I think what you are looking for may already exist. Look in extras for a Widget called "App Search" http://maemo.org/packages/view/app-search-widget/ It works exactly as you describe, it is a small homescreen widget that when you click on it, it gives you a list of all installed applications. You can then search the list just by typing in the application name. It is an invaluable tool as I can never find apps in my menu! Hope this helps.