are you running sense 2.5? I believe it allows you to have the icons in the front to do exactly what you would like to... show picture and dial number directly.
I didn't like the reliability of sense 2.5 so I'm currently using stock so I can't confirm that it works, but when I tried it a week or so ago, I think that was an option.
If you are interested in getting sense 2.5 check it out here
http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=108707