Abstract: A storage system can comprise multiple storage devices with differing characteristics, including differing power-related characteristics. A storage power manager can redirect Input/Output (I/O) communications to storage devices to maximize the power efficiency of the storage system. The storage power manager can reference metadata associated with the data of an I/O request, as well as power-related data, including continuously varying data and storage device characteristics, to select one or more storage devices to which to redirect the I/O. The storage power manager can also move or copy data between storage devices to facilitate maximum utilization of power efficient storage devices with limited storage capacity and to enable the placing of one or more storage devices into a reduced power consuming state. The moving or copying of data can be performed with reference to lifecycle information to identify data that has changed since a storage device was last active.

Abstract: A multi-device storage system can be arranged into power saving systems by placing one or more storage devices into a reduced power consuming state when the storage activity associated with the system is sufficiently reduced that an attendant decrease in throughput will not materially affect users of the storage system. Where data redundancy is provided for, a redundant storage device can be placed into the reduced power consuming state and its redundancy responsibilities can be transitioned to a partition of a larger storage device. Such transitions can be based on specific parameters, such as write cycles or latency, crossing thresholds, including upper and lower thresholds, they can also be based on pre-set times, or a combination thereof. Lifecycle information, including lifecycle information collected in real-time by storage devices on a block-by-block basis, can be utilized to obtain historical empirical data from which to select the pre-set times.

Abstract: Power consumption of a device (e.g., flash storage driver, hard drive, etc.) connected to a host computer system is managed to promote efficient power usage and improved service. Communication between a host computer system (e.g., an operating system) and a device is enabled so that the host system can ascertain a power footprint of the device. Taking the power footprint of the device into consideration, along with the power consumption of the system as a whole (e.g., including the power consumption needs of other devices), a power manager can provide a power budget to the device based upon an informed decision. This allows for improved system power management through a coordination of the device's power consumption by the host system, specifically during operation allowing device performance to be enhanced for the task at hand.

Abstract: One or more functions are exposed by a mobile device to a host connected to the mobile device. A function of the one or more functions is executed at the mobile device in response to a request from the host, wherein the function is associated with a host task. The result of the function is returned to the host.

Abstract: A first device discovers the capabilities of a second device. The first device determines which of the first device and the second device is to execute a controlling boot image based at least in part on the capabilities of the first device and the second device. A first boot image is executed by the first device when the first device is determined to execute the controlling boot image, the second device to be a resource for the first boot image. The first device sends a second boot image stored on the first device to the second device when the second device is determined to execute the controlling boot image, wherein the first device to be a resource for the second boot image.

Abstract: A document with one or more analog markups is obtained. An original electronic document corresponding to the document is also identified. The one or more analog markups are converted to one or more digital annotations, and the one or more digital annotations are stored in one or more parts of a package of the original electronic document.

Abstract: Providing for a paradigm shift in block-level abstraction for storage devices is described herein. At a block-level, storage is characterized as a variable size data record, rather than a fixed size sector. In some aspects, the variable size data record can comprise a variable binary key-data pair, for addressing and identifying a variable size block of data, and for dynamically specifying the size of such block in terms of data storage. By changing the key or data values, the location, identity or size of block-level storage can be modified. Data records can be passed to and from the storage device to facilitate operational commands over ranges of such records. Block-level data compression, space management and transactional operations are provided, mitigating a need of higher level systems to characterize underlying data storage for implementation of such operations.

Abstract: Storage devices can provide for hardware encryption and decryption of data stored by them. The hardware cryptographic functions can be applied with reference to cryptographic information of a communicationally, and physically, separable key device. Disconnection of the separable key device can render encrypted data inaccessible. Destruction of the separable key device can result in virtual destruction of the encrypted data. The cryptographic information on the separable key device can be provided by a storage device manufacturer, or by a provisioning computing device. The separable key device can be directly communicationally coupled to a provisioning computing device or it can establish a secure communication tunnel with the provisioning device through a computing device to which the separable key device is communicationally coupled. Cryptographic information can be provided by, and deleted from, the provisioning computing device prior to completion of the booting of that device.

Abstract: Various technologies and techniques are disclosed that improve synchronization of data between varying types of devices and/or services. A full participant receives a request from another participant to perform a synchronization operation. The synchronization engine determines whether the device or service is a full, partial, or simple participant. The device or service is a simple participant if it has a data store for synchronized data and no knowledge store. The device or service is a partial participant if it has a data store for synchronized data and a knowledge store, but does not understand the knowledge. The device or service is a full participant type if it has a data store for synchronized data and a knowledge store and understands the knowledge. The synchronization engine performs the synchronization operation with the device or service using a set of logic that is appropriate for the type of device or service.

Abstract: The claimed matter provides systems and/or techniques that regulate and/or prescribe an individual's behavior while playing electronic games. The system includes mechanisms and/or modalities that identify physical and/or mental activities similar to those undertaken by a game character and that are appropriate to the fitness or mental capabilities of the individual. It requests the individual to perform the activities selected during the execution of the electronic game, monitors the individual's performance of the activity, and reproduces and associates the individual's actions in performing the selected task to the game character during execution of the electronic game. Further, it enhances or diminishes attributes of the game character based on the intensity of the individual's performance of the selected activity.

Abstract: A system, a method and computer-readable media for collecting device usage information from portable devices. The portable devices are enabled to maintain device operation parameters. This information is communicated from a portable device to a host device. The host device may communicate the received information over a network to a database. The database may consolidate the device operation parameters from multiple portable devices.

Abstract: The method may query the disk drive for a size where size may be a total number of logical blocks on the disk drive. The drive may receive a size response where the size includes a total number of logical blocks on the disk drive. The number of usage blocks necessary to represent the number of logical blocks on the disk drive may then be determined and usage data may be stored in the usage blocks. The data may be stored in the buffer of the disk drive. The data may also be stored in the DDF of a RAID drive. The data may be used to permit incremental backups of disk drives by backing up only the blocks that are indicated as having been changed. In addition, information about the access to the drive may be collected and stored for later analysis.

Abstract: Automatic protocol migration when upgrading operating systems includes checking, after upgrading at least a portion of an operating system of a host device, whether a new driver supporting enhanced functionality for a portable device is now available, where a driver supporting base functionality would have been previously used for communicating with the portable device. If such a new driver supporting enhanced functionality for the portable device is now available, then the host device installs the new driver supporting enhanced functionality for the portable device.

Abstract: A computer system uses simplified device drivers for operating hardware devices. A simplified device driver for a hardware device of a given device type, such as a flatbed scanner, works with a system-supplied common driver for that given device type. The common driver and the simplified driver together function like a regular device driver. The simplified device driver implements a small number of entry point functions corresponding to a pre-selected set of operation commands “generic” to hardware devices of that given device type. When an application makes a request for an operation by the device, the request is passed through a device driver interface (DDI) to the common driver. The common driver then calls the entry point functions in the simplified device driver to carry out the requested operation.

Abstract: A method and system are provided for controlling multiple types of media devices. The method and system also facilitate communication between a computing device and one of a plurality of types of media devices. The system includes device retrieval modules controlled by the computing device for retrieving information from a group of device data sets controlled by the media device. The device data sets including a device information data set that includes a set of properties specific the type of media device. The computing device also includes object retrieval tools for retrieving object information from a group of object data sets stored on the media device and control command modules controlling objects on the media device.

Abstract: Providing for analysis of artifacts of electronic devices to generate data that is substantially unique to a particular device or to a class of devices is described herein. In some aspects, analyzed artifacts are chosen based on reliable reproducibility of such data over many analyses. The substantially unique data can be associated with a particular electronic device(s) to distinguish such devices from other devices. In some aspects, the generated data is first transformed into an identifier, such as a number, word, string of data, etc., to distinguish the electronic device in remote communication, to provide a key in an encryption/decryption algorithm, and so on. The data can be reproduced by reanalyzing the artifacts, and thus need not be stored for future consumption, mitigating risks involved in storing sensitive data.

Abstract: A system, method, and computer-readable media are disclosed for remotely controlling playback of content stored on a device. The system, method, and computer-readable media can transmit state-based commands from a host unit to the device in order to control playback of the content. The host unit can control playback of the content without requiring the device to transfer the content to the host unit. The host unit can also be updated as soon as there is a change in any state of the device.

Abstract: Multimedia and multi-content capture device and integration model. A capture device takes raw sensor data and processes it using a set of algorithms stored on the capture device. A processing device communicates with the capture device to reprocess the raw sensor data using the set of algorithms stored on the capture device. The quality of the output from the capture device and the processing device may differ due to the processing capabilities of each device.

Abstract: A system and method for image acquisition enables selective automated application of color management to color image data generated by an image-capturing device by the device driver for the device. In the image acquisition system, each image-capturing device has properties or operation parameters that can be set to control the operation of the device. During an image acquisition operation, color image data generated by the image-capturing device are transmitted to the device driver. If the operation parameters of the device are set to indicate that color management is to be performed, the device driver calls color management functions provided by the operating system to perform the desired color operation, such as a color space conversion, on the received color image data. The processed color image data are then sent to the image-processing application for further processing or editing.

Abstract: Providing for improved transactioning for Flash memory is described herein. By way of example, transactioning operations associated with abstract data structures can be bundled into a common layer of a Flash management protocol stack, to reduce transaction redundancy at abstracted layers. In some aspects, the common layer can be a block level layer providing relatively direct access to low level Flash. Thus, a file system or database application, operating at a higher, abstracted layer of the Flash management protocol stack, can offload transactioning operations to a block level process that has access to underlying Flash memory. As a result, increased efficiency, throughput, and added flexibility can be achieved for storage system transactioning.