The iPhone Home Screen of Dan Moren

Home is where your apps are-or so Apple would have you believe. For me, the apps that I usually want to access quickly reside at the four corners of the screen, so I can pull them up practically without looking.

I don't text a whole lot-unlike my fifteen year old cousin who can crank out what seems like a couple hundred in a day-but I do so enough that Messages needs to be on the home screen. If for no other reason than to be able to clear that annoying red badge.

As I pretty much always have my iPhone with me, I guess that means it's the best camera I've got. So whether it's snapping a shot of my cousin's kids or recording a video of my friends' wacky hikjinks, it pays to have quick access to the Camera app (and for all of that, I still wish it started up faster). Photos is for showing off pictures or, more commonly, e-mailing iPhone screenshots to myself.

Phone-I mean, it's right there in the name, isn't it? Usually, I'm fielding calls from my mom (hi, mom!) or trying to find contact information, but every once in a while, I actually make a phone call. (Sadly, that phone call is usually to navigate the treacherous reaches of a robot-voiced phone tree.)

Sure, Settings isn't exactly sexy, but as someone who constantly has to fool around with settings, whether it be to check where a particular feature resides or to make sure to switch on Airplane Mode, I figured it was worthwhile to give it a permanent home on the dock.

My other two dock applications are Mail (because I check my work and personal accounts constantly), and Safari for (mainly for looking up facts on IMDB or Wikipedia).

Like my friend Adam Engst, I'm a bit of weather aficionado-comes from living mostly in places where it seems to change at the drop of a hat. I actually just installed WeatherBug Elite after seeing it on his home screen-it replaced AccuWeather.com, which has some good functionality, but an absolutely terrible interface. I still keep Apple's default Weather app around, though, for when I just want a quick glance at the current temperature or the week's forecast.

Regardless of whether I'm traveling or at home Maps is indispensable and, despite all the nifty things that have come later, still one of the most-used programs on my iPhone. When I'm traveling, Clock makes sure that I wake up in time to make my flight or show up at a press event.

I don't use the iPod application that much since I still carry a 30GB fifth-generation iPod with me most places (Crazy? Well, it's easier to use without having to peel off my gloves in the cold winter air, and it holds all of my music). That said, I've been using my iPhone's media features more, especially since I can easily download music and podcasts via the built-in iTunes application.

There are a number of apps on my home screen that are related to work. NewsGator's NetNewsWire Premum lets me keep up with my RSS feeds when I'm on the move. As someone who writes a lot about iPhone apps, I'm always downloading new problems from the App Store.

As the only East Coast member of the Macworld editorial team, I use IM to keep in touch with my far-flung colleagues and BeejiveIM is unquestionably the best instant-messaging app around. Calendar tracks both my personal appointments and work schedule, and it's synced with both BusyCal on my Mac and Google Calendar.

Twitter is my social network of choice, and Tweetie the best way to use it. I was a die-hard Twitterrific user for the longest time, though, and the blue bird still resides on my second home screen.

And finally, some pure relaxation. At home I have a Mac mini hooked up to a stereo system and 40-inch HDTV. I use Apple's Remote to control iTunes on the mini and Evan Schoenberg's Rowmote Pro to control just about everything else, such as the Plex media center app and DVD Player.

Of course, there are 47 other applications on my iPhone right now, and I try out new ones practically every day-making them fight for my amusement, striving to win a place on the coveted home screen or die trying. Really, when you think about it, it's a bit like gladiator fights in ancient Rome. Except, I guess, with fewer lions.