When I press the side camera button it doesn't take a picture. A white box appears but nothing happens - even after I let go. If I hold it down longer the box turns green but still no picture! If I am on my homescreen and press the side button should it take me to the camera? It doesn't.
You can set the left or right side convenience buttons to take you to whatever application you choose. You can find the settings for that under Settings:Options:Screen/Keyboard.