Abstract: In an electronic device capable of running multiple software applications concurrently, applications, documents, cards, or other activities can be selected for hibernation so as to free up system resources for other activities that are in active use. A determination is made as to which activities should hibernate, for example based on a determination as to which activities have not been used recently or based on relative resource usage. When an activity is to hibernate, its state is preserved on a storage medium such as a disk, so that the activity can later be revived in the same state and the user can continue with the same task that was being performed before the activity entered hibernation.

Abstract: In an electronic device capable of running multiple software applications concurrently, applications, documents, cards, or other activities can be selected for hibernation so as to free up system resources for other activities that are in active use. A determination is made as to which activities should hibernate, for example based on a determination as to which activities have not been used recently or based on relative resource usage. When an activity is to hibernate, its state is preserved on a storage medium such as a disk, so that the activity can later be revived in the same state and the user can continue with the same task that was being performed before the activity entered hibernation.

Abstract: In various embodiments, a card metaphor is established, in which each activity can be represented within an area of the screen referred to as a card. In various embodiments, any of several display modes are available for viewing, interacting with, manipulating, initiating, and dismissing cards. A persistent positional relationship can be established among cards, represented by a one-dimensional sequence. Newly opened cards are generally placed at the end of the sequence, although a new card that bears a relationship to an already open card may, in some embodiments, be placed adjacent to the already open card. In various embodiments, cards may be grouped, with such groups being represented as stacks of cards or by other visually distinctive means.

Abstract: A computing device runs multiple activities concurrently and provides at least two modes for interacting with the activities. The user may toggle between the modes as desired. In a full-screen mode, one activity occupies substantially an entire display screen. In a windowed mode, the activity is visible within a window, and a portion of at least one other window is also visible. In the windowed mode, the user can cause windows to move, thereby changing focus from one activity to another. For example, the window having focus can be moved off the screen, to be replaced by a new window that is then given focus. The windows are ordered in a sequence and move in concert with one another; pushing one window off one edge of the screen causes a new window to appear at the opposite edge. A persistent positional relationship can be established among windows.

Abstract: A computing device includes at least one processor; a display device; and at least one module. The at least one processor may be operable to store data that defines a plurality of discrete graphical elements (DGE's), wherein the plurality of DGE's includes at least one root DGE, and wherein dismissal of the root DGE causes dismissal of all of the plurality of DGE's. The at least one module may be operable to output a particular DGE of the plurality of DGE's; output, for display, the root DGE, responsive to receiving a first indication of user input of a particular input type; and ignore the second indication of user input to refrain from dismissal of the root DGE, responsive to receiving a second indication of user input of the particular input type within a threshold time duration that is initiated responsive to outputting the root DGE.

Abstract: A computing device includes at least one processor; a display device; and at least one module. The at least one processor may be operable to store data that defines a plurality of discrete graphical elements (DGE's), wherein the plurality of DGE's includes at least one root DGE, and wherein dismissal of the root DGE causes dismissal of all of the plurality of DGE's. The at least one module may be operable to output a particular DGE of the plurality of DGE's; output, for display, the root DGE, responsive to receiving a first indication of user input of a particular input type; and ignore the second indication of user input to refrain from dismissal of the root DGE, responsive to receiving a second indication of user input of the particular input type within a threshold time duration that is initiated responsive to outputting the root DGE.

Abstract: In some examples, a computing device includes at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to output for display, a graphical user interface comprising a plurality of partitions, wherein each respective partition of the plurality of partitions is a non-overlapping region of the graphical user interface and each respective partition of the plurality of partitions is individually addressable by the window manager module. The at least one processor may receive from an application module, a request to output, for display, information indicated by the application module, wherein the request addresses a particular partition of the plurality of partitions in which to display the information. The at least one processor may output for display a window including the information in the particular partition.

Abstract: In various embodiments, a card metaphor is established, in which each activity can be represented within an area of the screen referred to as a card. In various embodiments, any of several display modes are available for viewing, interacting with, manipulating, initiating, and dismissing cards. A persistent positional relationship can be established among cards, represented by a one-dimensional sequence. Newly opened cards are generally placed at the end of the sequence, although a new card that bears a relationship to an already open card may, in some embodiments, be placed adjacent to the already open card. In various embodiments, cards may be grouped, with such groups being represented as stacks of cards or by other visually distinctive means.

Abstract: A computing device outputs an arrangement of a set of windows organized into one or more visual stacks. Each respective visual stack from the one or more visual stacks comprises a respective subset of the set of windows sequenced based on a characteristic. The computing device determines that a first window from the set of windows has a particular relationship with a second window from the set of windows, wherein the particular relationship is not based on the characteristic. The computing device outputs, responsive to the determining, a visual indication of the first window that visually differentiates the first window from windows from the set of windows not having the particular relationship with the second window.

Abstract: In general, this disclosure is directed to techniques for adjusting various types of volumes based on audio present in a currently executing application. A computing device not currently outputting audio for playback at an audio output device operatively coupled to the computing device receives an indication of user input to adjust a volume level. Responsive to receiving the indication of the user input, the computing device determines context data based on content associated with the currently executing application. The computing device predicts, based on the context data, a type of audio that is planned to be output for playback at the audio output device. The type of audio is one of many types of audio capable of being output for playback. The computing device adjusts, based on the type of the audio, a respective volume level associated with the audio type.

Abstract: The disclosed technology includes using horizontal components and vertical components of a velocity vector associated with movement of an input gesture to determine a user's intended, dominant direction of movement and corresponding control function at various points during the input gesture. Thresholds may be dynamically adjusted to prevent a user from unintentionally changing control functions during the input gesture. By adjusting the sensitivity associated with changes in a direction of movement of a continuous input gesture, it can be made effectively more difficult for the user to unintentionally cause a change in control functions. In example implementations, one or more thresholds associated with changing a control function may be increased or decreased during a continuous input gesture. For example, the thresholds may be increased or decreased in proportion to an increase or decrease in a velocity vector component.

Abstract: In general, this disclosure is directed to techniques for outputting, by a computing device and for display at a display component that is operatively coupled to the computing device, a graphical user interface of an application. The computing device determines context data from content included in the graphical user interface. The computing device further determines, based at least in part on the context data, an indication of assistance that is contextually related to the content included in the graphical user interface. The computing device outputs the indication of the assistance.

Abstract: A computing device runs multiple activities concurrently and provides at least two modes for interacting with the activities. The user may toggle between the modes as desired. In a full-screen mode, one activity occupies substantially an entire display screen. In a windowed mode, the activity is visible within a window, and a portion of at least one other window is also visible. In the windowed mode, the user can cause windows to move, thereby changing focus from one activity to another. For example, the window having focus can be moved off the screen, to be replaced by a new window that is then given focus. The windows are ordered in a sequence and move in concert with one another; pushing one window off one edge of the screen causes a new window to appear at the opposite edge. A persistent positional relationship can be established among windows.

Abstract: In various embodiments, a card metaphor is established, in which each activity can be represented within an area of the screen referred to as a card. In various embodiments, any of several display modes are available for viewing, interacting with, manipulating, initiating, and dismissing cards. A persistent positional relationship can be established among cards, represented by a one-dimensional sequence. Newly opened cards are generally placed at the end of the sequence, although a new card that bears a relationship to an already open card may, in some embodiments, be placed adjacent to the already open card. In various embodiments, cards may be grouped, with such groups being represented as stacks of cards or by other visually distinctive means.

Abstract: A computing device includes at least one processor and at least one module, operable by the at least one processor to receive indications of user input comprising a selection of at least one key of a keyboard and at least one other user input, determine, based at least in part on the indications of user input, that the user input collectively indicates a command for execution of at least one operation, and, responsive to determining that the user input collectively indicates the command, determine that the command is alternatively indicated by a particular audio input. The at least one module may be further operable, responsive to determining that the command is alternatively indicated by the particular audio input, to output, for display, a visual representation of the particular audio input, and execute, based at least in part on the command, the at least one operation.

Abstract: In an electronic device capable of running multiple software applications concurrently, applications, documents, cards, or other activities can be selected for hibernation so as to free up system resources for other activities that are in active use. A determination is made as to which activities should hibernate, for example based on a determination as to which activities have not been used recently or based on relative resource usage. When an activity is to hibernate, its state is preserved on a storage medium such as a disk, so that the activity can later be revived in the same state and the user can continue with the same task that was being performed before the activity entered hibernation.

Abstract: In an electronic device capable of running multiple software applications concurrently, applications, documents, cards, or other activities can be selected for hibernation so as to free up system resources for other activities that are in active use. A determination is made as to which activities should hibernate, for example based on a determination as to which activities have not been used recently or based on relative resource usage. When an activity is to hibernate, its state is preserved on a storage medium such as a disk, so that the activity can later be revived in the same state and the user can continue with the same task that was being performed before the activity entered hibernation.

Abstract: An example method includes, responsive to receiving an indication of an incoming communication, identifying, by a computing device, first and second portions of an image that are associated with respective first and second portions of a face of a human user, wherein the human user has been determined to be an originator of the incoming communication. The example method further includes outputting, by the computing device and for display, the first and second portions of the image that are associated with the respective first and second portions of the face of the human user, and outputting, by the computing device and for display, message content associated with the incoming communication, such that the message content as displayed at least partially overlays the second portion of the image.

Abstract: In an electronic device capable of running multiple software applications concurrently, applications, documents, cards, or other activities can be selected for hibernation so as to free up system resources for other activities that are in active use. A determination is made as to which activities should hibernate, for example based on a determination as to which activities have not been used recently or based on relative resource usage. When an activity is to hibernate, its state is preserved on a storage medium such as a disk, so that the activity can later be revived in the same state and the user can continue with the same task that was being performed before the activity entered hibernation.

Abstract: An example method includes, responsive to receiving an indication of an incoming communication, identifying, by a computing device, first and second portions of an image that are associated with respective first and second portions of a face of a human user, wherein the human user has been determined to be an originator of the incoming communication. The example method further includes outputting, by the computing device and for display, the first and second portions of the image that are associated with the respective first and second portions of the face of the human user, and outputting, by the computing device and for display, message content associated with the incoming communication, such that the message content as displayed at least partially overlays the second portion of the image.