Abstract: Method and arrangement that provides a power-saving mode for a handheld electronic device having a reduced alphabetic keyboard. The power-saving mode is enabled through disabling a sensor that detects motion of a ball of the trackball navigation tool and disabling the display screen of the handheld electronic device. The power-saving mode may be exited before disablement of the sensor when the display screen is disabled first.

Abstract: A system and method are described herein for standardizing an IT policy that is used to configure devices operating on a network. An IT policy can be generated that applies to a group of users or to one or more special users without having to define and store a new IT policy for each special user. This can be achieved by specifying global and per-user IT policy rules and merging these rules as needed to produce IT policy data. The IT policy can also be used to configure settings associated with storing electronic messages on the devices.

Abstract: Method for viewing an attachment of an email message on a portable electronic device in which the attachment has a renderable format is provided. The method includes: requesting to view the attachment in an attachment viewer of the portable electronic device, building a graph structure within an attachment server representing a map of the attachment, the graph structure including at least one renderable identifier corresponding to a page of the attachment, requesting rendering of the attachment, the rendering request being send from the attachment viewer to the attachment server and including the at least one renderable identifier, initializing a rendering library and storing rendering commands corresponding to command types of the graph structure in the rendering library, drawing the rendering commands in an off-screen bitmap, saving the off-screen bitmap as a JPEG file, sending the JPEG file to the electronic device and displaying the JPEG file in the attachment viewer.

Abstract: A method and devices for providing secure data backup from a mobile communication device to an external computing device is described. In accordance with one example embodiment, there is provided a method of backing up data from a mobile communication device to an external computing device, the mobile communication device being connected to the external computing device for exchanging data with each other, the method comprising: receiving a request to backup one or more data items in a plurality of data items stored on the mobile communication device; encrypting a data item using an encryption key stored in memory of the mobile communication device; transferring the encrypted data item to the external computing device; and storing a backup file comprising the encrypted data item in the memory of the external computing device.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling the display of a portable electronic device having a camera application, a viewfinder having at least two viewfinder resolutions, and a sensor array, is provided. When a zoom level of the camera application is 1×, a first image is generated by scaling a predetermined number of rows and columns of pixels of the sensor array to a first viewfinder resolution at a given frame rate. When the zoom level is greater than 1×, a region of interest of the predetermined number of rows and columns of pixels is cropped in accordance with the zoom level and a second image is generated by scaling the cropped region of interest to a second viewfinder resolution smaller than the first viewfinder resolution at a frame rate higher than the given frame rate.

Abstract: A method is set forth for automatically adjusting screen and keypad brightness on a mobile electronic device having a light sensor, display screen and keypad, for optimum legibility under varying lighting conditions, with minimal eye strain and distraction. The method includes obtaining light level samples from the light sensor, and independently adjusting backlight intensity of the display screen and keypad responsive to the light level samples. Preferably, correct screen and keypad adjustments are made responsive to pulling the handheld device out of its holster notwithstanding non-optimal ambient light detection while the device is being removed from the holster. According to another aspect, the described method allows for ambient light detection in a handheld device where the light sensor and a message notification indicator share a common light pipe.

Abstract: A method for viewing an attachment of an email message on a portable electronic device in which the attachment has a renderable format. The method includes: requesting to view the attachment in an attachment viewer of the device, building a graph structure within an attachment server representing a map of the attachment, the graph structure including at least one renderable identifier corresponding to a page of the attachment, requesting rendering of the attachment, the rendering request sent from the attachment viewer to the attachment server and including the at least one renderable identifier, initializing a rendering library and storing rendering commands corresponding to command types of the graph structure in the rendering library, drawing the rendering commands in an off-screen bitmap which is saved as a JPEG file, sending the JPEG file to the portable electronic device and displaying the JPEG file in the attachment viewer.

Abstract: An electronic device and method for providing customizing notifications is disclosed. Event generation and handling components are associated with different device event types and for generating a notification event upon occurrence of an event handled by the respective event generation and handling component is provided. Profile management component manages user profiles defining user preferences of notifications associated with different incoming device event types and managing profile exceptions defining one or more notification exceptions to the user profiles.

Abstract: The disclosure recites a device, system and method for provisioning resources from a server in a network to a mobile electronic device. The method comprising at the server: after receiving a network registration request from the device, accessing a device registry; if the device is in the device registry, determining whether a resource is may be provisioned to the device from the server, otherwise, if not, awaiting a request from the device for the resource; determining whether the resource has already been provisioned to the device or the device has been designated to be provisioned with the resource from an alternative source, and if so, not approving the resource to be provisioned to the device, otherwise providing a data transmission to the device from the server containing text and a link to the resource that can be extracted by the device.

Abstract: A user interface and method for composing a message to be sent over a wireless network environment using a handheld device is disclosed. According to the method, upon receipt of a user request to compose a message, a screen is displayed with a recipient field for a recipient address, an associated label to indicate that the recipient field is for a recipient address, and a message body field for holding message content. The method further includes, upon each keystroke entry of text to the recipient field, looking up entries from an address book which match the text, and displaying a selection menu representing addresses from at least a portion of the entries as well as cached entries previously looked up from a global address book.

Abstract: A user interface for wireless communications device includes a component to compose a destination for an outgoing communication generated by the device. The component provides alternative composition means comprising a prompt for receiving the destination from a user and a list of candidate destinations from which the user may select the destination. The component may be invoked directly from a home screen of the user interface by keying the destination. Entry from the main screen may populate the prompt with the keyed destination to speed calling operations.

Abstract: The disclosure recites a device, system and method for provisioning resources from a server in a network to a mobile electronic device. The method comprises at the mobile electronic device: generating and sending a network registration request to the server to allow the server to determine whether the mobile electronic device is in a device registry linking resources managed by the server; waiting for a data transmission from the server, the data transmission containing text and a link to the resource that can receive the data transmission at the mobile electronic device; incorporating text and a link from the data transmission into a graphical user interface (GUI) generated on a display of the mobile electronic device to provide an interface to activate the link from the mobile electronic device; and generating an indicator on the GUI that the resource is new, if the resource is new to the mobile electronic device.

Abstract: A method of controlling a portable electronic device includes receiving a power-down command, determining an automatic power-up date and time based on an earliest one of a next preset power-up and a next time-dependent event reminder, entering a power-down state, monitoring a date and time, and automatically powering up at the automatic power-up date and time.

Abstract: A mobile electronic device has a notification mechanism for notifying a user of device events in accordance with an active notification profile defining notification options and one or more exception notification profiles defining notification options based on specified attributes of a device event. A mechanism is provided for identifying one or more attributes in an incoming device event and for overriding the active notification profile with one of the exception notification profiles that has attributes corresponding to the identified attributes. The user is thus notified in accordance with notification options specified in the exception profile of the device.

Abstract: A user interface and method for composing a message to be sent over a wireless network environment using a handheld device is disclosed. According to the method, upon receipt of a user request to compose a message, a screen is displayed with a recipient field for a recipient address, an associated label to indicate that the recipient field is for a recipient address, and a message body field for holding message content. The method further includes, upon each keystroke entry of text to the recipient field, looking up entries from an address book which match the text, and displaying a selection menu representing addresses from at least a portion of the entries.

Abstract: The disclosure recites a device, system and method for provisioning resources from a server in a network to a mobile electronic device. The method comprises the steps of: downloading access information from the server for the resource; presenting the resource for selection on a graphical user interface (GUI) rendered on a display; sending a request to the server to download the resource from the communications network; and after receiving the resource from the communications network, integrating the resource into the application.

Abstract: The disclosure recites a system and method for updating a resource to an electronic device. The system comprises: a resource providing information for the device; a server to maintain the resource; a communication link providing the device with access to the resource; a data transmission module for extracting and transmitting access information about the resource to the device; and a data processing module for processing the received information at the device. In the device, a GUI provides information on a topic retrieved from local storage on the device and additional information about the resource is incorporated into the GUI for that topic.

Abstract: The disclosure provides a system and method of provisioning a resource to an electronic device. The method comprises: after a triggering event, receiving from a network a data transmission at the device, the data transmission containing access information relating to a resource in a library that is in a remote server from the device, the resource relating to an application operating on the device; extracting the access information from the data transmission at the device; presenting the access information for the resource in a graphical user interface (GUI) on a display of the device; and after a selection event is initiated on the device for the resource, initiating a second data transmission containing a copy of the resource to the device and integrating the resource into the application as an output generated by the application.

Abstract: System and method that provides audible feedback through a speaker of a handheld electronic device upon actuation of a navigation tool. The audible feedback produced by the speaker is capable of being modified based upon the location, speed, and other characteristics of the movement of a cursor on the display of a handheld electronic device. The sound produced by the speaker can originate from an audio file stored or otherwise available on the handheld electronic device.

Abstract: A method for viewing an attachment of an email message on a portable electronic device in which the attachment has a renderable format. The method includes: requesting to view the attachment in an attachment viewer of the device, building a graph structure within an attachment server representing a map of the attachment, the graph structure including at least one renderable identifier corresponding to a page of the attachment, requesting rendering of the attachment, the rendering request sent from the attachment viewer to the attachment server and including the at least one renderable identifier, initializing a rendering library and storing rendering commands corresponding to command types of the graph structure in the rendering library, drawing the rendering commands in an off-screen bitmap which is saved as a JPEG file, sending the JPEG file to the portable electronic device and displaying the JPEG file in the attachment viewer.