Home Screen Icons

[Guest The Sorcerer]

Unlocked handset and got rid of some of the Orange crap using the method here http://android.modaco.com/content/absolute...-san-francisco/

Now the home screen has gaps where some icons have been deleted during the uninstall process so my first question is, how can I get the icons in a nice neat form again instead of how they now appear to be placed randomly around the screen (I suppose like a right-click on a Windows desktop > Arrange Icons By > Auto Arrange)?

Secondly, when I want to add an icon or widget (by long click an empty area of the home screen > add to home screen etc) it tells me that there is no more room on this Home Screen - which is so obviously not true, as you'll see from the photo below (sorry for poor quality but you'll see what I mean). There's plenty of room there so how do I get round this problem?

Cheers

[Guest UncleFista]

Hold the icon down for a few seconds, then you can move it around the screen, or from screen to screen.

If you're trying to add a widget and there's no room, it's probably too big to fit in the room you have left, try another screen.

If you want to add icons to your homescreen, look in your app drawer and hold down tan icon, it'll then appear on your homescreen..

Edited January 9, 2011 by UncleFista

[Guest The Sorcerer]

Cheers Tony, that was a fast reply mate :P

I've managed part of your solution, ie, held down the icon for a couple of seconds and I was indeed able to move it around the screen so now it looks neat at least :D When you say "If you're trying to add a widget and there's no room, it's probably too big to fit in the room you have left" I can understand that except for the fact that as it came out of the box, before I started messing with it, there were many more icons on the home screen - about 12 if I recall correctly, maybe even 16 (4 rows x 4 columns). There are only 5 on there now so why can't I add more? Oh, and where's the "apps drawer"?

Thanks

[Guest RussellS]

Cheers Tony, that was a fast reply mate :P

I've managed part of your solution, ie, held down the icon for a couple of seconds and I was indeed able to move it around the screen so now it looks neat at least :D When you say "If you're trying to add a widget and there's no room, it's probably too big to fit in the room you have left" I can understand that except for the fact that as it came out of the box, before I started messing with it, there were many more icons on the home screen - about 12 if I recall correctly, maybe even 16 (4 rows x 4 columns). There are only 5 on there now so why can't I add more? Oh, and where's the "apps drawer"?

Thanks

With respect to adding widgets to the home screen, different widgets are different sizes so you may find one widget will fit if it is 1x4 size but another of, lets say, 4x4 size will not fit because there isn't an available area of 4x4 squares. If you tidy your icons to free up a larger space then the widget may than fit. Alternatively put that particular widget on one of the other homescreens.

The app drawer is the icon at the very bottom of the screen in your photo consisting of a square of dots.

[Guest StevenHarperUK]

Cheers Tony, that was a fast reply mate :P

I've managed part of your solution, ie, held down the icon for a couple of seconds and I was indeed able to move it around the screen so now it looks neat at least :D When you say "If you're trying to add a widget and there's no room, it's probably too big to fit in the room you have left" I can understand that except for the fact that as it came out of the box, before I started messing with it, there were many more icons on the home screen - about 12 if I recall correctly, maybe even 16 (4 rows x 4 columns). There are only 5 on there now so why can't I add more? Oh, and where's the "apps drawer"?

Thanks

The app drawer is the icon (looks like lots of squares) in the center and bottom of the home screen.

[Guest The Sorcerer]

Brilliant, thanks Russell and Steve, got it sorted now. Also discovered that I can add a shortcut to a widget that fits, apparently even if the widget itself doesn't. Cheers guys :D

[Guest RussellS]

Actually, re-reading your post it appears you may be getting confused between shortcuts and widgets. The five icons on your screen at the moment are shortcuts and always take up just one space on the screen (1x1). Widgets on the other hand are applications that are actually running in a space on the screen. The google search tool at the top of your photo is a widget and is taking up a space 1x5 (or 5x1, I can't remember).

If you press and hold an empty space on the screen it will come up with the box "Add to Home Screen" and give you the option of adding either a shotcut or a widget plus a few other options as well.

[Guest The Sorcerer]

Actually, re-reading your post it appears you may be getting confused between shortcuts and widgets.

I was indeed, but thanks to you I now know the difference and all is clear :D

Cheers my friend.