A handheld electronic device having a microprocessor housed within a body including a display area and a contact-sensitive area is disclosed. The contact-sensitive area detects contact engagement therewith and produces instruction data based thereupon. A microprocessor-run software program receives instruction data from the contact-sensitive area. The contact-sensitive area has a home zone area and a plurality of activity launch zone areas. The software program is programmed to process the instruction data and determine sweeping contact motion detected on the contact-sensitive area originating at the home zone area and terminating at one of the plurality of activity launch zone areas. The program responsively launches an operator-instructed activity corresponding to the activity launch zone area at which the sweeping contact motion terminated.