Abstract: A method and apparatus for collaborative chatting on a plurality of hand held computer systems are disclosed. A Bluetooth communication may be established among several hand held computer systems. A participants list may be cached from previous sessions, eliminating a typical step of discovery. Collaborative chatting software may be automatically initiated on the hand held systems in the group. Information entered by any member of the group may be displayed in substantially real time on all hand held computer systems. Information may be color coded to identify its source. In this novel manner, collaborative chatting on a plurality of hand held computer systems may occur, resulting in richer, more efficient and more secure communication between group members.

Abstract: A touchscreen-enabled wearable computer includes a multi-axis user interface provided by at least one software component executing on a processor. The multi-axis user interface comprises at least two user interface regions displayed on the touchscreen one at a time, each displaying a series of one or more application screens; and a combination of a vertical navigation axis and a horizontal navigation axis, wherein the vertical navigation axis enables a user to navigate between the multiple user interface regions in response to vertical swipe gestures made on the touchscreen, and the horizontal navigation axis enables the user to navigate the application screens of a currently displayed user interface region in response to horizontal swipe gestures across the touchscreen.

Abstract: A first hand-held computing device includes an analog input device and a processor. The analog input device generates analog input. The processor receives the analog input and converts the analog input to coordinates. The processor then maps the coordinates to a button for a second hand-held computing device and generates an event indicating a state of the button for the second hand-held computing device.

Abstract: An electronic device such as a cell phone, PDA, or handheld gaming device is provided with a mutable function such as an alarm function, a mute function, and a mute-until function. The mute function mutes the mutable function until deactivated. The mute-until function automatically deactivates the mute function after a condition has been satisfied.

Abstract: A system is described for generating an analog signal representing displacement information in a hand-held computing device. In one embodiment, a hand-held computing device includes a housing sized so that a user can hold the computing device during operation. The device also includes a display and a set of controls integrated with the housing so that the user can input information to the device's processor using his or her digits. At least one of the controls is an analog input device configured such that when displaced it generates an analog signal representing that displacement.

Abstract: A hand-held computing device comprising a display and a processor is provided. The processor is configured to provide a graphical user interface on the display, the graphical user interface being switchable between a portrait mode and a landscape mode. An application running on the processor can generate a workspace to be displayed within the graphical user interface. In some embodiments, the workspace in the landscape mode is rotated 90° relative to the workspace in the portrait mode. The graphical user interface can also comprise a tool bar generated by an operating system running on the processor. In these embodiments, the tool bar location is switchable between left and right placement options. The landscape mode can also include left-hand-adjusted and right-hand adjusted configurations.

Abstract: A system and method are described for selectively controlling polling of a signal representing displacement information of an analog input device included in a hand-held computing device. In one embodiment, the analog input device generates a signal representing a displacement of the input device. A switch directs the signal to a threshold detector system, which determines whether the signal exceeds a predetermined threshold. If the threshold is exceeded, the threshold detector system generates an interrupt. The switch then directs the signal to a processor that is configured to receive a digitized version of the signal and to poll the digitized signal at a higher specified frequency.

Abstract: A handheld device comprising a display screen, a processor, and an input device is provided. The processor is configured to present a graphical user interface comprising a radial menu including a plurality of first level menu items in a circumferential arrangement. The input device is configured to send a user input to the processor for navigating the radial menu. The graphical user interface is configured such that selecting one of the plurality of first level menu items causes a plurality of second level menu items associated with the one first level menu item to replace the first level menu items in the circumferential arrangement. The handheld device can further comprise an actuator for producing a tactile feedback, the processor being further configured to signal the actuator to produce the tactile feedback as the radial menu is navigated.