Abstract: A user of a user computer whose hard disk drive (HDD) is “fried” can press a special key to cause BIOS to automatically gather location information about the computer from its GPS receiver and gather information about the HDD, activate a WWAN transceiver, and automatically send the location and HDD information over the WWAN to a service computer, which may return a location of a nearest service center to the user computer and any other advice including recovery advice for the HDD that the service center might be able to divine from the information sent to it by the user computer.

Abstract: An apparatus for effectively implementing system and desktop configuration enhancements in an electronic device includes a user interface that a device user may utilize to interact with the electronic device. In accordance with the present invention, various appropriate means for enhancing the utilization capabilities of the user interface are implemented and supported. The electronic device further includes a processor device that is configured to control the means for enhancing the utilization capabilities of the user interface.

Abstract: Computer help is provided through a user's social networking sites. For example, a computer help desk can request permission to be added to a user's social networking contacts or can add itself automatically as a contact of the user to provide help information through the social network as an RSS feed.

Abstract: Keypad keys having functions when they are pressed simultaneously with a meta key are backlit or bear indicia indicating the functions. A user interface (UI) can be presented indicating the functions of the keys. A row of special purpose keys user-programmable can be provided with each key invoking a respective application of service.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing power management enhancements. In an embodiment, the method comprises receiving an indication that the computing device is in a non-user-interactable state and powering down non-essential device components such that the computing device is configured to enter a low power state. In another embodiment, the method comprises selecting a duration for a battery life of the computing device and selecting a power profile for the computing device to ensure that the computing device operates for at least as long as the selected duration. In an embodiment, the apparatus comprises a computing device comprising means for providing battery power and means for altering a power profile of the computing device.

Abstract: An architecture for electronically transferring information includes a transmitter with an encoder that performs a parity encoding procedure. The encoder creates parity blocks for embedding in transmission packets. The parity blocks may be based upon data segments from one or more of the transmission packets. The system also includes a receiver with a decoder that utilizes the parity blocks for performing a packet validation procedure to identify corrupted packets from among the transmission packets. The decoder also performs a packet reconstruction procedure with selected ones of the data segments and the parity blocks to produce reconstructed data segments for the corrupted packets.

Abstract: A system and method for effectively optimizing zoom settings in a digital camera includes a digital zoom module that performs a digital zoom function, and an optical zoom module that controls a lens unit of the digital camera to perform an optical zoom function. A depth of field manager performs a zoom-setting optimization procedure to select optimal zoom values for the optical zoom module and the digital zoom module to thereby optimize image quality characteristics of images captured by the camera device.

Abstract: Packets detected to be lost from a unidirectional interface such as an ATSC tuner are requested from the source or a peer using a different physical interface. The packets may be retransmitted for reception over either interface.

Abstract: A computer with multiple software applications has defined for it plural software profiles for selection of one of the profiles in response to a system and/or user signal. Each profile when selected enables a respective set of applications to run on the system.

Abstract: A hot button can be pressed to cause a computer to execute a series of diagnostic tests to identify the cause of poor computer performance. When a cause is determined a website address can be presented that a user can access to purchase goods or services to alleviate the cause, and billing information may be generated in response to presentation of the website.

Abstract: A computer establishes a wireless wide area network (WWAN) account simply by entering his telephone number in a user interface (UI) which is sent to an Internet server and correlated with the user's telephone account. A utility notes when a usage limitation for a period is approaching and in response disables wireless updates and automatically executes the updates when a landline connection is sensed.

Abstract: A camera system includes an image sensor and a processing apparatus receiving image frames from the sensor before and after receipt of a user picture signal. The processing apparatus discards frames that do not meet a quality criterion such as under-exposed frames. Also, the processing apparatus compresses only a subset of remaining frames, specifically, those that meet a compression amount threshold. The remaining frames are presented to a user, who can select a representative frame as the “picture” that was taken.

Abstract: A computer with multiple software applications has defined for it plural software profiles for selection of one of the profiles in response to a system and/or user signal. Each profile when selected enables a respective set of applications to run on the system.

Abstract: Each of plural multimedia files desired to be backed up are transformed into vector representations and divided into segments, and the segments are sent to respective participating computers in a network as a means of backing up the files. The multimedia files can be recovered and may be reconstituted with less than 100% of the segments with minimal deleterious noticeability upon subsequent display of the content in the files.

Abstract: A system and method for effectively optimizing zoom settings in a digital camera includes a digital zoom module that performs a digital zoom function, and an optical zoom module that controls a lens unit of the digital camera to perform an optical zoom function. A depth of field manager performs a zoom-setting optimization procedure to select optimal zoom values for the optical zoom module and the digital zoom module to thereby optimize image quality characteristics of images captured by the camera device.

Abstract: A charging mat for recharging a consumer electronics (CE) device placed thereon. The mat has a flat charging surface configured for supporting the CE device and an insulating layer opposed to the charging surface and positionable on a support surface while the CE device is disposed on the charging surface. The insulating layer has an R-value of at least three ft2-° F.-h/BTU per inch of thickness. A coupling device is closely juxtaposed with the charging surface and is configured to inductively and/or capacitively couple charge energy into a battery of the CE device when the CE device is positioned on the charging surface. A charge battery disposed between the charging surface and insulating layer provides charge energy to the coupling device.

Abstract: A CE device can incorporate a GPS receiver and can be moved around a building with wireless access point (AP) signal strengths recorded at various locations. The optimum AP location is selected on the basis of the location-to-signal strength correlations.

Abstract: A system and method for supporting personal content distribution in an electronic network includes a source client device that selects and transfers personal content over a back channel. A content server receives and processes the personal content according to specific transmission instructions to thereby generating a corresponding content item. A high-power transmitter then wirelessly broadcasts the content item to one or more target client devices that receive and process the content item to retrieve the personal content.

Abstract: A system and method for supporting advertisement distribution in an electronic network includes an ad server that collects statistics for specifically targeting advertisements to device users in the electronic network. A recommendation engine then analyzes the collected statistics to create recommendation lists of ranked advertisement candidates for transmitting to client devices of the device users. A high-power wireless transmitter broadcasts the targeted advertisements to the client devices in a multicast procedure.

Abstract: A system and method for supporting content distribution in an electronic network includes a high-power wireless transmitter that broadcasts content items received from a content source to target devices that are configured in a peer-to-peer network. An electronic device may obtain current storage locations of a required one of the content items from a tracking server via a back channel. The electronic device may then generate a content request to at least one of said target devices in the peer-to-peer network for accessing the required one of the content items.