Abstract: Various embodiments enable a device to create a pool of at least one empty application. An empty application can be configured to contain resources that are common across one or more other applications and initialize the resources for the one or more other applications effective to reduce startup time of the other applications. In one or more embodiments, an empty application can further be populated with the one or more other applications effective to cause the one or more other applications to execute. Alternately or additionally, a device can be monitored for an idle state, and, upon determining the device is in the idle state, at least one empty application can be created.

Abstract: Various embodiments enable a device to create a pool of at least one empty application. An empty application can be configured to contain resources that are common across one or more other applications and initialize the resources for the one or more other applications effective to reduce startup time of the other applications. In one or more embodiments, an empty application can further be populated with the one or more other applications effective to cause the one or more other applications to execute. Alternately or additionally, a device can be monitored for an idle state, and, upon determining the device is in the idle state, at least one empty application can be created.

Abstract: A browser-based email system has a thin client connected to a host mail server. The thin client implements a browser. The host mail server provides pages to the thin client, which can be rendered by the browser to present an email service to a user. The thin client is equipped to receive audio and video data and supports a user interface to facilitate capture of the audio or video data for inclusion in an email message. After a data stream is captured and stored locally at the client, the browser submits a request to the host mail server that contains a token in lieu of the data stream. The host mail server returns a response specifying a new page that contains the email message. The response also includes the token and indicates a location in the new page at which the audio or video data is to be rendered. Upon receiving the response, the browser inserts the data stream into the new page at the location and renders the new page.

Abstract: A browser-based email system has a thin client connected to a host mail server. The thin client implements a browser. The host mail server provides pages to the thin client, which can be rendered by the browser to present an email service to a user. The thin client is equipped to receive audio and video data and supports a user interface to facilitate capture of the audio or video data for inclusion in an email message. After a data stream is captured and stored locally at the client, the browser submits a request to the host mail server that contains a token in lieu of the data stream. The host mail server returns a response specifying a new page that contains the email message. The response also includes the token and indicates a location in the new page at which the audio or video data is to be rendered. Upon receiving the response, the browser inserts the data stream into the new page at the location and renders the new page.

Abstract: A proxy server transcodes audio data on behalf of a client computer prior to transmitting the audio data to the client computer. In response to a request from the client computer, the proxy server obtains the audio data from a remote server. If the proxy server determines that transcoding is appropriate, the proxy server transcodes the audio data and transmits the transcoded audio data to the client computer. Transcoding can include changing the type of the audio file, compressing the audio data, reducing the number of audio channels, or reducing the data sampling rate. The proxy server determines the extent and type of transcoding based on file formats that the client computer can process, the size of the requested audio file, the memory capacity of the client computer, the bandwidth of the connection between the proxy server and the client computer, and the desired level of audio quality.

Abstract: Web browser software is implemented in a processing system housed in a set-top box connected to a television and communicating over a wide-area network with one or more servers. The browser allows a user to use a remote control device to navigate between hypertex, anchors in World-Wide Web pages displayed on the television. User inputs are entered from the remote control device using an infrared IR link in order to move a selection between hypertext anchors or various control buttons displayed on the television display. The browser is capable of downloading audio files from Web sites and generating sound through a speaker of the television set based on the audio files. Background music is generated during Web browsing based on audio files downloaded from one of the servers or audio files stored in memory in the set-top box. A background music audio file from a server can be downloaded while another background music audio file is played.

Abstract: A browser-based email system has a thin client connected to a host mail server. The thin client implements a browser. The host mail server provides pages to the thin client, which can be rendered by the browser to present an email service to a user. The thin client is equipped to receive audio and video data and supports a user interface to facilitate capture of the audio or video data for inclusion in an email message. After a data stream is captured and stored locally at the client, the browser submits a request to the host mail server that contains a token in lieu of the data stream. The host mail server returns a response specifying a new page that contains the email message. The response also includes the token and indicates a location in the new page at which the audio or video data is to be rendered. Upon receiving the response, the browser inserts the data stream into the new page at the location and renders the new page.

Abstract: A proxy server transcodes audio data on behalf of a client computer prior to transmitting the audio data to the client computer. In response to a request from the client computer, the proxy server obtains the audio data from a remote server. If the proxy server determines that transcoding is appropriate, the proxy server transcodes the audio data and transmits the transcoded audio data to the client computer. Transcoding can include changing the type of the audio file, compressing the audio data, reducing the number of audio channels, or reducing the data sampling rate. The proxy server determines the extent and type of transcoding based on file formats that the client computer can process, the size of the requested audio file, the memory capacity of the client computer, the bandwidth of the connection between the proxy server and the client computer, and the desired level of audio quality.

Abstract: A proxy server has a connection to a client computer and to a remote server over the Internet. The proxy server receives a request for an audio file from the client computer and, in response, transmits a requests for the audio file to the remote server. Upon receiving the audio file, the proxy server determines whether transcoding of the audio file is appropriate. If appropriate, the proxy server transcodes the audio file received from the remote server and then transmits the transcoded audio file to the client. Transcoding may include changing the audio file type, compressing the audio file, reducing the number of audio channels, or reducing the sampling rate of the data. The proxy server determines the extent and type of transcoding to be performed on the audio file as the audio file is downloaded from the remote server.

Abstract: A browser-based email system has a thin client connected to a host mail server. The thin client implements a browser. The host mail server provides pages to the thin client, which can be rendered by the browser to present an email service to a user. The thin client is equipped to receive audio and video data and supports a user interface to facilitate capture of the audio or video data for inclusion in an email message. After a data stream is captured and stored locally at the client, the browser submits a request to the host mail server that contains a token in lieu of the data stream. The host mail server returns a response specifying a new page that contains the email message. The response also includes the token and indicates a location in the new page at which the audio or video data is to be rendered. Upon receiving the response, the browser inserts the data stream into the new page at the location and renders the new page.

Abstract: A browser-based email system has a thin client connected to a host mail server. The thin client implements a browser. The host mail server provides pages to the thin client, which can be rendered by the browser to present an email service to a user. The thin client is equipped to receive audio and video data and supports a user interface to facilitate capture of the audio or video data for inclusion in an email message. After a data stream is captured and stored locally at the client, the browser submits a request to the host mail server that contains a token in lieu of the data stream. The host mail server returns a response specifying a new page that contains the email message. The response also includes the token and indicates a location in the new page at which the audio or video data is to be rendered. Upon receiving the response, the browser inserts the data stream into the new page at the location and renders the new page.

Abstract: Web browser software is implemented in a processing system housed in a set-top box connected to a television and communicating over a wide-area network with one or more servers. The browser allows a user to use a remote control device to navigate between hypertext anchors in World-Wide Web pages displayed on the television. User inputs are entered from the remote control device using an infrared IR link in order to move a selection between hypertext anchors or various control buttons displayed on the television display. The browser is capable of downloading audio files from Web sites and generating sound through a speaker of the television set based on the audio files. Background music is generated during Web browsing based on audio files downloaded from one of the servers or audio files stored in memory in the set-top box. A background music audio file from a server can be downloaded while another background music audio file is played.

Abstract: A local server has a connection to a client and to a remote server over the Internet. The local server receives a request for an audio file from the client and, in response, transmits a requests for the audio file to the remote server. Upon receiving the audio file, the local server transcodes the audio file received from the remote server and then transmits the transcoded audio file to the client. Transcoding may include changing the audio file type, compressing the audio file, reducing the number of audio channels, or reducing the sampling rate of the data. The local server determines the extent and type of transcoding to be performed on the audio file as the audio file is downloaded from the remote server. The extent and type of transcoding are based on the file formats which the client is capable of handling, the size of the requested audio file, the memory capacity of the client, the bandwidth of the connection between the local server and the client, and the desired level of audio quality.