A capturing and viewing appliance and method are used for capturing and communicating
images. The capturing and viewing appliance is an instrument used to capture and
communicate images to other devices with communication capabilities. The capturing
and viewing appliance includes a processor for manipulating and viewing the images
on a built-in display. Program code stored in internal memory includes a menu/image
navigation application program which allows the user to use navigation buttons
to view multiple images as well as navigate menus. According to another aspect
of the invention, the menu/image navigation interface provides a user-friendly
interface for effective communication of functionality of an appliance or other
device to the user through use of animated transitions. Through the use of icons,
menus, navigation buttons and animated transitions used to communicate functionality
to the user, the present invention presents a novel user interface which makes
the menu/image navigation user interface and method a solution in devices with
limited resources which need to be able to navigate among multiple images arranged
in different orientations. The menu/image navigation appliance and method is designed
for navigating among multiple captured images and operating the appliance using
menus through instrument reuse which is especially useful in portable hand-held
appliances or other devices which are capable of displaying images where space
and compactness are a concern.