following the procedure outlined above.

Changing back to the Contacts bar
You can also swap back to the Contacts bar very easily.

1. From the home screen (Figure 13), press the central Menu key beneath the screen.
2. Press Settings (Figure 2).
3. Press Personal (Figure 3).
4. Press Home screen (Figure 4).
5. Press Home screen theme (Figure 5).
6. Press Contacts Bar (Figure 14). You will be returned to the home screen with the Contacts Bar reinstalled.