Handheld electronic device responsive to tilting

摘要

PDAs can be used to provide their users with various functions. One such function is the ability to contact other users who are stored in the PDA as contacts, for example by telephone of text message. The decision as to whether or not a particular user should be contacted may be influenced by the location of that user. For example, if a contact is nearby, then it may be more likely that the user of the PDA would want to contact them. The present invention provides a PDA on which the location of one or more contacts can be displayed. Furthermore, the location of a particular contact can be shown on a map on the screen of the PDA simply by tilting the PDA through a predetermined angle about a horizontal axis. Thus, the map can be displayed in an intuitive and straightforward manner.

主权项

1. A handheld electronic device comprising:
a substantially planar screen configured to display information to a user of the handheld electronic device; a tilt sensor for use in determining the angle between the substantially planar screen and the horizontal; and processing circuitry configured to: operate in a contacts mode for displaying contacts of the user of the handheld electronic device on the substantially planar screen, select a predefined contact in response to detection of tilting alone of the handheld electronic device to an angle where the angle between the substantially planar screen and the horizontal is in a predefined range, trigger operation of a mapping mode in response to said selecting of the predefined contact, and show the location of the electronic device of the contact on the substantially planar screen when operating in the mapping mode.