P7700 dials question

I spent ~3 days shooting with the P7700 on a ski weekend. I generally like the camera and intend to post my impressions soon but one question is in the front of my mind right now.

Is there any mode where all 3 dials are active and perform different functions?  I'm seeing a lot of duplication and/or non-activation between the dials.  For example in A mode the dial in front of the zoom ring adjusts aperture while the other 2 do nothing. In M mode the 2 upper dials set aperture & exposure time (nice) but the vertical dial on the back side is still idle.

So far it seems to me that usability would be improved if one of the 2 top dials simply weren't there.  Am I missing something?