Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices for accessing portal services via a mobile communication device are provided. The mobile communication device may execute a menu program having a graphical user interface. The graphical user interface may include a service menu screen including a plurality of service selectors, each service selector having a respective service icon positioned within a boundary, the service icon graphically representing a service of a communications portal with which the mobile communication device is configured to communicate. Each respective service icon may be selectable by a user to access a corresponding client program of the associated service served by the communications portal. At least some of the service selectors may further include a shared status icon indicating an operational state of the service and/or associated client program.

Abstract: A display for multiple user spaces and corresponding activity levels is disclosed. For example, one embodiment comprises displaying a first user space including a first status representation in a user interface, displaying a second user space including a second status representation in the user interface, and changing the first status representation or the second status representation based on a change in status for the first user space or the second user space.

Abstract: A customizable service provider user interface is described. In an implementation, a user is logged onto a suite a web services, to which, the user has not previously logged on. A user interface is output having a plurality of portions, one or more of which are customizable by the user through use of one or more overlays to customize interaction with the suite of web services.

Abstract: A system that can assist users to manage a personal active directory for all of their information maintained within a cloud-based environment is provided. The identity of a client that accesses data is monitored and recorded in a log. In turn, this information can be made available to the owner of the information in order to develop a desired access control list (ACL). Additionally, the system can employ a heuristic component that can automatically establish the ACL on the owner's behalf. As well, the system can track how information is being accessed (or attempted to be accessed) by other people therefore, giving the owner of the information the opportunity to restrict or allow access based upon any number of recorded factors (e.g., identity, context).

Abstract: A system that enables a cloud-based data repository to function as a secure ‘drop-box’ for data that corresponds to a user is provided. The ‘drop box’ can be facilitated through the use of cryptographic keying technologies. For instance, data that is ‘dropped’ by or on behalf of a particular user can be encrypted using a public key that corresponds to a user-specific private key. Thus, although the data resides within the large pool of ‘cloud-based’ data, it is protected since it can only be decrypted by using the private key, which is kept secret. The innovation can further facilitate user-centric secure storage by partitioning the cloud-based repository into multiple partitions, each of which corresponds to specific indexing criteria.

Abstract: A system that can assist users to manage a personal active directory for all of their information maintained within a cloud-based environment is provided. The identity of a client that accesses data is monitored and recorded in a log. In turn, this information can be made available to the owner of the information in order to develop a desired access control list (ACL). Additionally, the system can employ a heuristic component that can automatically establish the ACL on the owner's behalf. As well, the system can track how information is being accessed (or attempted to be accessed) by other people therefore, giving the owner of the information the opportunity to restrict or allow access based upon any number of recorded factors (e.g., identity, context).

Abstract: Systems and methods that provide for a virtual reality entertainment system that supplies immersive entertainment and creates a sensation for a user similar to having guests in a remote location to be physically present as virtual guests. Such virtual reality entertainment system can supply a graphic and/or audio; wherein interconnected computers, video and audio processing devices, supply a live interaction between a user and a guest(s). Although guests are only present virtually (e.g., electronically present with other objects/user within the environment) such virtual invitation enables a user and guests to concurrently experience the entertainment together (e.g., a live sporting event, spectator game). In a related aspect, the subject innovation can implement holographic avatars, and a plurality of communication interfaces, to imitate (and/or transform) a relationship between the user and the virtual guests/surrounding environment.

Abstract: A user-centric or identity-centric resource licensing system that manages access to ‘cloud-based’ resources (e.g., applications and services) is provided. A ‘cloud’ refers to a collection of resources (e.g., hardware and/or software) provided and maintained by an off-site or off-premise party (e.g., third party), wherein the collection of resources can be accessed by an identified user via a network. In accordance with the user-centric licensing model, the resource license (and subscription) rights can migrate with a user without regard to physical location, device used, or other contextual factors (e.g., activity engaged). Effectively, the rights are mapped (and tracked) as a function of a user identity, which can be a core identity or an identity based upon activity engaged, role, capacity, etc.

Abstract: Personal data mining mechanisms and methods are employed to identify relevant information that otherwise would likely remain undiscovered. Users supply personal data that can be analyzed in conjunction with data associated with a plurality of other users to provide useful information that can improve business operations and/or quality of life. Personal data can be mined alone or in conjunction with third party data to identify correlations amongst the data and associated users. Applications or services can interact with such data and present it to users in a myriad of manners, for instance as notifications of opportunities.

Abstract: Personal data mining mechanisms and methods are employed to identify relevant information that otherwise would likely remain undiscovered. Users supply personal data that can be analyzed in conjunction with data associated with a plurality of other users to provide useful information that can improve business operations and/or quality of life. Personal data can be mined alone or in conjunction with third party data to identify correlations amongst the data and associated users. Applications or services can interact with such data and present it to users in a myriad of manners, for instance as notifications of opportunities.

Abstract: An intelligent personalized agent monitors, regulates, and advises a user in decision-making processes for efficiency or safety concerns. The agent monitors an environment and present characteristics of a user and analyzes such information in view of stored preferences specific to one of multiple profiles of the user. Based on the analysis, the agent can suggest or automatically implement a solution to a given issue or problem. In addition, the agent can identify another potential issue that requires attention and suggests or implements action accordingly. Furthermore, the agent can communicate with other users or devices by providing and acquiring information to assist in future decisions. All aspects of environment observation, decision assistance, and external communication can be flexibly limited or allowed as desired by the user.

Abstract: Systems and methods that provide for a virtual reality entertainment system that supplies immersive entertainment and creates a sensation for a user similar to having guests in a remote location to be physically present as virtual guests. Such virtual reality entertainment system can supply a graphic and/or audio; wherein interconnected computers, video and audio processing devices, supply a live interaction between a user and a guest(s). Although guests are only present virtually (e.g., electronically present with other objects/user within the environment) such virtual invitation enables a user and guests to concurrently experience the entertainment together (e.g., a live sporting event, spectator game). In a related aspect, the subject innovation can implement holographic avatars, and a plurality of communication interfaces, to imitate (and/or transform) a relationship between the user and the virtual guests/surrounding environment.

Abstract: Systems and methods that recognize items based on aggregated tagging behavior of users regarding the items. Individual users can establish relationships among tagged items and the system analyzes aggregate of such established relationships, to recognize the item and/or infer additional information regarding the items (e.g., wisdom of crowd such as metadata annotations, relevance ranking, and the like). Subsequently, search engine crawlers can be supplied with such additional information (e.g., extra metadata for reverse link search tables) to facilitate enterprise management and search.

Abstract: A system that enables a cloud-based data repository to function as a secure ‘drop-box’ for data that corresponds to a user is provided. The ‘drop box’ can be facilitated through the use of cryptographic keying technologies. For instance, data that is ‘dropped’ by or on behalf of a particular user can be encrypted using a public key that corresponds to a user-specific private key. Thus, although the data resides within the large pool of ‘cloud-based’ data, it is protected since it can only be decrypted by using the private key, which is kept secret. The innovation can further facilitate user-centric secure storage by partitioning the cloud-based repository into multiple partitions, each of which corresponds to specific indexing criteria.

Abstract: An intelligent personalized agent monitors, regulates, and advises a user in decision-making processes for efficiency or safety concerns. The agent monitors an environment and present characteristics of a user and analyzes such information in view of stored preferences specific to one of multiple profiles of the user. Based on the analysis, the agent can suggest or automatically implement a solution to a given issue or problem. In addition, the agent can identify another potential issue that requires attention and suggests or implements action accordingly. Furthermore, the agent can communicate with other users or devices by providing and acquiring information to assist in future decisions. All aspects of environment observation, decision assistance, and external communication can be flexibly limited or allowed as desired by the user.

Abstract: A user-centric or identity-centric resource licensing system that manages access to ‘cloud-based’ resources (e.g., applications and services) is provided. A ‘cloud’ refers to a collection of resources (e.g., hardware and/or software) provided and maintained by an off-site or off-premise party (e.g., third party), wherein the collection of resources can be accessed by an identified user via a network. In accordance with the user-centric licensing model, the resource license (and subscription) rights can migrate with a user without regard to physical location, device used, or other contextual factors (e.g., activity engaged). Effectively, the rights are mapped (and tracked) as a function of a user identity, which can be a core identity or an identity based upon activity engaged, role, capacity, etc.

Abstract: Systems and methods that analyze aggregated tagging behavior of users, and evaluate such tagging trends to identify criteria for taxonomy applications. Initially, existence of a possible trend of tagging data based on collective user behavior is determined. Subsequently, tagging trends can be examined to identify that a predetermined convergence criteria has in fact been met, and/or establish such criteria for taxonomy applications. Machine learning systems (implicitly as well as explicitly trained) can be supplied to facilitate determining the trends and the convergence criteria.

Abstract: User persona content targeting is described. In an embodiment, a targeted content system includes a client account that corresponds to a user of computing-based client device(s), and the client account is associated with multiple personas that are each a different on-line representation of the user. A persona system initiates content being targeted to the user via a computing-based client device when the user is represented on-line as a first persona, and then initiates different content being targeted to the user via the computing-based client device when the user is represented on-line as a second persona.

Abstract: A customizable service provider user interface is described. In an implementation, a user is logged onto a suite a web services, to which, the user has not previously logged on. A user interface is output having a plurality of portions, one or more of which are customizable by the user through use of one or more overlays to customize interaction with the suite of web services.

Abstract: Data collection is described. A network-based data collection service enables users to define and manage data collections. Data items can be selected from any type of data source (e.g., a web page, a local document, an image file, an audio file, a video file, etc.) and added to a data collection. Data items may be any type of data (e.g., text, image, sound, video, etc.). A data collection may be shared by any number of users having various access permissions to the data collection. The data collection may also be viewed as a graphical presentation of each of the data items associated with the data collection such that each data item may be resized and/or repositioned within the graphical presentation.