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How to control your touch screen device

Submitted Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Overview: 

Start applications and access features on your touch screen device using the stylus and touch screen, or use the various hardware buttons to open and close programs and documents and navigate through the various program menus.

Here's how to do it:
Using the stylus and touch screen
Touch screen devices (i.e. Pocket PCs, Phone Editions, and devices running WM 6 Classic and Professional software) allow you to control the device by pressing or tapping the screen with the stylus, which is found nestled in a “silo” usually located in the upper right edge of the device. To initiate a command in most cases, you tap on the screen and then lift the stylus. In other cases, you might tap on an item and hold the stylus on the item until a context-specific (pop-up) menu appears. (This is similar to what happens on a Windows PC which you press the right button on a mouse.) Then you can tap (select) an item from the pop-up menu for further action.

Your touch screen device’s Today screen offers numerous controls, including the Start Menu and the Menu bar along the bottom of the screen, which displays Calendar and Contacts in this screen.

The main elements of the user interface are:

  • The Start menu, accessed from any screen by tapping Start in the upper left corner of the display. This is probably the most-used on-screen control. From the Start menu you can access a list of programs installed on your device or open the Settings folder to change the configurations on your device.
  • The Menu bar at the bottom of WM 5 and 6 devices displays “soft key” icons for the two most-used programs or functions associated with the application that is open at the time. For example, when the Today screen is open, Calendar and Contacts are displayed at the bottom. Tap on one of them to launch the application. (Pre-WM 5: The Menu bar on the Today screen only displays the word “New.” Tap it and a menu pops up, allowing you to create a new appointment, contact, message, and more.)
  • The Today screen also displays upcoming appointments, tasks, and e-mails. By tapping one of these, the associated application opens, displaying the item you tapped. (See “How to customize the Today or Home screen” in the Learning section.)
Using the buttons
There are different types of buttons on your touch screen device. In all cases, you depress and release a button in order to give your device a command.
  1. Application launch buttons: There are two or four of these located on the front of the display. Usually, they flank the central navigation pad, but on some devices two of them are found above the display. By default, they are programmed to open common applications like Calendar, Contacts, e-mail, and the Today screen. They can, however, be reprogrammed to launch other applications or initiate a variety of commands. (See “How to customize application launch buttons” in the Learning section.) Note: On devices with built-in phones, two of these buttons are reserved for initiating and ending phone calls and cannot be reassigned.
  2. The 5-way navigation button (a.k.a. D-pad) is located below the display, usually centered between the application launch buttons. You use this button to move up, down, left, and right through menus and documents. Press in on the center of the button to select an option.
  3. Many (but not all) touch screen devices also have buttons located on the left edge of the device, allowing you to scroll up and down through menus, activate the voice recording function, and more. As with the application launch buttons, some of these can be reprogrammed.
  4. QWERTY thumb keyboards are found on most phone-enabled touch screen devices. Some of these keys activate functions. For example, press a number button and the phone application pops up.
  5. Finally, a power on/off button is usually found on the front of the device above the display, or on the top edge of the device. 

Additional features of the user interface are covered in the Learning section.

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