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 content management user interface (UI) provides a consistent appearance and operation across multiple devices of a user. Thumbnails representing content that is located on the user's devices are presented along with layered filtering operators which enable a user to filter the thumbnails by both content source and content type.

Abstract: A method for auto-registering a device in a network comprising detecting a coupling of the device to a router, retrieving network configuration data for the router and transmitting the network configuration through the coupling.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing data migration services for a device such as a computer is disclosed. The method for data migration comprises collecting a plurality of parameters from a user device, storing the plurality of parameters as migration data in a database, and imaging a new device with the migration data.

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: Systems and methods consistent with the disclosure relate to managing social networks. According to one exemplary embodiment, a computer-implemented method for managing social networks of a user is disclosed. The method accesses an online social network site of the user, and receives, from the online social network site, networking content related to the user and a plurality of contacts of the user. The method identifies the plurality of contacts based on the networking content, and determines relationships between the user and the respective contacts based on the networking content. The method also creates a social networking map according to the relationships.

Abstract: A method for data synchronization across multiple target destinations in a computer network includes acquiring information about the target destinations, wherein: the target destinations comprises at least one of a network account in the computer network, or a target device coupled to the computer network or associated with the network account; and the acquired information includes identification information associated with the target destinations. The method may also include receiving, at a user device, data from a data source; filtering the received data based on information included in the received data and in the identification information; identifying, based on the filtering, a selected target destination for receiving the filtered data; and transmitting the filtered data to the identified selected target destination.

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: 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: Social media account UIs are disclosed to allow users to easily manage all social media accounts. Photos are automatically shared based on image recognition with social networking contacts appearing in the photos. Movies are automatically created from related social media clips, and videos can be generated by a user and uploaded to the user's social media accounts with a single click.

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 system and method for enhancing the Electronic Out Of Box Experience (eOOBE) for individuals who are ordering a new or replacement device from the device manufacturer. The user is able to select an option to complete the eOOBE setup prior to receiving the new device, where the new device may be a computer, phone, PDA, or other electronic device. An application such as an applet is downloaded from the manufacturer and the application collects device settings and user preferences, as well as file system information, storing the information to a file on the local device file system. This gathered information may include acquiescence to Electronic User License Agreements (EULA), such that these licenses may be pre-configured with the user's agreement before the device is shipped to the user. The collected information is encrypted and sent to the manufacturer, where the manufacturer then builds and configures the new device in accordance with the received data file.

Abstract: A Solid State Disk (“SSD”) and accompanying logic to extend the local memory of an adapter for RAID storage devices. Use of virtual memory, representing the SSD range of addresses in the adapter address memory, allows the adapter to incorporate the total memory into the adapter memory structure. The SSD is non-volatile and large amounts of cache items may be transferred to the SSD as an extension of the adapter memory. The cache write may be delayed and subsequently written to a designated address on a RAID drive, freeing the adapter on-board memory and control functions. Further, the size of the SSD allows for large amounts of data staging and storage, permitting device-to-device communications that would reduce the read and write commands between the host, adapter and drives.

Abstract: A new drive installation to a multiple drive, drive group begins with a start command issued by the drive group controller to a new drive. The command is then propagated to every other drive. A successful completion reply is propagated back to the first drive and then to the controller. The controller transfers managing control to the new drive and the new drive reads the first data segment it needs; i.e., in a sixth drive addition to a five drive group, this is data segment six on drive one. The segment read by the new drive (drive six) is placed in the segment stack on the first drive (segment six of Drive 1 is read and Drive 1 places segment six on its segment stack). The process is repeated with each drive in the RAID device, in order. All drives consider their segment stack to determine if they have locations to read. As a segment is read on a drive, the segment is placed into the drive's segment stack and removed from the source drive as the segment is written to the target drive.

Abstract: A method is provided for reducing the number of transactions for multi-segmented host system write operations in a RAID 6 device. The method comprises sending a write command for new multiple data segments to a plurality of data drives in the RAID 6 device via a RAID 6 controller. The RAID 6 device has data segments stored in stripes on the data drives and parity drives within the RAID 6 device. Parity is calculated for old data segments, new data segments and old parity on the parity drives to determine a new parity. The new parity is then written to one parity drive of the multiple parity drives within the RAID 6 device, thereby reducing the number of read and write transactions between the controller and the drives within the RAID 6 device.