Quick reply...
I can understand the point of separating email, SMS, and IM. Four triangles within envelope could allow that easily, potentially introducing clutter. But separate mailboxes within email... Separate IM streams within IM... That's hellish within an icon, I agree.

That's why user should be able to switch off or customize a particular dynamism of icon. Like this number of unread emails.

And you have convinced me (with mailboxes, weather forecast, and calendar events) that there is need for a screen (separate from app launcher) which houses user-selected widgets. Huge widgets. With excessive amount of information.

I am not a fan of widgets, but you have shown that there has to be a support for them. Just, not in the app-launcher itself; on the desktop is fine.

Actually, you can make Call, IM, SMS, and Email blink differently from each other https://wiki.maemo.org/LED_patterns#...for_Nokia_N900

Best wishes.