A portable electronic device , comprising: a touch-sensitive display ; one or more processors ; a memory ; and one or more programs (1238, 1242 to 1250), wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the programs including instructions for: determining (110; 810) an upward swipe of a first point of contact by a user over a list of information items on the touch-sensitive display; scrolling (112; 812) through the list of information items (1124; 1126) on the touch-sensitive display in response to the upward swipe, the list of information items including a sequence of information item subsets corresponding to a sequence of index symbols , the sequence of information item subsets including at least one subset (1116-3) containing two or more information items (1126-1, 1126-2, 1126-3, 1126-4); and displaying, while scrolling through respective information subsets, in conjunction with each respective information item subset a corresponding index symbol, wherein the corresponding index symbol moves on the touch-sensitive display in accordance with the respective information item subset; wherein said scrolling continues after the first point of contact breaks with the touch-sensitive display and stops in response to a substantially stationary second point of contact on the touch-sensitive display following the breaking of the first point of contact with the touch-sensitive display; and said moving of the corresponding index symbol (1114-4) on the touch-sensitive display in accordance with the respective at least one information item subset (1116-3) containing two or more information items includes: in response to an upward swipe over the list of information items on the touch-sensitive display, moving the index symbol from a lower edge of a window to an upper edge of the window and maintaining as the scrolling continues the display of the index symbol at the upper edge of the window until an end of a corresponding information item subset (1114-4) is reached whereupon the index symbol is replaced with the subsequent index symbol. determining (110; 810) an upward swipe of a first point of contact by a user over a list of information items on the touch-sensitive display; scrolling (112; 812) through the list of information items (1124; 1126) on the touch-sensitive display in response to the upward swipe, the list of information items including a sequence of information item subsets corresponding to a sequence of index symbols , the sequence of information item subsets including at least one subset (1116-3) containing two or more information items (1126-1, 1126-2, 1126-3, 1126-4); and displaying, while scrolling through respective information subsets, in conjunction with each respective information item subset a corresponding index symbol, wherein the corresponding index symbol moves on the touch-sensitive display in accordance with the respective information item subset; wherein said scrolling continues after the first point of contact breaks with the touch-sensitive display and stops in response to a substantially stationary second point of contact on the touch-sensitive display following the breaking of the first point of contact with the touch-sensitive display; and said moving of the corresponding index symbol (1114-4) on the touch-sensitive display in accordance with the respective at least one information item subset (1116-3) containing two or more information items includes: in response to an upward swipe over the list of information items on the touch-sensitive display, moving the index symbol from a lower edge of a window to an upper edge of the window and maintaining as the scrolling continues the display of the index symbol at the upper edge of the window until an end of a corresponding information item subset (1114-4) is reached whereupon the index symbol is replaced with the subsequent index symbol. <EOS>