Abstract: A cable is disclosed which include a first connector, a second connector, a primary flexible cable segment coupled to the first connector at a first location on the primary flexible cable segment and to the second connector at a second location on the primary flexible cable segment, and a third connector coupled to the primary flexible cable segment at a third location between the first and second locations on the primary flexible cable segment.

Abstract: The present invention features a personal computing device that may be powered by a single battery having a single lithium-ion cell or by a plurality of lithium-ion cells connected in parallel. The personal computing device may provide computing power comparable to that of conventional laptop computers and execute an operating system and application software comparable to that executed by conventional laptop computers. Furthermore, the battery's time between charging, when used to power the personal computing device, may be similar to the time between charging of a multi-cell battery when used to power a conventional laptop computer.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a cable connects a computing device to both an external power source and one or more peripheral devices. The cable may include a docking module including an AC adaptor for connecting to an external AC power source, and a DC-DC charger, coupled to the AC adaptor, for transmitting power to the computing device over a segment of the cable. The docking module may also include one or more connectors adapted to connect to one or more peripheral devices. In another embodiment, a device connects a computing device to an external power source. The device includes a first cable segment and a DC-DC charger suitable for transmitting power to the computing device over the first cable segment. The device includes a second cable segment connecting the DC-DC charger to an AC adaptor suitable for connection to an external power source.

Abstract: An electronic device having one or more integral connectors is disclosed. The connector includes an electromagnetically-shielded cavity defined by an outer shell integrally formed in the housing and having a cross-sectional profile of a plug to which the connector may mate. The connector also includes a tongue integrally formed in and extending from a component (such as a printed circuit board) of the electronic device and protruding into the cavity. The tongue may have one or more electrical contacts on one or both sides. The connector may also include one or more snap features for retaining a mated plug at a predetermined force. The connectors may conform to one or more connector standards, such as the Universal Serial Bus (USB) standard and/or the IEEE 1394 (FireWire®) standard. Devices incorporating such integral connectors may be smaller and manufactured less expensively than devices having conventional, non-integral, connectors.

Abstract: A computer keyboard is provided having keys that vary in size based on the keys' frequency of use. The keyboard may, for example, be modeled after the standard QWERTY keyboard, but modified such that keys for letters of the most-commonly used letters in the alphabet (such as ETOANIRSH) are larger, and keys corresponding to seldom-used letters (such as YWGBVKXJQZ) are smaller. Such a keyboard may advantageously increase overall ease-of-use and accuracy compared to a keyboard of similar size with constant-sized keys.

Abstract: A core component is disclosed which includes a processing module and a touch screen. The core component may operate by itself in a first mode to perform functions similar to that of a conventional personal digital assistant (PDA). In particular, the touch screen may both provide visual output and receive input from a user's finger when the core component operates in the first mode. When the core component is connected to another component including a display screen, the core component may operate in a second mode in which input received through the touch screen is provided to the other component. For example, the movement of a user's finger may control the position of a cursor displayed on a screen of the other component so that the core component exhibits the behavior of a trackpad when operating in the second mode.