Abstract: A multi-modal device that can substantially facilitate intelligent shopping. Electronic receipts can be provided to a user wirelessly and stored/indexed on the multi-modal device. Receipts can be categorized (e.g., personal, business, client entertainment) thereby facilitating financial management and accounting. Likewise, such electronic receipts can provide for easier return/exchange of goods. The multi-modal device can also assist in tracking/managing shopping lists and business cards (e.g., provide for business card exchanges). Moreover, the multi-modal device can provide for comparison shopping, catalog shopping, locating products and obtaining more information about a product via visual or audio mechanisms.

Abstract: The claimed subject matter provides systems and methods that facilitate providing specialized content associated with web results in response to a user query to provide queried information directly to a user without requiring the user to select a link and/or scroll through information on a web page associated therewith. Reference language models can be generated from multiple queries and can be compared to a query language model generated from web results returned in response to a user query. Based on such comparison, a determination can be made regarding whether a particular portion of specialized content corresponding to some particular query keywords is relevant enough to warrant direct presentation to the user.

Abstract: A system and a method for facilitating navigation of stored information. A user interface configured to receive a search input is provided. In response to receipt of a search input, a data store is assessed. The data store may contain various information elements, and each of these elements may be tagged with one or more categorizing terms. Information elements are selected as potential answers to the search input, and the categorizing terms associated these potential answers are displayed in the user interface.

Abstract: Multi-modal, multi-lingual devices can be employed to consolidate numerous items including, but not limited to, keys, remote controls, image capture devices, audio recorders, cellular telephone functionalities, location/direction detectors, health monitors, calendars, gaming devices, smart home inputs, pens, optical pointing devices or the like. For example, a corner of a cellular telephone can be used as an electronic pen. Moreover, the device can be used to snap multiple pictures stitching them together to create a panoramic image. A device can automate ignition of an automobile, initiate appliances, etc. based upon relative distance. The device can provide for near to eye capabilities for enhanced image viewing. Multiple cameras/sensors can be provided on a single device to provide for stereoscopic capabilities. The device can also provide assistance to blind, privacy, etc. by consolidating services.

Abstract: Location-based technologies (e.g., global position system (GPS)) can be employed to facilitate providing multi-modal, multi-lingual location-based services. Identification of location can provide significant context as to identifying user state and intentions. Thus, location identification can facilitate providing/augmenting data and services (e.g., location-aware based suggestions, truncating contact lists based upon location, location-based reminders as a user approaches a predetermined location, truncating pre-loaded tasks, suggesting routes to accomplish pre-loaded tasks in a PIM). Still other aspects can augment GPS location identification with a compass, accelerometer, azimuth control, cellular triangulation, SPOT services of telephone, etc. Effectively, these alternative aspects can facilitate determination of a target location by detecting movement and direction of a user and/or portable device.

Abstract: A device and/or devices can be placed on an individual to continuously collect and/or transmit information regarding the health state of the individual. The monitor, for example, can transmit data to doctor(s), hospital(s), emergency personnel, as well as automatically initiate affirmative actions (e.g., call an ambulance). The invention can facilitate preventive medicine by monitoring the individual's day to day actions (e.g., eating habits, exercise, stress, sleep, allergy detection, heart rate, blood sugar). This monitored information can be employed to facilitate the individual in taking proactive steps to living a healthy life. The device can also be used to record a user reaction to an event and/or to broadcast information about oneself whether for health, business or social purposes. Additionally, the invention can be used as a driver monitor to facilitate safe handling of equipment (e.g., alcohol sensor).

Abstract: Portable computing devices automatically interface with other computing devices to interact in a collaborative effort toward providing a single, seamless computing experience for a user. As a user walks into a room with a cellular telephone certain functionality and data can be automatically unloaded to a desktop computer or other device based on a user or device identification or state. For example, a conversation on a cellular telephone can be automatically migrated to a desktop telephone as a user sits down. As a user is about to leave a room for a meeting, the desktop computer can update the telephone with latest versions of certain files. Thus, devices can automatically aggregate and/or decouple to provide a user with a single computing experience. These portable devices can broadcast an extensible set of services to other devices as well as to a host computer or server.

Abstract: A system and related techniques accepts user search or query terms over of the Internet or other network or connection. In addition to presenting regularly generated search results, according to embodiments of the invention the search engine and related logic may examine the search string for suggested refinements or improvements to the search terms, to attempt to derive improved results or results closer to the user's search intent. According to embodiments of the invention in one regard, the alternative search logic may attempt to extract related or more meaningful search terms from sources including past usage patterns by users, and other data. That alternative search logic may thus examine the user's search terms to determine a substring match to prior searches, for instance stored by the search host for all users.

Abstract: The subject invention relates to systems and methods that provide search and/or query-relevant information and/or links thereto to a user as and/or with a search and/or query result. This information can be determined form summary information that can be included within a tag, header, body, meta-data, etc. of the data. A user can employ a local and/or web search utility along with a search word, phrase, sentence, etc. to search over a data repository to locate and retrieve data that satisfies the search criteria. The summary information of this data is obtained and matched against the results and/or search criteria to determine whether the data is relevant to the search and/or query. The summary information is utilized to determine a snippet that summarizes the data, based on the search and/or query, search criteria, etc. to provide the user with search and/or query-relevant results and/or one or more links thereto.

Abstract: The present invention leverages query-related information based on a query and/or a search intention to provide a systematic means to facilitate a user in locating desired information despite lacking exact search parameters. This allows users to find information without first formulating an optimum search query. The query graph provides a navigable, graphical notion of the query-related information via nodes representative of the query-related information and edges representative of the associations between the information. In one instance of the present invention, the query graph is derived from an information source such as a query log, a query list, and/or a search engine and the like. Additional instances of the present invention utilize visual and/or audible indicators employed with the query graph to facilitate in relaying the query-related information to the user, including, but not limited to, overlays, icons, colors, and dimensional variances and the like.

Abstract: The present invention leverages iterative transformations of search query strings along with statistics extracted from search query logs and/or web data to provide possible alternative spellings for the search query strings. This provides a spell checking means that can be influenced to provide individualized suggestions for each user. By utilizing search query logs, the present invention can account for substrings not found in a lexicon but still acceptable as a search query of interest. This allows a means to provide a higher quality proposal for alternative spellings, beyond the content of the lexicon. One instance of the present invention operates at a substring level by utilizing word unigram and/or bigram statistics extracted from query logs combined with an iterative search. This provides substantially better spelling alternatives for a given query than employing only substring matching. Other instances can receive input data from sources other than a search query input.