Content-based navigation and launching on mobile devices

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for a content-based navigation and launching for portable computing devices such as PDAs and smart phones. A content navigator and launcher allows a user to personalize content groupings. The techniques can run on top of any OS file system that has a mechanism to associate files with their creating applications. Personalization of the content-based navigation and launching scheme can be set-up on the user's work station, and then transmitted and synchronized with a target mobile device. A central server can be used to carry out content harvesting and/or configuring the personalization scheme. The content and/or personalization scheme can then be pushed on to the mobile device (e.g., via a GSM network or other suitable communication link). APIs can be used by application vendors to register the content types of their own choice. A preferences utility allows users to manage the content types and associations.

1 . A portable computing device with telecommunications capability, comprising:
 a processor for executing instructions; and   a computer readable storage medium storing instructions thereon, the instructions when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
 receive a configuration of a user interface screen categorizing content descriptions into two or more groups defined by a user, at least one group including a first content description and a second content description; 
 provide for display the two or more groups of content descriptions based on the configuration on a screen of the portable computing device; 
 load a first content associated with the first content description on a first application responsive to receiving selection of the first content description; and 
 load a second content associated with the second content description on a second application responsive to receiving selection of the second content description. 
   
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the content descriptions comprise hyperlinks of associated contents. 
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the configuration of the screen is received from a host computing device communicating with the portable computing device. 
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 1 , at least one of the two or more groups includes content descriptions associated with contents for an enterprise. 
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the portable computing device is a hand-held mobile device configured to communicate by a wireless network. 
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the content descriptions is associated with content stored in a remote server, and wherein the instructions further cause the processor to receive the content from the remote server responsive to receiving selection of the at least one of the content descriptions. 
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the content navigation module further causes the processor to switch to or from displaying a user interface screen categorizing content descriptions into two or more groups based on applications associated with accessing the contents. 
     
     
         8 . A method of navigating and loading contents on a portable computing device with telecommunication capability, comprising:
 receiving a configuration of a user interface screen categorizing content descriptions into two or more groups defined by a user, at least one group including a first content description and a second content description;   displaying the two or more groups of content descriptions based on the configuration on a screen of the portable computing device;   loading a first content associated with the first content description on a first application responsive to receiving selection of the first content description; and   loading a second content associated with the second content description on a second application responsive to receiving selection of the second content description.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the content descriptions comprise hyperlinks of associated contents. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the configuration of the screen is received from a host computing device communicating with the portable computing device. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8 , at least one of the two or more groups includes content descriptions associated with contents for an enterprise. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the portable computing device is a hand-held mobile device configured to communicate by a wireless network. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein at least one of the content descriptions is associated with content stored in a remote server, and wherein the instructions further cause the processor to receive the content from the remote server responsive to receiving selection of the at least one of the content descriptions. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising switching to or from displaying a user interface screen categorizing content descriptions into two or more groups based on applications associated with accessing the contents. 
     
     
         15 . A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions thereon, the instructions, when executed by a processor in a portable computing device with telecommunication capability, cause the processor to:
 receive a configuration of a user interface screen categorizing content descriptions into two or more groups defined by a user, at least one group including a first content description and a second content description;   display the two or more groups of content descriptions based on the configuration on a screen of the portable computing device;   load a first content associated with the first content description on a first application responsive to receiving selection of the first content description; and   load a second content associated with the second content description on a second application responsive to receiving selection of the second content description.   
     
     
         16 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 15 , wherein the content descriptions comprise hyperlinks of associated contents. 
     
     
         17 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 15 , wherein the configuration of the screen is received from a host computing device communicating with the portable computing device. 
     
     
         18 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 15 , at least one of the two or more groups includes content descriptions associated with contents for an enterprise. 
     
     
         19 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 15 , wherein the portable computing device is a hand-held mobile device configured to communicate by a wireless network. 
     
     
         20 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 15 , wherein at least one of the content descriptions is associated with content stored in a remote server, and wherein the instructions further cause the processor to receive the content from the remote server responsive to receiving selection of the at least one of the content descriptions.