Patent Publication Number: US-2012032891-A1

Title: Device, Method, and Graphical User Interface with Enhanced Touch Targeting

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This relates generally to electronic devices with touch-sensitive displays, including electronic devices with touch-sensitive surfaces that are distinct from the touch-sensitive displays. 
     BACKGROUND 
     The use of touch-sensitive displays as input devices for electronic computing devices has increased significantly in recent years. Touch-sensitive displays are widely used to manipulate user interface objects on such displays. 
     Exemplary manipulations include adjusting the position and/or size of one or more user interface objects, as well as activating one or more user interface objects. Exemplary user interface objects include digital images, video, text, icons, and other graphics. A user may need to perform such manipulations on user interface objects in various applications, or on a home screen. 
     For touch-sensitive displays, the detected contact area of a finger is typically converted to a coordinate tuple (an (x, y) position or point). The coordinate tuple is then used (like the point of a cursor in a device with mouse-based input) to interact with and manipulate the user interface objects on the touch-sensitive display. With existing touch targeting methods, the conversion of the two-dimensional finger contact area to a one-dimensional point (e.g., coordinate tuple) is problematic. The centroid of the finger contact area typically does not correspond to the location that a user perceives is being touched. This may cause touch targeting errors when trying to activate keys on a virtual keyboard or interact with other objects on the touch-sensitive display. The change in viewing parallax in different areas of the touch screen and the differences in contact areas between thumbs and other fingers may also lead to touch targeting errors and incorrect manipulations. Undoing erroneous manipulations and repeating touch inputs creates a significant cognitive burden on a user and may lead to user frustration. In addition, correcting touch inputs takes additional time, thereby wasting energy. This latter consideration is particularly important in battery-operated devices. 
     SUMMARY 
     Accordingly, there is a need for electronic devices with touch-sensitive displays that have more accurate and more efficient methods and interfaces for determining a coordinate tuple of a touch-based input that corresponds to a user&#39;s intended input. Such touch targeting methods and interfaces reduce the cognitive burden on a user and produce a more efficient human-machine interface. For battery-operated computing devices, such methods and interfaces conserve power and increase the time between battery charges. 
     The above deficiencies and other problems associated with user interfaces for electronic devices with touch-sensitive displays (also known as “touch screens” or “touch screen displays”) are reduced or eliminated by the disclosed devices that also include touch-sensitive surfaces that are distinct from the touch-sensitive displays. In some embodiments, the device is a desktop computer. In some embodiments, the device is portable (e.g., a notebook computer, tablet computer, or handheld device). In some embodiments, the device is a desktop computer that includes a portable input/display device connected to the desktop computer. In some embodiments, the device has a graphical user interface (GUI), one or more processors, memory and one or more modules, programs or sets of instructions stored in the memory for performing multiple functions. In some embodiments, the user interacts with the GUI primarily through finger contacts and gestures on the touch-sensitive display. In some embodiments, the functions may include image editing, drawing, presenting, word processing, website creating, disk authoring, spreadsheet making, game playing, telephoning, video conferencing, e-mailing, instant messaging, workout support, digital photographing, digital videoing, web browsing, digital music playing, and/or digital video playing. Executable instructions for performing these functions may be included in a computer readable storage medium or other computer program product configured for execution by one or more processors. 
     In accordance with some embodiments, a method is performed at an electronic device with a touch-sensitive display and one or more touch-sensitive surfaces that are distinct from the touch-sensitive display. The method includes: displaying one or more user interface objects on the touch-sensitive display; and detecting one or more user contacts on the one or more touch-sensitive surfaces that are distinct from the touch-sensitive display. The method also includes, while detecting the one or more user contacts on the one or more touch-sensitive surfaces that are distinct from the touch-sensitive display, detecting one or more finger contact areas at respective locations on the touch-sensitive display. The method furthermore includes, for each finger contact area, determining a respective finger contact coordinate tuple based at least in part on: a respective location of a respective finger contact area, and the user contacts on the one or more touch-sensitive surfaces that are distinct from the touch-sensitive display. The method includes manipulating at least one of the one or more user interface objects in accordance with the respective finger contact coordinate tuples. 
     In accordance with some embodiments, an electronic device includes: a touch-sensitive surface display, one or more touch-sensitive surfaces that are distinct from the touch-sensitive display, one or more processors, memory, and one or more programs. The one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors. The one or more programs include instructions for: displaying one or more user interface objects on the touch-sensitive display; and detecting one or more user contacts on the one or more touch-sensitive surfaces that are distinct from the touch-sensitive display. The one or more programs also include instructions for, while detecting the one or more user contacts on the one or more touch-sensitive surfaces that are distinct from the touch-sensitive display, detecting one or more finger contact areas at respective locations on the touch-sensitive display. The one or more programs furthermore include instructions for, for each finger contact area, determining a respective finger contact coordinate tuple based at least in part on: a respective location of a respective finger contact area, and the user contacts on the one or more touch-sensitive surfaces that are distinct from the touch-sensitive display. The one or more programs include instructions for manipulating at least one of the one or more user interface objects in accordance with the respective finger contact coordinate tuples. 
     In accordance with some embodiments, a computer readable storage medium has stored therein instructions which when executed by an electronic device with a touch-sensitive display and one or more touch-sensitive surfaces that are distinct from the touch-sensitive display, cause the device to: display one or more user interface objects on the touch-sensitive display; and detect one or more user contacts on the one or more touch-sensitive surfaces that are distinct from the touch-sensitive display. The instructions also cause the device to, while detecting the one or more user contacts on the one or more touch-sensitive surfaces that are distinct from the touch-sensitive display, detect one or more finger contact areas at respective locations on the touch-sensitive display. The instructions furthermore cause the device to, for each finger contact area, determine a respective finger contact coordinate tuple based at least in part on: a respective location of a respective finger contact area, and the user contacts on the one or more touch-sensitive surfaces that are distinct from the touch-sensitive display. The instructions cause the device to manipulate at least one of the one or more user interface objects in accordance with the respective finger contact coordinate tuples. 
     In accordance with some embodiments, a graphical user interface on an electronic device with a touch-sensitive display, one or more touch-sensitive surfaces that are distinct from the touch-sensitive display, a memory, and one or more processors to execute one or more programs stored in the memory includes one or more user interface objects on the touch-sensitive display. One or more user contacts are detected on the one or more touch-sensitive surfaces that are distinct from the touch-sensitive display. While detecting the one or more user contacts on the one or more touch-sensitive surfaces that are distinct from the touch-sensitive display, one or more finger contact areas are detected at respective locations on the touch-sensitive display. For each finger contact area, a respective finger contact coordinate tuple is determined based at least in part on: a respective location of a respective finger contact area, and the user contacts on the one or more touch-sensitive surfaces that are distinct from the touch-sensitive display. At least one of the one or more user interface objects is manipulated in accordance with the respective finger contact coordinate tuples. 
     In accordance with some embodiments, an electronic device includes: a touch-sensitive display and one or more touch-sensitive surfaces that are distinct from the touch-sensitive display; means for displaying one or more user interface objects on the touch-sensitive display; and means for detecting one or more user contacts on the one or more touch-sensitive surfaces that are distinct from the touch-sensitive display. The electronic device also includes, while detecting the one or more user contacts on the one or more touch-sensitive surfaces that are distinct from the touch-sensitive display, means for detecting one or more finger contact areas at respective locations on the touch-sensitive display; and means for determining a respective finger contact coordinate tuple for each finger contact area based at least in part on: a respective location of a respective finger contact area, and the user contacts on the one or more touch-sensitive surfaces that are distinct from the touch-sensitive display. The electronic device furthermore includes means for manipulating at least one of the one or more user interface objects in accordance with the respective finger contact coordinate tuples. 
     In accordance with some embodiments, an information processing apparatus for use in an electronic device with a touch-sensitive display and one or more touch-sensitive surfaces that are distinct from the touch-sensitive display includes: means for displaying one or more user interface objects on the touch-sensitive display; and means for detecting one or more user contacts on the one or more touch-sensitive surfaces that are distinct from the touch-sensitive display. The information processing apparatus also includes, while detecting the one or more user contacts on the one or more touch-sensitive surfaces that are distinct from the touch-sensitive display, means for detecting one or more finger contact areas at respective locations on the touch-sensitive display; and means for determining a respective finger contact coordinate tuple for each finger contact area based at least in part on: a respective location of a respective finger contact area, and the user contacts on the one or more touch-sensitive surfaces that are distinct from the touch-sensitive display. The information processing furthermore includes means for manipulating at least one of the one or more user interface objects in accordance with the respective finger contact coordinate tuples. 
     Thus, electronic devices with touch-sensitive displays and one or more touch-sensitive surfaces that are distinct from the touch-sensitive display are provided with more accurate and more efficient touch targeting methods and interfaces for determining finger contact coordinate tuples, thereby increasing the effectiveness, efficiency, and user satisfaction with such devices. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For a better understanding of the aforementioned embodiments of the invention as well as additional embodiments thereof, reference should be made to the Description of Embodiments below, in conjunction with the following drawings in which like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts throughout the figures. 
         FIGS. 1A and 1B  are block diagrams illustrating portable multifunction devices with touch-sensitive displays and touch-sensitive surfaces in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 1C  is a block diagram illustrating exemplary components for event handling in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a portable multifunction device having a touch screen in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIGS. 3A and 3B  illustrate portable multifunction devices having touch-sensitive displays and touch-sensitive surfaces that are distinct from the touch-sensitive displays in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIGS. 4A and 4B  illustrate exemplary user interfaces for a menu of applications on a portable multifunction device in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIGS. 5A-5F  illustrate exemplary user interfaces for determining respective finger contact coordinate tuples in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIGS. 6A-6C  are flow diagrams illustrating a method of determining respective finger contact coordinate tuples in accordance with some embodiments. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     Many electronic devices have touch-sensitive displays for receiving touch inputs (e.g., gestures made with finger contacts). Such touch inputs are converted to coordinate tuples in a touch targeting process. In turn, the coordinate tuples are used to manipulate user interface objects displayed on the touch-sensitive displays. For efficient and effective use of touch-sensitive displays, it is important that the coordinate tuples determined by the device correspond to the locations on the touch sensitive display that a user perceives are being touched (and intends to touch), even if the locations perceived by the user do not correspond to the centers of actual touch locations. In the embodiments described below, an improved method for determining finger contact coordinate tuples is achieved by detecting contacts on touch-sensitive surfaces that are distinct from the touch-sensitive display, such as touch-sensitive surfaces on the sides and/or back of the device. Contact information from these touch-sensitive surfaces is used to select appropriate contact-area-to-coordinate-tuple conversion rules, thereby reducing or eliminating touch targeting errors. For example, if touch-sensitive surfaces on the back of the device detect that fingers from both the left and right hands of the user are touching the back of the device, then the inputs on the touch-sensitive display are probably coming from the user&#39;s left and right thumbs (e.g., the user is touch-typing with two thumbs). Thus, for the left touch input on the touch-sensitive display, the device applies a contact-area-to-coordinate-tuple conversion rule that is tailored to the left thumb. Similarly, for the right touch input on the touch-sensitive display, the device applies a contact-area-to-coordinate-tuple conversion rule that is tailored to the right thumb. This results in more accurate touch targeting as compared to using generic contact-area-to-coordinate-tuple conversion rules that do not take into account the identity of the finger contacts on the touch-sensitive display. Thus, in the embodiments described below, the contacts made on the touch-sensitive surfaces on the sides and/or back of the device are used to help determine the identities of the fingers on the touch-sensitive display, which in turn are used to apply contact-area-to-coordinate-tuple conversion rules that are tailored to the fingers on the touch-sensitive display. 
     Below,  FIGS. 1A-1C ,  2 , and  3 A- 3 B provide a description of exemplary devices.  FIGS. 4A-4B  and  5 A- 5 F illustrate exemplary user interfaces for determining finger contact coordinate tuples.  FIGS. 6A-6C  are flow diagrams illustrating a method of determining finger contact coordinate tuples. The user interfaces in  FIGS. 5A-5F  are used to illustrate the processes in  FIGS. 6A-6C . 
     Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components, circuits, and networks have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the embodiments. 
     It will also be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first contact could be termed a second contact, and, similarly, a second contact could be termed a first contact, without departing from the scope of the present invention. The first contact and the second contact are both contacts, but they are not the same contact. 
     The terminology used in the description of the invention herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used in the description of the invention and the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that the term “and/or” as used herein refers to and encompasses any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. It will be further understood that the terms “includes,” “including,” “comprises,” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. 
     As used herein, the term “if&#39; may be construed to mean “when” or “upon” or “in response to determining” or “in response to detecting,” depending on the context. Similarly, the phrase “if it is determined” or “if [a stated condition or event] is detected” may be construed to mean “upon determining” or “in response to determining” or “upon detecting [the stated condition or event]” or “in response to detecting [the stated condition or event],” depending on the context. 
     As used herein, the term “resolution” of a display refers to the number of pixels (also called “pixel counts” or “pixel resolution”) along each axis or in each dimension of the display. For example, a display may have a resolution of 320×480 pixels. Furthermore, as used herein, the term “resolution” of a multifunction device refers to the resolution of a display in the multifunction device. The term “resolution” does not imply any limitations on the size of each pixel or the spacing of pixels. For example, compared to a first display with a 1024×768-pixel resolution, a second display with a 320×480-pixel resolution has a lower resolution. However, it should be noted that the physical size of a display depends not only on the pixel resolution, but also on many other factors, including the pixel size and the spacing of pixels. Therefore, the first display may have the same, smaller, or larger physical size, compared to the second display. 
     As used herein, the term “video resolution” of a display refers to the density of pixels along each axis or in each dimension of the display. The video resolution is often measured in a dots-per-inch (DPI) unit, which counts the number of pixels that can be placed in a line within the span of one inch along a respective dimension of the display. 
     Embodiments of computing devices, user interfaces for such devices, and associated processes for using such devices are described. In some embodiments, the computing device is a portable communications device, such as a mobile telephone, that also contains other functions, such as PDA and/or music player functions. Exemplary embodiments of portable multifunction devices include, without limitation, the iPhone®, iPod Touch®, and iPad® devices from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif. Other portable devices, such as laptops or tablet computers with touch-sensitive displays and touch-sensitive surfaces that are distinct from the touch-sensitive displays may also be used. It should also be understood that, in some embodiments, the device is not a portable communications device, but is a desktop computer with a touch-sensitive display and one or more touch-sensitive surfaces that are distinct from the touch-sensitive display. 
     In the discussion that follows, a computing device is described that includes a touch-sensitive display and one or more touch-sensitive surfaces that are distinct from the touch-sensitive display. It should be understood, however, that the computing device may include one or more other physical user-interface devices, such as a physical keyboard, a mouse and/or a joystick. 
     The device supports a variety of applications, such as one or more of the following: a drawing application, a presentation application, a word processing application, a website creation application, a disk authoring application, a spreadsheet application, a gaming application, a telephone application, a video conferencing application, an e-mail application, an instant messaging application, a workout support application, a photo management application, a digital camera application, a digital video camera application, a web browsing application, a digital music player application, and/or a digital video player application. 
     The various applications that may be executed on the device may use at least one common physical user-interface device, such as the touch-sensitive display. One or more functions of the touch-sensitive display as well as corresponding information displayed on the device may be adjusted and/or varied from one application to the next and/or within a respective application. In this way, a common physical architecture (such as the touch-sensitive display) of the device may support the variety of applications with user interfaces that are intuitive and transparent to the user. 
     The user interfaces may include one or more soft keyboard embodiments. The soft keyboard embodiments may include standard (QWERTY) and/or non-standard configurations of symbols on the displayed icons of the keyboard, such as those described in U.S. patent applications Ser. No. 11/459,606, “Keyboards For Portable Electronic Devices,” filed Jul. 24, 2006, and Ser. No. 11/459,615, “Touch Screen Keyboards For Portable Electronic Devices,” filed Jul. 24, 2006, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties. The keyboard embodiments may include a reduced number of icons (or soft keys) relative to the number of keys in existing physical keyboards, such as that for a typewriter. This may make it easier for users to select one or more icons in the keyboard, and thus, one or more corresponding symbols. The keyboard embodiments may be adaptive. For example, displayed icons may be modified in accordance with user actions, such as selecting one or more icons and/or one or more corresponding symbols. One or more applications on the device may utilize common and/or different keyboard embodiments. Thus, the keyboard embodiment used may be tailored to at least some of the applications. In some embodiments, one or more keyboard embodiments may be tailored to a respective user. For example, one or more keyboard embodiments may be tailored to a respective user based on a word usage history (lexicography, slang, individual usage) of the respective user. Some of the keyboard embodiments may be adjusted to reduce a probability of a user error when selecting one or more icons, and thus one or more symbols, when using the soft keyboard embodiments. 
     Attention is now directed toward embodiments of portable devices with touch-sensitive displays and one or more touch-sensitive surfaces that are distinct from the touch-sensitive displays.  FIGS. 1A and 1B  are block diagrams illustrating portable multifunction devices  100  with touch-sensitive displays  112  and one or more touch-sensitive surfaces  114  in accordance with some embodiments. Touch-sensitive display  112  is sometimes called a “touch screen” for convenience, and may also be known as or called a touch-sensitive display system. Device  100  may include memory  102  (which may include one or more computer readable storage mediums), memory controller  122 , one or more processing units (CPU&#39;s)  120 , peripherals interface  118 , RF circuitry  108 , audio circuitry  110 , speaker  111 , microphone  113 , input/output (I/O) subsystem  106 , other input or control devices  116 , and external port  124 . Other input or control devices  116  include one or more touch-sensitive surfaces (TSS)  114 . Device  100  may include one or more optical sensors  164 . These components may communicate over one or more communication buses or signal lines  103 . 
     It should be appreciated that device  100  is only one example of a portable multifunction device, and that device  100  may have more or fewer components than shown, may combine two or more components, or may have a different configuration or arrangement of the components. The various components shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B  may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of both hardware and software, including one or more signal processing and/or application specific integrated circuits. 
     Memory  102  may include high-speed random access memory and may also include non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic disk storage devices, flash memory devices, or other non-volatile solid-state memory devices. Access to memory  102  by other components of device  100 , such as CPU  120  and the peripherals interface  118 , may be controlled by memory controller  122 . 
     Peripherals interface  118  can be used to couple input and output peripherals of the device to CPU  120  and memory  102 . The one or more processors  120  run or execute various software programs and/or sets of instructions stored in memory  102  to perform various functions for device  100  and to process data. 
     In some embodiments, peripherals interface  118 , CPU  120 , and memory controller  122  may be implemented on a single chip, such as chip  104 . In some other embodiments, they may be implemented on separate chips. 
     RF (radio frequency) circuitry  108  receives and sends RF signals, also called electromagnetic signals. RF circuitry  108  converts electrical signals to/from electromagnetic signals and communicates with communications networks and other communications devices via the electromagnetic signals. RF circuitry  108  may include well-known circuitry for performing these functions, including but not limited to an antenna system, an RF transceiver, one or more amplifiers, a tuner, one or more oscillators, a digital signal processor, a CODEC chipset, a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, memory, and so forth. RF circuitry  108  may communicate with networks, such as the Internet, also referred to as the World Wide Web (WWW), an intranet and/or a wireless network, such as a cellular telephone network, a wireless local area network (LAN) and/or a metropolitan area network (MAN), and other devices by wireless communication. The wireless communication may use any of a plurality of communications standards, protocols and technologies, including but not limited to Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA), high-speed uplink packet access (HSUPA), wideband code division multiple access (W-CDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), Bluetooth, Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) (e.g., IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g and/or IEEE 802.11n), voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Wi-MAX, a protocol for e-mail (e.g., Internet message access protocol (IMAP) and/or post office protocol (POP)), instant messaging (e.g., extensible messaging and presence protocol (XMPP), Session Initiation Protocol for Instant Messaging and Presence Leveraging Extensions (SIMPLE), Instant Messaging and Presence Service (IMPS)), and/or Short Message Service (SMS), or any other suitable communication protocol, including communication protocols not yet developed as of the filing date of this document. 
     Audio circuitry  110 , speaker  111 , and microphone  113  provide an audio interface between a user and device  100 . Audio circuitry  110  receives audio data from peripherals interface  118 , converts the audio data to an electrical signal, and transmits the electrical signal to speaker  111 . Speaker  111  converts the electrical signal to human-audible sound waves. Audio circuitry  110  also receives electrical signals converted by microphone  113  from sound waves. Audio circuitry  110  converts the electrical signal to audio data and transmits the audio data to peripherals interface  118  for processing. Audio data may be retrieved from and/or transmitted to memory  102  and/or RF circuitry  108  by peripherals interface  118 . In some embodiments, audio circuitry  110  also includes a headset jack (e.g.,  212 ,  FIG. 2 ). The headset jack provides an interface between audio circuitry  110  and removable audio input/output peripherals, such as output-only headphones or a headset with both output (e.g., a headphone for one or both ears) and input (e.g., a microphone). 
     I/O subsystem  106  couples input/output peripherals on device  100 , such as touch screen  112  and other input control devices  116 , to peripherals interface  118 . I/O subsystem  106  may include display controller  156  and one or more input controllers  160  for other input or control devices. The one or more input controllers  160  receive/send electrical signals from/to other input or control devices  116 . The other input control devices  116  include one or more touch-sensitive surfaces  114  that are distinct from the touch-sensitive display  112 . The other input control devices  116  may also include physical buttons (e.g., push buttons, rocker buttons, etc.), dials, slider switches, joysticks, click wheels, and so forth. In some alternate embodiments, input controller(s)  160  may be coupled to any (or none) of the following: a keyboard, infrared port, USB port, and a pointer device such as a mouse. The one or more buttons (e.g.,  208 ,  FIG. 2 ) may include an up/down button for volume control of speaker  111  and/or microphone  113 . The one or more buttons may include a push button (e.g.,  206 ,  FIG. 2 ). A quick press of the push button may disengage a lock of touch screen  112  or begin a process that uses gestures on the touch screen to unlock the device, as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/322,549, “Unlocking a Device by Performing Gestures on an Unlock Image,” filed Dec. 23, 2005, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. A longer press of the push button (e.g.,  206 ) may turn power to device  100  on or off. The user may be able to customize a functionality of one or more of the buttons. Touch screen  112  is used to implement virtual or soft buttons and one or more soft keyboards. 
     Touch-sensitive display  112  provides an input interface and an output interface between the device and a user. Display controller  156  receives and/or sends electrical signals from/to touch screen  112 . Touch screen  112  displays visual output to the user. The visual output may include graphics, text, icons, video, and any combination thereof (collectively termed “graphics”). In some embodiments, some or all of the visual output may correspond to user-interface objects. 
     Touch screen  112  has a touch-sensitive surface, sensor or set of sensors that accepts input from the user based on haptic and/or tactile contact. Touch screen  112  and display controller  156  (along with any associated modules and/or sets of instructions in memory  102 ) detect contact (and any movement or breaking of the contact) on touch screen  112  and converts the detected contact into interaction with user-interface objects (e.g., one or more soft keys, icons, web pages or images) that are displayed on touch screen  112 . In an exemplary embodiment, a point of contact between touch screen  112  and the user corresponds to a finger of the user. 
     Touch screen  112  may use LCD (liquid crystal display) technology, LPD (light emitting polymer display) technology, or LED (light emitting diode) technology, although other display technologies may be used in other embodiments. Touch screen  112  and display controller  156  may detect contact and any movement or breaking thereof using any of a plurality of touch sensing technologies now known or later developed, including but not limited to capacitive, resistive, infrared, and surface acoustic wave technologies, as well as other proximity sensor arrays or other elements for determining one or more points of contact with touch screen  112 . In an exemplary embodiment, projected mutual capacitance sensing technology is used, such as that found in the iPhone®, iPod Touch®, and iPad® from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif. 
     A touch-sensitive display in some embodiments of touch screen  112  may be analogous to the multi-touch sensitive touchpads described in the following U.S. Pat. No. 6,323,846 (Westerman et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 6,570,557 (Westerman et al.), and/or U.S. Pat. No. 6,677,932 (Westerman), and/or U.S. Patent Publication 2002/0015024A1, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. However, touch screen  112  displays visual output from portable device  100 , whereas touch sensitive touchpads do not provide visual output. 
     A touch-sensitive display in some embodiments of touch screen  112  may be as described in the following applications: (1) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/381,313, “Multipoint Touch Surface Controller,” filed May 2, 2006; (2) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/840,862, “Multipoint Touchscreen,” filed May 6, 2004; (3) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/903,964, “Gestures For Touch Sensitive Input Devices,” filed Jul. 30, 2004; (4) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/048,264, “Gestures For Touch Sensitive Input Devices,” filed Jan. 31, 2005; (5) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/038,590, “Mode-Based Graphical User Interfaces For Touch Sensitive Input Devices,” filed Jan. 18, 2005; (6) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/228,758, “Virtual Input Device Placement On A Touch Screen User Interface,” filed Sep. 16, 2005; (7) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/228,700, “Operation Of A Computer With A Touch Screen Interface,” filed Sep. 16, 2005; (8) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/228,737, “Activating Virtual Keys Of A Touch-Screen Virtual Keyboard,” filed Sep. 16, 2005; and (9) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/367,749, “Multi-Functional Hand-Held Device,” filed Mar. 3, 2006. All of these applications are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. 
     Touch screen  112  may have a video resolution in excess of 100 dpi. In some embodiments, the touch screen has a video resolution of approximately 160 dpi. The user may make contact with touch screen  112  using any suitable object or appendage, such as a stylus, a finger, and so forth. In some embodiments, the user interface is designed to work primarily with finger-based contacts and gestures, which can be less precise than stylus-based input due to the larger area of contact of a finger on the touch screen. In some embodiments, the device translates the rough finger-based input into a precise pointer/cursor position or command for performing the actions desired by the user. 
     Device  100  includes one or more touch-sensitive surfaces  114  that are distinct from touch-sensitive display  112 . The one or more touch-sensitive surfaces  114  include a sensor or a set of sensors that detects haptic and/or tactile contact by the user. Touch-sensitive surfaces  114  and input controller  160  (along with any associated modules and/or sets of instructions in memory  102 ) detect contacts on areas of the device outside the touch-sensitive display  112  (e.g., the sides and/or back of the device). This contact data is used by the device to determine how the device is being held (e.g., the location/orientation/manner of holding the device) and to help determine the identities of the finger contacts on the touch-sensitive display  112 . In some embodiments, the one or more touch-sensitive surfaces  114  comprise one or more continuous touch-sensitive surfaces that are configured to detect a location of a respective contact on a respective continuous touch-sensitive surface. In some embodiments, the touch-sensitive surfaces  114  comprise a plurality of touch-sensitive sensors, and a respective touch-sensitive sensor is configured to detect a contact at a location that corresponds to the respective touch-sensitive sensor (e.g., a contact on the touch-sensitive sensor). The one or more touch-sensitive surfaces  114  typically do not display visual output. In some embodiments, some of the touch-sensitive surfaces  114  are physically or electrically connected to the touch-sensitive surface that is part of touch screen  112 . 
     Touch-sensitive surfaces  114  may detect contact using any of a plurality of touch sensing technologies now known or later developed, including but not limited to capacitive, resistive, infrared, and surface acoustic wave technologies, as well as other proximity sensor arrays or other elements for determining one or more points of contact with touch-sensitive surfaces  114 . 
     In some embodiments, one or more touch-sensitive surfaces  114  may be as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/620,424, “Back-Side Interface For Hand-Held Devices,” filed Jan. 5, 2007, which is incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. 
     In some embodiments, device  100  may include a physical or virtual wheel (e.g., a click wheel) as input control device  116 . A user may navigate among and interact with one or more graphical objects (e.g., icons) displayed in touch screen  112  by rotating the click wheel or by moving a point of contact with the click wheel (e.g., where the amount of movement of the point of contact is measured by its angular displacement with respect to a center point of the click wheel). The click wheel may also be used to select one or more of the displayed icons. For example, the user may press down on at least a portion of the click wheel or an associated button. User commands and navigation commands provided by the user via the click wheel may be processed by input controller  160  as well as one or more of the modules and/or sets of instructions in memory  102 . For a virtual click wheel, the click wheel and click wheel controller may be part of touch screen  112  and display controller  156 , respectively. For a virtual click wheel, the click wheel may be either an opaque or semitransparent object that appears and disappears on the touch screen display in response to user interaction with the device. In some embodiments, a virtual click wheel is displayed on the touch screen of a portable multifunction device and operated by user contact with the touch screen. 
     Device  100  also includes power system  162  for powering the various components. Power system  162  may include a power management system, one or more power sources (e.g., battery, alternating current (AC)), a recharging system, a power failure detection circuit, a power converter or inverter, a power status indicator (e.g., a light-emitting diode (LED)) and any other components associated with the generation, management and distribution of power in portable devices. 
     Device  100  may also include one or more optical sensors  164 .  FIGS. 1A and 1B  show an optical sensor coupled to optical sensor controller  158  in I/O subsystem  106 . Optical sensor  164  may include charge-coupled device (CCD) or complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) phototransistors. Optical sensor  164  receives light from the environment, projected through one or more lens, and converts the light to data representing an image. In conjunction with imaging module  143  (also called a camera module), optical sensor  164  may capture still images or video. In some embodiments, an optical sensor is located on the back of device  100 , opposite touch screen display  112  on the front of the device, so that the touch screen display may be used as a viewfinder for still and/or video image acquisition. In some embodiments, an optical sensor is located on the front of the device so that the user&#39;s image may be obtained for videoconferencing while the user views the other video conference participants on the touch screen display. In some embodiments, the position of optical sensor  164  can be changed by the user (e.g., by rotating the lens and the sensor in the device housing) so that a single optical sensor  164  may be used along with the touch screen display for both video conferencing and still and/or video image acquisition. 
     Device  100  may also include one or more proximity sensors  166 .  FIGS. 1A and 1B  show proximity sensor  166  coupled to peripherals interface  118 . Alternately, proximity sensor  166  may be coupled to input controller  160  in I/O subsystem  106 . Proximity sensor  166  may perform as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/241,839, “Proximity Detector In Handheld Device”; Ser. No. 11/240,788, “Proximity Detector In Handheld Device”; Ser. No. 11/620,702, “Using Ambient Light Sensor To Augment Proximity Sensor Output”; Ser. No. 11/586,862, “Automated Response To And Sensing Of User Activity In Portable Devices”; and Ser. No. 11/638,251, “Methods And Systems For Automatic Configuration Of Peripherals,” which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. In some embodiments, the proximity sensor turns off and disables touch screen  112  when the multifunction device is placed near the user&#39;s ear (e.g., when the user is making a phone call). 
     Device  100  may also include one or more accelerometers  168 .  FIGS. 1A and 1B  show accelerometer  168  coupled to peripherals interface  118 . Alternately, accelerometer  168  may be coupled to an input controller  160  in I/O subsystem  106 . Accelerometer  168  may perform as described in U.S. Patent Publication No. 20050190059, “Acceleration-based Theft Detection System for Portable Electronic Devices,” and U.S. Patent Publication No. 20060017692, “Methods And Apparatuses For Operating A Portable Device Based On An Accelerometer,” both of which are which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. In some embodiments, information is displayed on the touch screen display in a portrait view or a landscape view based on an analysis of data received from the one or more accelerometers. Device  100  optionally includes, in addition to accelerometer(s)  168 , a magnetometer (not shown) and a GPS (or GLONASS or other global navigation system) receiver (not shown) for obtaining information concerning the location and orientation (e.g., portrait or landscape) of device  100 . 
     In some embodiments, the software components stored in memory  102  include operating system  126 , communication module (or set of instructions)  128 , contact/motion module (or set of instructions)  130 , graphics module (or set of instructions)  132 , text input module (or set of instructions)  134 , Global Positioning System (GPS) module (or set of instructions)  135 , and applications (or sets of instructions)  136 . In some embodiments, contact/motion module  130  includes a plurality of contact-area-to-coordinate-tuple conversion rules  131 , which are used to convert contact area information to respective contact coordinate tuples. In some embodiments, a respective contact-area-to-coordinate-tuple conversion rule  131  comprises a respective vector that is configured to offset a respective coordinate tuple. In some embodiments, the magnitude of the vector is predefined (e.g., in pixels or in distance on touch screen  112 ). In some embodiments, the magnitude of the vector is determined in accordance with a size of a contact (e.g., based on the major axis length of the contact and/or the surface area of the contact). In some embodiments, the direction of the vector is predefined. In some embodiments, the direction of the vector is determined in accordance with one or more contacts on one or more touch-sensitive surfaces  114 . 
     In some embodiments, contact-area-to-coordinate-tuple conversion rules  131  include the following, or a subset or a superset thereof: a finger-of-a-right-hand conversion rule; and a finger-of-a-left-hand conversion rule. In some embodiments, contact-area-to-coordinate-tuple conversion rules  131  include the following, or a subset or a superset thereof: a thumb-of-a-right-hand conversion rule; a thumb-of-a-left-hand conversion rule; a non-thumb-finger-of-a-right-hand conversion rule; and a non-thumb-finger-of-a-left-hand conversion rule. In some embodiments, contact-area-to-coordinate-tuple conversion rules  131  include the following, or a subset or a superset thereof: a thumb conversion rule; an index-finger conversion rule; a middle-finger conversion rule; a fourth-finger conversion rule; and a little-finger conversion rule, and each of these rules may be tailored to a respective hand. In some embodiments, contact-area-to-coordinate-tuple conversion rules  131  include the following, or a subset or a superset thereof: a held-by-the-upper-part conversion rule; a held-by-the-middle-part conversion rule; and a held-by-the-lower-part conversion rule. In some embodiments, contact-area-to-coordinate-tuple conversion rules  131  include the following, or a subset or a superset thereof: a contact-on-the-upper-part conversion rule; a contact-on-the-middle-part conversion rule; and a contact-on-the-lower-part conversion rule. In some embodiments, two or more contact-area-to-coordinate-tuple conversion rules are combined. For example, a thumb-of-a-left-hand conversion rule may comprise a combination of a thumb conversion rule and a finger-of-a-left-hand conversion rule. As another example, an index-finger-of-a-left-hand-contacting-lower-part-of-the-device-held-by-the-upper-part conversion rule may comprise a combination of an index-finger conversion rule; a finger-of-a-left-hand conversion rule; a contact-on-the-lower-part conversion rule; and a held-by-the-upper-part conversion rule. In some embodiments, contact-area-to-coordinate-tuple conversion rules  131  include any combination of the conversion rules described above, or a subset or a superset thereof. 
     Furthermore, in some embodiments memory  102  stores device/global internal state  157 , as shown in  FIGS. 1A ,  1 B and  3 . Device/global internal state  157  includes one or more of: active application state, indicating which applications, if any, are currently active; display state, indicating what applications, views or other information occupy various regions of touch screen display  112 ; sensor state, including information obtained from the device&#39;s various sensors and input control devices  116 ; and location information concerning the device&#39;s location and/or attitude. 
     Operating system  126  (e.g., Darwin, RTXC, LINUX, UNIX, OS X, WINDOWS, or an embedded operating system such as VxWorks) includes various software components and/or drivers for controlling and managing general system tasks (e.g., memory management, storage device control, power management, etc.) and facilitates communication between various hardware and software components. 
     Communication module  128  facilitates communication with other devices over one or more external ports  124  and also includes various software components for handling data received by RF circuitry  108  and/or external port  124 . External port  124  (e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB), FIREWIRE, etc.) is adapted for coupling directly to other devices or indirectly over a network (e.g., the Internet, wireless LAN, etc.). In some embodiments, the external port is a multi-pin (e.g., 30-pin) connector that is the same as, or similar to and/or compatible with the 30-pin connector used on iPod (trademark of Apple Inc.) devices. 
     Contact/motion module  130  may detect contact with touch screen  112  (in conjunction with display controller  156 ), touch sensitive surfaces  114  (in conjunction with input controller  160 ), and other touch sensitive devices (e.g., a touchpad or physical click wheel). Contact/motion module  130  includes various software components for performing various operations related to detection of contact, such as determining if contact has occurred (e.g., detecting a finger-down event), determining if there is movement of the contact and tracking the movement across the touch-sensitive surface (e.g., detecting one or more finger-dragging events), and determining if the contact has ceased (e.g., detecting a finger-up event or a break in contact). Contact/motion module  130  receives contact data from the touch-sensitive surface. Determining movement of the point of contact, which is represented by a series of contact data, may include determining speed (magnitude), velocity (magnitude and direction), and/or an acceleration (a change in magnitude and/or direction) of the point of contact. These operations may be applied to single contacts (e.g., one finger contacts) or to multiple simultaneous contacts (e.g., “multitouch”/multiple finger contacts). As noted above, a finger contact on touch screen  112  includes a contact area. In some embodiments, contact/motion module  130  converts contact areas to respective contact coordinate tuples using contact-area-to-coordinate-tuple conversion rules  131 . In some embodiments, contact/motion module  130  and controller  160  detects contact on a click wheel. 
     Contact/motion module  130  may detect a gesture input by a user. Different gestures on the touch-sensitive display have different contact patterns. Thus, a gesture may be detected by detecting a particular contact pattern. For example, detecting a finger tap gesture includes detecting a finger-down event followed by detecting a finger-up (lift off) event at the same position (or substantially the same position) as the finger-down event (e.g., at the position of an icon). As another example, detecting a finger swipe gesture on the touch-sensitive display includes detecting a finger-down event followed by detecting one or more finger-dragging events, and subsequently followed by detecting a finger-up (lift off) event. 
     Graphics module  132  includes various known software components for rendering and displaying graphics on touch screen  112  or other display, including components for changing the intensity of graphics that are displayed. As used herein, the term “graphics” includes any object that can be displayed to a user, including without limitation text, web pages, icons (such as user-interface objects including soft keys), digital images, videos, animations and the like. 
     In some embodiments, graphics module  132  stores data representing graphics to be used. Each graphic may be assigned a corresponding code. Graphics module  132  receives, from applications etc., one or more codes specifying graphics to be displayed along with, if necessary, coordinate data and other graphic property data, and then generates screen image data to output to display controller  156 . 
     Text input module  134 , which may be a component of graphics module  132 , provides soft keyboards for entering text in various applications (e.g., contacts  137 , e-mail  140 , IM  141 , browser  147 , and any other application that needs text input). 
     GPS module  135  determines the location of the device and provides this information for use in various applications (e.g., to telephone  138  for use in location-based dialing, to camera  143  as picture/video metadata, and to applications that provide location-based services such as weather widgets, local yellow page widgets, and map/navigation widgets). 
     Applications  136  may include the following modules (or sets of instructions), or a subset or superset thereof:
         contacts module  137  (sometimes called an address book or contact list);   telephone module  138 ;   video conferencing module  139 ;   e-mail client module  140 ;   instant messaging (IM) module  141 ;   workout support module  142 ;   camera module  143  for still and/or video images;   image management module  144 ;   video player module  145 ;   music player module  146 ;   browser module  147 ;   calendar module  148 ;   widget modules  149 , which may include one or more of: weather widget  149 - 1 , stocks widget  149 - 2 , calculator widget  149 - 3 , alarm clock widget  149 - 4 , dictionary widget  149 - 5 , and other widgets obtained by the user, as well as user-created widgets  149 - 6 ;   widget creator module  150  for making user-created widgets  149 - 6 ;   search module  151 ;   video and music player module  152 , which merges video player module  145  and music player module  146 ;   notes module  153 ;   map module  154 ; and/or   online video module  155 .       

     Examples of other applications  136  that may be stored in memory  102  include other word processing applications, other image editing applications, drawing applications, presentation applications, JAVA-enabled applications, encryption, digital rights management, voice recognition, and voice replication. 
     In conjunction with touch screen  112 , touch-sensitive surface  114 , display controller  156 , input controller  160 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , and text input module  134 , contacts module  137  may be used to manage an address book or contact list (e.g., stored in application internal state  192  of contacts module  137  in memory  102  or memory  370 ), including: adding name(s) to the address book; deleting name(s) from the address book; associating telephone number(s), e-mail address(es), physical address(es) or other information with a name; associating an image with a name; categorizing and sorting names; providing telephone numbers or e-mail addresses to initiate and/or facilitate communications by telephone  138 , video conference  139 , e-mail  140 , or IM  141 ; and so forth. 
     In conjunction with RF circuitry  108 , audio circuitry  110 , speaker  111 , microphone  113 , touch screen  112 , touch-sensitive surface  114 , display controller  156 , input controller  160 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , and text input module  134 , telephone module  138  may be used to enter a sequence of characters corresponding to a telephone number, access one or more telephone numbers in address book  137 , modify a telephone number that has been entered, dial a respective telephone number, conduct a conversation and disconnect or hang up when the conversation is completed. As noted above, the wireless communication may use any of a plurality of communications standards, protocols and technologies. 
     In conjunction with RF circuitry  108 , audio circuitry  110 , speaker  111 , microphone  113 , touch screen  112 , touch-sensitive surface  114 , display controller  156 , input controller  160 , optical sensor  164 , optical sensor controller  158 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , text input module  134 , contact list  137 , and telephone module  138 , videoconferencing module  139  includes executable instructions to initiate, conduct, and terminate a video conference between a user and one or more other participants in accordance with user instructions. 
     In conjunction with RF circuitry  108 , touch screen  112 , touch-sensitive surface  114 , display controller  156 , input controller  160 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , and text input module  134 , e-mail client module  140  includes executable instructions to create, send, receive, and manage e-mail in response to user instructions. In conjunction with image management module  144 , e-mail client module  140  makes it very easy to create and send e-mails with still or video images taken with camera module  143 . 
     In conjunction with RF circuitry  108 , touch screen  112 , touch-sensitive surface  114 , display controller  156 , input controller  160 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , and text input module  134 , the instant messaging module  141  includes executable instructions to enter a sequence of characters corresponding to an instant message, to modify previously entered characters, to transmit a respective instant message (for example, using a Short Message Service (SMS) or Multimedia Message Service (MMS) protocol for telephony-based instant messages or using XMPP, SIMPLE, or IMPS for Internet-based instant messages), to receive instant messages and to view received instant messages. In some embodiments, transmitted and/or received instant messages may include graphics, photos, audio files, video files and/or other attachments as are supported in a MMS and/or an Enhanced Messaging Service (EMS). As used herein, “instant messaging” refers to both telephony-based messages (e.g., messages sent using SMS or MMS) and Internet-based messages (e.g., messages sent using XMPP, SIMPLE, or IMPS). 
     In conjunction with RF circuitry  108 , touch screen  112 , touch-sensitive surface  114 , display controller  156 , input controller  160 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , text input module  134 , GPS module  135 , map module  154 , and music player module  146 , workout support module  142  includes executable instructions to create workouts (e.g., with time, distance, and/or calorie burning goals); communicate with workout sensors (sports devices); receive workout sensor data; calibrate sensors used to monitor a workout; select and play music for a workout; and display, store and transmit workout data. 
     In conjunction with touch screen  112 , touch-sensitive surface  114 , display controller  156 , input controller  160 , optical sensor(s)  164 , optical sensor controller  158 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , and image management module  144 , camera module  143  includes executable instructions to capture still images or video (including a video stream) and store them into memory  102 , modify characteristics of a still image or video, or delete a still image or video from memory  102 . 
     In conjunction with touch screen  112 , touch-sensitive surface  114 , display controller  156 , input controller  160 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , text input module  134 , and camera module  143 , image management module  144  includes executable instructions to arrange, modify (e.g., edit), or otherwise manipulate, label, delete, present (e.g., in a digital slide show or album), and store still and/or video images. 
     In conjunction with touch screen  112 , touch-sensitive surface  114 , display controller  156 , input controller  160 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , audio circuitry  110 , and speaker  111 , video player module  145  includes executable instructions to display, present or otherwise play back videos (e.g., on touch screen  112  or on an external, connected display via external port  124 ). 
     In conjunction with touch screen  112 , touch-sensitive surface  114 , display system controller  156 , input controller  160 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , audio circuitry  110 , speaker  111 , RF circuitry  108 , and browser module  147 , music player module  146  includes executable instructions that allow the user to download and play back recorded music and other sound files stored in one or more file formats, such as MP3 or AAC files. In some embodiments, device  100  may include the functionality of an MP3 player, such as an iPod (trademark of Apple Inc.). 
     In conjunction with RF circuitry  108 , touch screen  112 , touch-sensitive surface  114 , display system controller  156 , input controller  160 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , and text input module  134 , browser module  147  includes executable instructions to browse the Internet in accordance with user instructions, including searching, linking to, receiving, and displaying web pages or portions thereof, as well as attachments and other files linked to web pages. 
     In conjunction with RF circuitry  108 , touch screen  112 , touch-sensitive surface  114 , display system controller  156 , input controller  160 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , text input module  134 , e-mail client module  140 , and browser module  147 , calendar module  148  includes executable instructions to create, display, modify, and store calendars and data associated with calendars (e.g., calendar entries, to do lists, etc.) in accordance with user instructions. 
     In conjunction with RF circuitry  108 , touch screen  112 , touch-sensitive surface  114 , display system controller  156 , input controller  160 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , text input module  134 , and browser module  147 , widget modules  149  are mini-applications that may be downloaded and used by a user (e.g., weather widget  149 - 1 , stocks widget  149 - 2 , calculator widget  149 - 3 , alarm clock widget  149 - 4 , and dictionary widget  149 - 5 ) or created by the user (e.g., user-created widget  149 - 6 ). In some embodiments, a widget includes an HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) file, a CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) file, and a JavaScript file. In some embodiments, a widget includes an XML (Extensible Markup Language) file and a JavaScript file (e.g., Yahoo! Widgets). 
     In conjunction with RF circuitry  108 , touch screen  112 , touch-sensitive surface  114 , display system controller  156 , input controller  160 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , text input module  134 , and browser module  147 , the widget creator module  150  may be used by a user to create widgets (e.g., turning a user-specified portion of a web page into a widget). 
     In conjunction with touch screen  112 , touch-sensitive surface  114 , display system controller  156 , input controller  160 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , and text input module  134 , search module  151  includes executable instructions to search for text, music, sound, image, video, and/or other files in memory  102  that match one or more search criteria (e.g., one or more user-specified search terms) in accordance with user instructions. 
     In conjunction with touch screen  112 , touch-sensitive surface  114 , display controller  156 , input controller  160 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , and text input module  134 , notes module  153  includes executable instructions to create and manage notes, to do lists, and the like in accordance with user instructions. 
     In conjunction with RF circuitry  108 , touch screen  112 , touch-sensitive surface  114 , display system controller  156 , input controller  160 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , text input module  134 , GPS module  135 , and browser module  147 , map module  154  may be used to receive, display, modify, and store maps and data associated with maps (e.g., driving directions; data on stores and other points of interest at or near a particular location; and other location-based data) in accordance with user instructions. 
     In conjunction with touch screen  112 , touch-sensitive surface  114 , display system controller  156 , input controller  160 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , audio circuitry  110 , speaker  111 , RF circuitry  108 , text input module  134 , e-mail client module  140 , and browser module  147 , online video module  155  includes instructions that allow the user to access, browse, receive (e.g., by streaming and/or download), play back (e.g., on the touch screen or on an external, connected display via external port  124 ), send an e-mail with a link to a particular online video, and otherwise manage online videos in one or more file formats, such as H.264. In some embodiments, instant messaging module  141 , rather than e-mail client module  140 , is used to send a link to a particular online video. Additional description of the online video application can be found in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/936,562, “Portable Multifunction Device, Method, and Graphical User Interface for Playing Online Videos,” filed Jun. 20, 2007, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/968,067, “Portable Multifunction Device, Method, and Graphical User Interface for Playing Online Videos,” filed Dec. 31, 2007, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     Each of the above identified modules and applications correspond to a set of executable instructions for performing one or more functions described above and the methods described in this application (e.g., the computer-implemented methods and other information processing methods described herein). These modules (i.e., sets of instructions) need not be implemented as separate software programs, procedures or modules, and thus various subsets of these modules may be combined or otherwise re-arranged in various embodiments. For example, video player module  145  may be combined with music player module  146  into a single module (e.g., video and music player module  152 ,  FIG. 1B ). In some embodiments, memory  102  may store a subset of the modules and data structures identified above. Furthermore, memory  102  may store additional modules and data structures not described above. 
     In some embodiments, device  100  is a device where operation of a predefined set of functions on the device is performed exclusively through a touch screen. By using a touch screen as the primary input control device for operation of device  100 , the number of physical input control devices (such as push buttons, dials, and the like) on device  100  may be reduced. 
     The predefined set of functions that may be performed exclusively through a touch screen include navigation between user interfaces. 
     In some embodiments, device  100  includes a physical push button or other physical input control device that may be referred to as a “menu button.” In some embodiments, the menu button, when touched by the user, navigates device  100  to a main, home, or root menu from any user interface that may be displayed on device  100 . 
       FIG. 1C  is a block diagram illustrating exemplary components for event handling in accordance with some embodiments. In some embodiments, memory  102  (in  FIGS. 1A and 1B ) or  370  ( FIG. 3 ) includes event sorter  170  (e.g., in operating system  126 ) and a respective application  136 - 1  (e.g., any of the aforementioned applications  137 - 151 ,  155 ,  380 - 390 ). 
     Event sorter  170  receives event information and determines the application  136 - 1  and application view  191  of application  136 - 1  to which to deliver the event information. Event sorter  170  includes event monitor  171  and event dispatcher module  174 . In some embodiments, application  136 - 1  includes application internal state  192 , which indicates the current application view(s) displayed on touch sensitive display  112  when the application is active or executing. In some embodiments, device/global internal state  157  is used by event sorter  170  to determine which application(s) is(are) currently active, and application internal state  192  is used by event sorter  170  to determine application views  191  to which to deliver event information. 
     In some embodiments, application internal state  192  includes additional information, such as one or more of: resume information to be used when application  136 - 1  resumes execution, user interface state information that indicates information being displayed or that is ready for display by application  136 - 1 , a state queue for enabling the user to go back to a prior state or view of application  136 - 1 , and a redo/undo queue of previous actions taken by the user. 
     Event monitor  171  receives event information from peripherals interface  118 . Event information includes information about a sub-event (e.g., a user touch on touch-sensitive display  112 , as part of a multi-touch gesture). Peripherals interface  118  transmits information it receives from I/O subsystem  106  or a sensor, such as proximity sensor  166 , accelerometer(s)  168 , and/or microphone  113  (through audio circuitry  110 ). Information that peripherals interface  118  receives from I/O subsystem  106  includes information from touch-sensitive display  112  and touch-sensitive surface  114 . 
     In some embodiments, event monitor  171  sends requests to the peripherals interface  118  at predetermined intervals. In response, peripherals interface  118  transmits event information. In other embodiments, peripheral interface  118  transmits event information only when there is a significant event (e.g., receiving an input above a predetermined noise threshold and/or for more than a predetermined duration). 
     In some embodiments, event sorter  170  also includes a hit view determination module  172  and/or an active event recognizer determination module  173 . 
     Hit view determination module  172  provides software procedures for determining where a sub-event has taken place within one or more views, when touch sensitive display  112  displays more than one view. Views are made up of controls and other elements that a user can see on the display. 
     Another aspect of the user interface associated with an application is a set of views, sometimes herein called application views or user interface windows, in which information is displayed and touch-based gestures occur. The application views (of a respective application) in which a touch is detected may correspond to programmatic levels within a programmatic or view hierarchy of the application. For example, the lowest level view in which a touch is detected may be called the hit view, and the set of events that are recognized as proper inputs may be determined based, at least in part, on the hit view of the initial touch that begins a touch-based gesture. 
     Hit view determination module  172  receives information related to sub-events of a touch-based gesture. When an application has multiple views organized in a hierarchy, hit view determination module  172  identifies a hit view as the lowest view in the hierarchy which should handle the sub-event. In most circumstances, the hit view is the lowest level view in which an initiating sub-event occurs (i.e., the first sub-event in the sequence of sub-events that form an event or potential event). Once the hit view is identified by the hit view determination module, the hit view typically receives all sub-events related to the same touch or input source for which it was identified as the hit view. 
     Active event recognizer determination module  173  determines which view or views within a view hierarchy should receive a particular sequence of sub-events. In some embodiments, active event recognizer determination module  173  determines that only the hit view should receive a particular sequence of sub-events. In other embodiments, active event recognizer determination module  173  determines that all views that include the physical location of a sub-event are actively involved views, and therefore determines that all actively involved views should receive a particular sequence of sub-events. In other embodiments, even if touch sub-events were entirely confined to the area associated with one particular view, views higher in the hierarchy would still remain as actively involved views. 
     Event dispatcher module  174  dispatches the event information to an event recognizer (e.g., event recognizer  180 ). In embodiments including active event recognizer determination module  173 , event dispatcher module  174  delivers the event information to an event recognizer determined by active event recognizer determination module  173 . In some embodiments, event dispatcher module  174  stores in an event queue the event information, which is retrieved by a respective event receiver module  182 . 
     In some embodiments, operating system  126  includes event sorter  170 . Alternatively, application  136 - 1  includes event sorter  170 . In yet other embodiments, event sorter  170  is a stand-alone module, or a part of another module stored in memory  102 , such as contact/motion module  130 . 
     In some embodiments, application  136 - 1  includes a plurality of event handlers  190  and one or more application views  191 , each of which includes instructions for handling touch events that occur within a respective view of the application&#39;s user interface. Each application view  191  of the application  136 - 1  includes one or more event recognizers  180 . Typically, a respective application view  191  includes a plurality of event recognizers  180 . In other embodiments, one or more of event recognizers  180  are part of a separate module, such as a user interface kit (not shown) or a higher level object from which application  136 - 1  inherits methods and other properties. In some embodiments, a respective event handler  190  includes one or more of: data updater  176 , object updater  177 , GUI updater  178 , and/or event data  179  received from event sorter  170 . Event handler  190  may utilize or call data updater  176 , object updater  177  or GUI updater  178  to update the application internal state  192 . Alternatively, one or more of the application views  191  includes one or more respective event handlers  190 . Also, in some embodiments, one or more of data updater  176 , object updater  177 , and GUI updater  178  are included in a respective application view  191 . 
     A respective event recognizer  180  receives event information (e.g., event data  179 ) from event sorter  170 , and identifies an event from the event information. Event recognizer  180  includes event receiver  182  and event comparator  184 . In some embodiments, event recognizer  180  also includes at least a subset of: metadata  183 , and event delivery instructions  188  (which may include sub-event delivery instructions). 
     Event receiver  182  receives event information from event sorter  170 . The event information includes information about a sub-event, for example, a touch or a touch movement. Depending on the sub-event, the event information also includes additional information, such as location of the sub-event. When the sub-event concerns motion of a touch the event information may also include speed and direction of the sub-event. In some embodiments, events include rotation of the device from one orientation to another (e.g., from a portrait orientation to a landscape orientation, or vice versa), and the event information includes corresponding information about the current orientation (also called device attitude) of the device. 
     Event comparator  184  compares the event information to predefined event or sub-event definitions and, based on the comparison, determines an event or sub-event, or determines or updates the state of an event or sub-event. In some embodiments, event comparator  184  includes event definitions  186 . Event definitions  186  contain definitions of events (e.g., predefined sequences of sub-events), for example, event  1  ( 187 - 1 ), event  2  ( 187 - 2 ), and others. In some embodiments, sub-events in an event  187  include, for example, touch begin, touch end, touch movement, touch cancellation, and multiple touching. In one example, the definition for event  1  ( 187 - 1 ) is a double tap on a displayed object. The double tap, for example, comprises a first touch (touch begin) on the displayed object for a predetermined phase, a first lift-off (touch end) for a predetermined phase, a second touch (touch begin) on the displayed object for a predetermined phase, and a second lift-off (touch end) for a predetermined phase. In another example, the definition for event  2  ( 187 - 2 ) is a dragging on a displayed object. The dragging, for example, comprises a touch (or contact) on the displayed object for a predetermined phase, a movement of the touch across touch-sensitive display  112 , and lift-off of the touch (touch end). In some embodiments, the event also includes information for one or more associated event handlers  190 . 
     In some embodiments, event definition  187  includes a definition of an event for a respective user-interface object. In some embodiments, event comparator  184  performs a hit test to determine which user-interface object is associated with a sub-event. For example, in an application view in which three user-interface objects are displayed on touch-sensitive display  112 , when a touch is detected on touch-sensitive display  112 , event comparator  184  performs a hit test to determine which of the three user-interface objects is associated with the touch (sub-event). If each displayed object is associated with a respective event handler  190 , the event comparator uses the result of the hit test to determine which event handler  190  should be activated. For example, event comparator  184  selects an event handler associated with the sub-event and the object triggering the hit test. 
     In some embodiments, the definition for a respective event  187  also includes delayed actions that delay delivery of the event information until after it has been determined whether the sequence of sub-events does or does not correspond to the event recognizer&#39;s event type. 
     When a respective event recognizer  180  determines that the series of sub-events do not match any of the events in event definitions  186 , the respective event recognizer  180  enters an event impossible, event failed, or event ended state, after which it disregards subsequent sub-events of the touch-based gesture. In this situation, other event recognizers, if any, that remain active for the hit view continue to track and process sub-events of an ongoing touch-based gesture. 
     In some embodiments, a respective event recognizer  180  includes metadata  183  with configurable properties, flags, and/or lists that indicate how the event delivery system should perform sub-event delivery to actively involved event recognizers. In some embodiments, metadata  183  includes configurable properties, flags, and/or lists that indicate how event recognizers may interact with one another. In some embodiments, metadata  183  includes configurable properties, flags, and/or lists that indicate whether sub-events are delivered to varying levels in the view or programmatic hierarchy. 
     In some embodiments, a respective event recognizer  180  activates event handler  190  associated with an event when one or more particular sub-events of an event are recognized. In some embodiments, a respective event recognizer  180  delivers event information associated with the event to event handler  190 . Activating an event handler  190  is distinct from sending (and deferred sending) sub-events to a respective hit view. In some embodiments, event recognizer  180  throws a flag associated with the recognized event, and event handler  190  associated with the flag catches the flag and performs a predefined process. 
     In some embodiments, event delivery instructions  188  include sub-event delivery instructions that deliver event information about a sub-event without activating an event handler. Instead, the sub-event delivery instructions deliver event information to event handlers associated with the series of sub-events or to actively involved views. Event handlers associated with the series of sub-events or with actively involved views receive the event information and perform a predetermined process. 
     In some embodiments, data updater  176  creates and updates data used in application  136 - 1 . For example, data updater  176  updates the telephone number used in contacts module  137 , or stores a video file used in video player module  145 . In some embodiments, object updater  177  creates and updates objects used in application  136 - 1 . For example, object updater  176  creates a new user-interface object or updates the position of a user-interface object. GUI updater  178  updates the GUI. For example, GUI updater  178  prepares display information and sends it to graphics module  132  for display on a touch-sensitive display. 
     In some embodiments, event handler(s)  190  includes or has access to data updater  176 , object updater  177 , and GUI updater  178 . In some embodiments, data updater  176 , object updater  177 , and GUI updater  178  are included in a single module of a respective application  136 - 1  or application view  191 . In other embodiments, they are included in two or more software modules. 
     It shall be understood that the foregoing discussion regarding event handling of user touches on touch-sensitive displays also applies to other forms of user inputs to operate multifunction devices  100  with input-devices, not all of which are initiated on touch screens, e.g., coordinating mouse movement and mouse button presses with or without single or multiple keyboard presses or holds, user movements taps, drags, scrolls, etc., on touch-pads, pen stylus inputs, movement of the device, oral instructions, detected eye movements, biometric inputs, and/or any combination thereof, which may be utilized as inputs corresponding to sub-events which define an event to be recognized. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a portable multifunction device  100  having a touch screen  112  in accordance with some embodiments. The touch screen may display one or more graphics within user interface (UI)  200 . In this embodiment, as well as others described below, a user may select one or more of the graphics by making contact or touching the graphics, for example, with one or more fingers  202  (not drawn to scale in the figure) or one or more styluses  203  (not drawn to scale in the figure). In some embodiments, selection of one or more graphics occurs when the user breaks contact with the one or more graphics. In some embodiments, the contact may include a gesture, such as one or more taps, one or more swipes (from left to right, right to left, upward and/or downward) and/or a rolling of a finger (from right to left, left to right, upward and/or downward) that has made contact with device  100 . In some embodiments, inadvertent contact with a graphic may not select the graphic. For example, a swipe gesture that sweeps over an application icon may not select the corresponding application when the gesture corresponding to selection is a tap. 
     Device  100  may also include one or more physical buttons, such as “home” or menu button  204 . As described previously, menu button  204  may be used to navigate to any application  136  in a set of applications that may be executed on device  100 . Alternatively, in some embodiments, the menu button is implemented as a soft key in a GUI displayed on touch screen  112 . 
     In one embodiment, device  100  includes touch screen  112 , menu button  204 , push button  206  for powering the device on/off and locking the device, volume adjustment button(s)  208 , Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card slot  210 , head set jack  212 , and docking/charging external port  124 . Push button  206  may be used to turn the power on/off on the device by depressing the button and holding the button in the depressed state for a predefined time interval; to lock the device by depressing the button and releasing the button before the predefined time interval has elapsed; and/or to unlock the device or initiate an unlock process. In an alternative embodiment, device  100  also may accept verbal input for activation or deactivation of some functions through microphone  113 . 
       FIGS. 3A and 3B  illustrate portable multifunction devices having touch-sensitive displays and touch-sensitive surfaces  114  that are distinct from the touch-sensitive displays in accordance with some embodiments. 
       FIG. 3A  depicts that portable multifunction device  100  has touch-sensitive surfaces on its back (e.g.,  114 - 1 ), sides (e.g., left  114 - 2 , right (not shown), top (not shown), and bottom (not shown)), and front bezel (e.g.,  114 - 3 ). In some embodiments, touch-sensitive surfaces  114  are integrated (e.g., touch-sensitive surfaces  114  on its back, sides, and front bezel are an extension of a single touch-sensitive surface). In some embodiments, touch-sensitive surfaces  114  include distinct touch-sensitive surfaces on different areas (e.g., back, sides, and front bezel) of device  100 . In some embodiments, device  100  includes a subset of, but not all, touch-sensitive surfaces depicted in  FIG. 3A . For example, device  100  may include touch-sensitive surfaces on its back and front bezel, but not on its sides. Alternatively, device  100  may include one or more touch-sensitive surfaces on its front bezel and sides, but not on its back; on its sides and back, but not on its front bezel; on its front bezel only, but not on its sides or back; on its sides only, but not on its front bezel or back; or on its back only, but not on its front bezel and sides. In some embodiments, device  100  includes touch-sensitive surfaces on one of: the back side, the four sides, and the front bezel of device  100 . In some embodiments, the device has distinct touch-sensitive surfaces for four sides (top, bottom, left, and right). In some embodiments, the device may have a single continuous touch-sensitive surface for four sides. In some embodiments, the device has distinct touch-sensitive surfaces for two sides (e.g., left and right). 
       FIG. 3B  depicts that portable multifunction device  100  has a plurality of touch-sensitive surfaces  114  on its back (e.g.,  114 - 4  through  114 -X), sides (e.g.,  114 -(X+1) through  114 -Y and additional touch-sensitive surfaces on right, top, and bottom sides (not shown)), and front bezel (e.g.,  114 -(Y+1) through  114 -Z). The plurality of touch-sensitive surfaces  114  may be arranged in a pattern (e.g., a grid pattern as depicted in  FIG. 3B , a honeycomb pattern, a spiral pattern, etc.). In some embodiments, a combination of two or more patterns is used (e.g., a respective pattern is used for a respective area of device  100 ). 
     In some embodiments, the plurality of touch-sensitive surfaces  114  is not uniformly distributed. In some embodiments, the plurality of touch-sensitive surfaces  114  on the back of device  100  is more densely positioned along the edges than near the center, or vice versa (not shown). In some embodiments, the plurality of touch-sensitive surfaces  114  on the back of device  100  is positioned along the edges (e.g., touch-sensitive surfaces are not located near the center of the back side of device  100  (not shown)). 
     In some embodiments, the plurality of touch-sensitive surfaces  114  on respective sides (e.g.,  114 - 2  on the left side) of device  100  is not uniformly distributed. In some embodiments, the plurality of touch-sensitive surfaces  114  on respective sides (e.g., left and/or right side) of device  100  is more densely located near the middle than toward the top and bottom of device  100 . In some embodiments, the plurality of touch-sensitive surfaces  114  on respective sides (e.g., left and/or right side) of device  100  is located near the middle and not toward the top and bottom of device  100 . 
     In some embodiments, the plurality of touch-sensitive surfaces  114  on the front bezel of device  100  is not uniformly distributed. In some embodiments, the plurality of touch-sensitive surfaces  114  on the front bezel of device  100  is more densely located near the sides than near the top and bottom of device  100 . In some embodiments, the plurality of touch-sensitive surfaces  114  on the front bezel is located along the sides and not along the top and bottom of device  100 . 
     Attention is now directed towards embodiments of user interfaces (“UI”) that may be implemented on portable multifunction device  100 . 
       FIGS. 4A and 4B  illustrate exemplary user interfaces for a menu of applications on portable multifunction device  100  in accordance with some embodiments. In some embodiments, user interface  400 A includes the following elements, or a subset or superset thereof:
         Signal strength indicator(s)  402  for wireless communication(s), such as cellular and Wi-Fi signals;   Time  404 ;   Bluetooth indicator  405 ;   Battery status indicator  406 ;   Tray  408  with icons for frequently used applications, such as:
           Phone  138 , which may include an indicator  414  of the number of missed calls or voicemail messages;   E-mail client  140 , which may include an indicator  410  of the number of unread e-mails;   Browser  147 ; and   Music player  146 ; and   
           Icons for other applications, such as:
           IM  141 ;   Image management  144 ;   Camera  143 ;   Video player  145 ;   Weather  149 - 1 ;   Stocks  149 - 2 ;   Workout support  142 ;   Calendar  148 ;   Calculator  149 - 3 ;   Alarm clock  149 - 4 ;   Dictionary  149 - 5 ; and   User-created widget  149 - 6 .   
               

     In some embodiments, user interface  400 B includes the following elements, or a subset or superset thereof:
           402 ,  404 ,  405 ,  406 ,  141 ,  148 ,  144 ,  143 ,  149 - 3 ,  149 - 2 ,  149 - 1 ,  149 - 4 ,  410 ,  414 ,  138 ,  140 , and  147 , as described above;   Map  154 ;   Notes  153 ;   Settings  412 , which provides access to settings for device  100  and its various applications  136 , as described further below;   Video and music player module  152 , also referred to as iPod (trademark of Apple Inc.) module  152 ; and   Online video module  155 , also referred to as YouTube (trademark of Google Inc.) module  155 .       

     Attention is now directed towards embodiments of user interfaces (“UI”) and associated processes that may be implemented on a multifunction device with a touch-sensitive display and one or more touch-sensitive surfaces that are distinct from the touch-sensitive display, such as portable multifunction device  100 . 
       FIGS. 5A-5F  illustrate exemplary user interfaces for determining respective finger contact coordinate tuples in accordance with some embodiments. The user interfaces in these figures are used to illustrate the processes described below, including the processes in  FIGS. 6A-6C . 
     In  FIGS. 5A-5F , the size of contacts (e.g., finger contacts and/or palm contacts) or the distance to user interface objects may be exaggerated for illustrative purposes. No depiction in the figures bearing on sizes or distances to user interface objects should be taken as a requirement or limitation for the purpose of understanding sizes and scale associated with the methods and devices disclosed herein. 
       FIG. 5A  depicts that device  100  displays a plurality of user interface objects  502  and  504  on touch screen  112 . Device  100  is held by a left hand of a user. As illustrated, when holding device  100  with the left hand, the user contacts the back (e.g., contacts  591  made with fingers and contacts  593  made with a palm), left (e.g., contact  593 - 5  made with a part of the palm and/or contact  595 - 1  made with a part of the thumb), and front sides (e.g., contact  595 - 2  made with a part of the thumb) of device  100 . The user contacts on device  100  are detected by one or more touch-sensitive surfaces (e.g.,  114 ,  FIGS. 1A-1B  and  3 A- 3 B). In addition, finger contact  505  is detected on touch screen  112 . 
     Device  100  determines finger contact coordinate tuples based at least in part on the respective user contacts on the one or more touch-sensitive surfaces  114 . In some embodiments, based on the detected contacts, device  100  selects a respective contact-area-to-coordinate-tuple conversion rule to determine a respective finger contact coordinate tuple. For example, when conversion rules  131  include a finger-of-a-right-hand conversion rule and a left hand is used to hold device  100 , device  100  determines that device  100  is held by a left hand (e.g., based on contacts on the back, left, and front sides), therefore finger contact  505  is made with a finger of a right hand, and device  100  selects the finger-of-a-right-hand conversion rule. In some embodiments, device  100  may determine that device  100  is held by a left hand based on contacts on one or more of: the back, left, and front sides of device  100  (e.g., device  100  may determine that device  100  is held by a left hand solely by a pattern of contacts on the back side or the left side of device  100 ). 
     As another example, when conversion rules  131  include an index-finger-of-a-right-hand conversion rule and a left hand is used to hold device  100 , device  100  may additionally determine that finger contact  505  is made with an index finger of a right hand based on an area of finger contact  505  (e.g., size and/or ellipticity of the contact area) or by default, and select the index-finger-of-a-right-hand conversion rule. Similarly, when conversion rules  131  include other finger specific conversion rules, device  100  determines an identity of a finger that is used to make a contact, and selects a finger specific conversion rule that corresponds to the determined identity of the finger. 
     In some embodiments, for a respective contact on the one or more touch-sensitive surfaces  114 , device  100  determines whether the respective contact is made with a finger or a palm (e.g., based on the area of the respective contact and/or a location of the respective contact relative to respective locations of other contacts). 
     In  FIG. 5B , device  100  displays a plurality of user interface objects  502  and  504  on touch screen  112 . Device  100  is held by a left hand of a user. As illustrated, when holding device  100  with the left hand, the user contacts the left (e.g., contact  593 - 5  made with a part of the palm and/or contact  595 - 1  made with a part of the thumb), front (e.g., contact  595 - 2  made with a part of the thumb), and right sides (e.g., contacts  597  made with non-thumb fingers) of device  100 . In some embodiments, when holding device  100  with the left hand, the user also contacts the back side of device  100  (contacts not shown). The contacts on device  100  are detected by one or more touch-sensitive surfaces (e.g.,  114 ,  FIGS. 1A-1B  and  3 A- 3 B). In addition, finger contact  507  is detected on touch screen  112 . 
     Device  100  determines finger contact coordinate tuples based at least in part on the respective user contacts on the one or more touch-sensitive surfaces  114 . In some embodiments, based on the detected contacts, device  100  selects a respective contact-area-to-coordinate tuple conversion rule to determine a respective finger contact coordinate tuple. For example, when conversion rules  131  include a finger-of-a-right-hand conversion rule and a left hand is used to hold device  100 , device  100  determines that device  100  is held by a left hand (e.g., based on contacts on the front, left, and right sides), therefore finger contact  507  is made with a finger of a right hand, and device  100  selects a finger-of-a-right-hand conversion rule. When contacts are detected on both left and right sides of device  100 , device  100  determines whether device  100  is held by a left hand or a right hand based on one or more of: the number of contacts on the left side and the number of contacts on the right side (e.g., as depicted, when held by a right hand, the right side has four contacts, and the left side has two or less contacts); whether a finger contact on the front side is on the left side or the right side of device  100 ; and a pattern of contacts on the back side of device  100  (e.g., location of contacts that correspond to a palm and/or location of contacts that correspond to fingers). As another example, when conversion rules  131  include an index-finger-of-a-right-hand conversion rule and a left hand is used to hold device  100 , device  100  may additionally determine that finger contact  507  is made with an index finger of a right hand based on an area of finger contact  507  (e.g., size or ellipticity of the contact area) or by default, and select the index-finger-of-a-right-hand conversion rule. Similarly, when conversion rules  131  include other finger specific conversion rules, device  100  determines an identity of a finger that is used to make a contact, and selects a finger specific conversion rule that corresponds to the determined identity of the finger. 
       FIG. 5C  depicts that device  100  displays a plurality of user interface objects  502  and  504  on touch screen  112 . In  FIG. 5C , device  100  is held by a left hand near the top half of device  100 , as compared to device  100  held near the bottom half of device  100  (e.g.,  FIG. 5A ). User contacts on device  100  are detected by one or more touch-sensitive surfaces (e.g.,  114 ,  FIGS. 1A-1B  and  3 A- 3 B). In addition, finger contact  509  is detected on touch screen  112 . 
     In some embodiments, device  100  determines finger contact coordinate tuples based at least in part on the respective locations of the user contacts on the one or more touch-sensitive surfaces. In some embodiments, based on the respective locations of detected contacts, device  100  selects a contact-area-to-coordinate tuple conversion rule to determine a respective finger contact coordinate tuple. For example, when conversion rules  131  include a held-by-the-upper-part conversion rule, device  100  may determine that device  100  is held by the top half of device  100 , and select the held-by-the-upper-part conversion rule. Analogously, when conversion rules  131  include a held-by-the-lower-part conversion rule, device  100  may determine that device  100  is held by the bottom half of device  100 , and select the held-by-the-lower-part conversion rule. In some embodiments, conversion rules  131  include held-by-the-middle-part conversion rule for use when device  100  is held by a hand positioned near the middle of device  100 . 
     Although  FIGS. 5A-5C  depict device  100  held by a left hand of a user, device  100  can be held by a right hand of a user. Contacts on the one or more touch-sensitive surfaces  114  when device  100  is held by a right hand are analogous to the contacts on the one or more touch-sensitive surfaces  114  when device  100  is held by a left hand. Therefore, detailed description of device  100  held by a right hand of a user is omitted for brevity. 
       FIGS. 5D-5E  illustrate device  100  held by two hands in accordance with some embodiments. 
       FIG. 5D  depicts that device  100  displays a plurality of user interface objects  512  through  516  on touch screen  112 . In  FIG. 5D , device  100  is held by both left and right hands. User contacts on device  100  are detected by one or more touch-sensitive surfaces (e.g.,  114 ,  FIGS. 1A-1B  and  3 A- 3 B). In addition, finger contact  511  is detected on touch screen  112 . 
     Device  100  determines respective finger contact coordinate tuples based at least in part on the user contacts on the one or more touch-sensitive surfaces  114 . In some embodiments, based on the detected contacts, device  100  selects a contact-area-to-coordinate tuple conversion rule to determine a respective finger contact coordinate tuple. For example, when conversion rules  131  include a thumb conversion rule, device  100  determines that finger contact  511  is made with a thumb, and selects the thumb conversion rule. Device  100  may determine that finger contact  511  is made with a thumb based on one or more of: the area of finger contact  511  (e.g., size and/or ellipticity of the contact area); the number of fingers detected on the one or more touch-sensitive surfaces (e.g., when eight fingers are detected on the back side of device  100 , assume that a contact on touch screen  112  is made with a thumb); and whether two hands are used to hold device  100  (e.g., based on the distribution of contacts on the back and/or left and right sides of device  100 ). 
     In some embodiments, when device  100  determines that a finger contact is made with a thumb, device  100  determines whether the finger contact is made with a left thumb or a right thumb. For example, when device  100  determines that finger contact  511  is made with a thumb and finger contact  511  is detected on a left-half of touch screen  112 , device  100  determines that finger contact  511  is made with a left thumb and selects a left-thumb conversion rule. Similarly, when finger contact  513  ( FIG. 5E ) is made with a thumb and finger contact  513  is detected on a right-half of touch screen  112 , device  100  determines that finger contact  513  is made with a right thumb and selects a right-thumb conversion rule. Additionally, or alternatively, device  100  determines that finger contact  513  is made with a left thumb or a right thumb based on an angle of finger contact  513  (e.g., an angle of a major axis that corresponds to finger contact  513 ). 
       FIG. 5F  illustrates an exemplary finger contact area  517  detected on touch screen  112 . As illustrated, a finger contact (e.g.,  517 ) typically has an elliptical (or oval) shape. An ellipse has a major axis (e.g.,  531 - 1 ) and a minor axis (e.g.,  531 - 2 ). In some cases, an angle between a predefined reference axis of display  112  (e.g., horizontal axis  533 ) and the major axis (e.g.,  531 - 1 ) or minor axis (e.g.,  531 - 2 ) is used to characterize the elliptical contact area. For example, angle  535 , which represents an angle between minor axis  531 - 2  and horizontal axis  533 , is used to characterize the elliptical contact area (e.g., angle  535  may range from 0 degree to 180 degrees). In some embodiments, instead of the major axis or the minor axis, another axis (not shown) that is neither a major axis nor a minor axis is used to characterize the elliptical contact area. 
     In some embodiments, whether the finger contact is made with a thumb or a non-thumb finger is determined based an ellipticity (e.g., a ratio of a major axis length and a minor axis length) or eccentricity (e.g., a ratio of a major axis length and a distance between two foci) of the ellipse that is fitted to an area of the finger contact. In some embodiments, whether the finger contact is made with a thumb or a non-thumb finger is determined based on an area of the finger contact (e.g., a finger contact made with a thumb has a larger area than a finger contact made with a non-thumb finger). In some embodiments, a combination of methods described above may be used. 
     In some embodiments, a contact-area-to-coordinate-tuple conversion rule determines a finger contact coordinate tuple as a coordinate tuple that is offset from the centroid of the ellipse (e.g.,  541 ). For example, finger contact coordinate tuple  547  is vertically offset from centroid  541  by a predetermined distance or in accordance with the area of contact  517 . In some embodiments, a contact-area-to-coordinate tuple conversion rule determines a finger contact coordinate tuple as a coordinate tuple that is offset from the centroid of ellipse along the major axis (e.g.,  541 ). In some embodiments, the amount of offset is determined based on a predetermined distance, in accordance with the area of contact  517  (e.g., the finger contact coordinate tuple may be offset by 30% of the major axis length of the ellipse that corresponds to contact  517 ), and/or based on the identity of the finger contact. 
     In some embodiments, contact-area-to-coordinate-tuple conversion rules are applied cumulatively (e.g., multiple contact-area-to-coordinate-tuple conversion rules can be used one after another). For example, a first contact-area-to-coordinate-tuple conversion rule determines a finger contact coordinate tuple as a centroid of the ellipse; a second contact-area-to-coordinate-tuple conversion rule offsets the coordinate tuple along the major axis of the ellipse by a predetermined distance; and a third contact-area-to-coordinate-tuple conversion rule offsets the coordinate tuple by a predetermined distance (in horizontal and/or vertical directions). Then, by applying the three contact-area-to-coordinate-tuple conversion rules, finger contact coordinate tuple  545  is determined (e.g., the first rule determines coordinate tuple  541  as the contact coordinate tuple; the second rule offsets coordinate tuple  541  to second coordinate tuple  543 ; and the third rule offsets second coordinate tuple  543  to coordinate tuple  545  (in accordance with horizontal offset  551  and vertical offset  553 )). In some embodiments, respective conversion rules are represented as respective vectors, and the sum of vectors that corresponds to all applicable conversion rules are used to determine a respective finger contact coordinate tuple. 
     In some embodiments, contact-area-to-coordinate-tuple conversion rules are combinations of contact-area-to-coordinate-tuple conversion rules. For example, an index-finger-of-a-left-hand conversion rule may be a combination of a left-hand conversion rule and an index-finger conversion rule. 
       FIGS. 6A-6C  are flow diagrams illustrating method  600  of determining respective finger contact coordinate tuples in accordance with some embodiments. Method  600  is performed at an electronic device (e.g., portable multifunction device  100 ,  FIG. 1 ) with a touch-sensitive display and one or more touch-sensitive surfaces that are distinct from the touch-sensitive display (e.g., touch-sensitive surfaces on the bezel, sides, and/or back of the device). Some operations in method  600  may be combined and/or the order of some operations may be changed. 
     As described below, method  600  provides a more accurate way to determine respective finger contact coordinate tuples. The method reduces erroneous manipulations when manipulating one or more user interface objects, thereby reducing the cognitive burden on a user and creating a more efficient human-machine interface. For battery-operated computing devices, enabling a user to manipulate user interface objects faster and more efficiently conserves power and increases the time between battery charges. 
     The device displays ( 602 ) one or more user interface objects on the touch-sensitive display (e.g., user interface objects  502  and  504  in  FIG. 5A ). 
     The device detects ( 604 ) one or more user contacts (e.g., contacts  591 ,  593 , and  595  in  FIG. 5A ) on the one or more touch-sensitive surfaces that are distinct from the touch-sensitive display (e.g., touch-sensitive surfaces  114  in  FIGS. 1A-1B  and  3 A- 3 B). In some embodiments, user contacts may include finger contacts and/or contacts made by any other portion of the user&#39;s hand (e.g., palm, such as  593  in  FIG. 5A ) against the sides and/or back of the device. 
     Operations  608  through  612  are performed while the device detects the one or more user contacts on the one or more touch-sensitive surfaces that are distinct from the touch-sensitive display ( 606 ). 
     The device detects ( 608 ) one or more finger contact areas at respective locations on the touch-sensitive display (e.g., contact  505  in  FIG. 5A ). 
     For each finger contact area, the device determines ( 610 ) a respective finger contact coordinate tuple based at least in part on: a respective location of a respective finger contact area, and the user contacts on the one or more touch-sensitive surfaces that are distinct from the touch-sensitive display. 
     In some embodiments, determining the respective finger contact includes ( 616 ): determining an identity of a respective finger that corresponds to the respective finger contact area on the touch-sensitive display based at least in part on the detected user contacts on the one or more touch-sensitive surfaces that are distinct from the touch-sensitive display; selecting a contact-area-to-coordinate tuple conversion rule (e.g.,  131  in  FIGS. 1A-1B ) in accordance with the identity of the respective finger; and determining the respective finger contact coordinate tuple in accordance with the respective location of the respective finger contact area and the selected contact-area-to-coordinate-tuple conversion rule. For example, in  FIG. 5A , based on detected contacts  591 ,  593 , and  595 , device  100  determines that a left-hand is used to hold device  100 , and that the identity of a finger that corresponds to contact  505  is a finger of a right hand. Then device  100  selects a finger-of-a-right-hand conversion rule. 
     In some embodiments, the finger is classified as either a thumb or a non-thumb finger (i.e., one of four digits in a hand that is not a thumb). In some embodiments, the finger is classified as one of: a thumb, an index finger, a middle finger, a ring finger, and a little finger. In some embodiments, the identity of the respective finger is determined also in accordance with a size and/or shape of a respective finger contact. For example, when the size of the respective finger exceeds a first threshold, the identity of the respective finger is determined to be a thumb. As another example, when the size of the respective finger is below a second threshold, the identity of the respective finger is determined to be a little finger. As yet another example, the identity of the respective finger is determined to be a thumb when the ellipticity of the contact area falls within a predefined range. In some embodiments, the identity of the respective finger is determined by a default rule (e.g., assume that an index finger is used to make a finger contact unless information is provided to identify the identity of the respective finger). 
     In some embodiments, determining the identity of the respective finger includes ( 618 ): determining a number of hands contacting the one or more touch-sensitive surfaces; and, when the number of hands contacting the one or more touch-sensitive surfaces is two, identifying the respective finger as a thumb (e.g., in  FIG. 5D , when two hands are detected, the identity of a finger that corresponds to contact  511  is determined as a thumb). 
     In some embodiments, determining the identity of the respective finger includes ( 620 ): determining a number of hands contacting the one or more touch-sensitive surfaces; and, when a number of hands contacting the one or more touch-sensitive surfaces is one: determining an identity of a first hand contacting the one or more touch-sensitive surfaces; and identifying the respective finger as a finger of a second hand. 
     For example, if a left hand is contacting the touch-sensitive surfaces  114 , device  100  uses a right-hand finger (or a finger-of-a-right-hand) conversion rule, because the gesture is deemed to be made with a right-hand finger and not the left thumb (e.g., in  FIG. 5A , when device  100  determines that a left hand is holding device  100 , the identity of a finger that corresponds to contact  505  is determined as a finger of a right hand). Analogously, when device  100  determines that a right hand is holding device  100 , the identity of a finger that corresponds to a contact is determined as a finger of a left hand (not the right thumb), and a left-hand finger (or a finger-of-a-left-hand) conversion rule is selected. 
     In some embodiments, when the device determines that a single hand is holding the device, the device disregards contacts, if any, by the thumb of that single hand on the touch-sensitive display  112 . This allows the device to prevent erroneous manipulations by that thumb. 
     In some embodiments, determining the identity of the respective finger on the touch-sensitive display includes ( 622 ) determining an identity of a hand associated with the respective finger. In some embodiments, determining the identity of a hand associated with the respective finger includes determining the identity of a hand holding the device (e.g., as noted above, if a left hand is holding the device, a right hand is used to make a contact; and vice versa). 
     In some embodiments, determining the respective finger contact coordinate tuple includes ( 624 ): selecting a contact-area-to-coordinate-tuple conversion rule (e.g.,  131  in  FIG. 1A ) in accordance with the respective location of the respective finger contact area on the touch-sensitive display; and determining the respective finger contact coordinate tuple in accordance with the respective location of the respective finger contact area and the selected contact-area-to-coordinate tuple conversion rule. For example, if the contact is detected near the top of the touch-sensitive display, a first conversion rule is used (e.g., a contact-on-the-upper-part conversion rule configured for a contact near the top of the display); and if the contact is detected near the bottom of the touch-sensitive display, a second conversion rule is used (a contact-on-the-lower-part conversion rule configured for a contact near the bottom of the display). Selection of such a conversion rule based on a location of a contact can reduce touch targeting errors due to the difference between a perceived location of a contact on touch-sensitive display  112  and the actual location of the contact on touch-sensitive display  112 . 
     In some embodiments, determining the respective finger contact coordinate tuple includes: determining a location of a hand that contacts the one or more touch-sensitive surfaces; selecting a contact-area-to-coordinate-tuple conversion rule (e.g.,  131  in  FIG. 1A ) in accordance with the respective location of the hand that contacts the one or more touch-sensitive surfaces; and determining the respective finger contact coordinate tuple in accordance with the respective location of the respective finger contact area and the selected contact-area-to-coordinate tuple conversion rule. For example, when the holding hand is over the upper half of the device, the device selects a held-by-the-upper-part conversion rule. When the holding hand is over the lower half of the device, the device selects a held-by-the-lower-part conversion rule. 
     In some embodiments, determining a respective finger contact coordinate tuple includes ( 626 ): determining an orientation of a hand that contacts the one or more touch-sensitive surfaces that are distinct from the touch-sensitive display; selecting a contact-area-to-coordinate-tuple conversion rule (e.g.,  131  in  FIGS. 1A-1B ) in accordance with the orientation of the hand that contacts the one or more touch-sensitive surfaces that are distinct from the touch-sensitive display; and determining the respective finger contact coordinate tuple in accordance with the respective location of the respective finger contact area and the selected contact-area-to-coordinate tuple conversion rule. 
     For example, if a hand is holding the device on a side edge, a conversion rule configured for a device held along the side edge is used. If the hand is holding the device along a bottom edge, a conversion rule configured for a device held along the bottom edge is used. In some embodiments, when device  100  determines that device  100  is held in a portrait orientation, a conversion rule configured for a portrait orientation is selected. In some embodiments, when device  100  determines that device  100  is held in a landscape orientation, a conversion rule configured for a landscape orientation is selected. 
     In some embodiments, determining the orientation of a hand includes determining an orientation of the device in accordance with the orientation of the hand (e.g., the hand is assumed to be located on a side of the device). In some embodiments, the orientation of the device is determined in accordance with the orientation of the hand and information received from accelerometer  168 . 
     The device manipulates ( 612 ) at least one of the one or more user interface objects in accordance with the respective finger contact coordinate tuples. In some embodiments, manipulating at least one of the one or more user interface objects includes moving the at least one of the one or more user interface objects (e.g., with a drag gesture). 
     In some embodiments, manipulating at least one of the one or more user interface objects includes ( 614 ) activating at least one of the one or more user interface objects. For example, when the user interface object is an application launch icon (e.g., text  141 , photos  144 , camera  143 , etc. in  FIGS. 4A-4B ), activating the user interface object includes launching an application that corresponds to the application launch icon (e.g., activating text  141  in  FIG. 4A  launches an instant messaging application or instant messaging module  141  in  FIG. 1A ). As another example, when the user interface object is a digital image icon (e.g., a photo icon), activating the user interface object includes displaying a digital image that corresponds to the digital image icon. As another example, when the user interface object is a music icon or a multimedia file icon, activating the user interface object includes playing a corresponding music file or a corresponding multimedia file. As another example, when the user interface objects are keys in a virtual keyboard, activating the user interface objects includes activating keys in the virtual keyboard. 
     In some embodiments, the device determines the number of fingers contacting the touch-sensitive display and the number of fingers contacting the touch-sensitive surfaces. When the number of fingers contacting the touch-sensitive display is more than the number of fingers contacting the touch-sensitive surfaces, the device ignores the finger contact areas detected on the touch-sensitive display. 
     In some embodiments, the device determines a contact made with a palm on the touch-sensitive display. When a contact is made with a palm on the touch-sensitive display, the device disregards the palm contact area detected on the touch-sensitive display. This allows the device to prevent erroneous manipulations by the palm contact. 
     The operations in the information processing methods described above may be implemented by running one or more functional modules in information processing apparatus such as general purpose processors or application specific chips. These modules, combinations of these modules, and/or their combination with general hardware (e.g., as described above with respect to  FIGS. 1A ,  1 B and  3 ) are all included within the scope of protection of the invention. 
     The operations described above with reference to  FIGS. 6A-6C  may be implemented by components depicted in  FIGS. 1A-1C . For example, detection operation  604 , manipulation operation  612 , and activation operation  614  may be implemented by event sorter  170 , event recognizer  180 , and event handler  190 . Event monitor  171  in event sorter  170  detects a contact on touch-sensitive display  112 , and event dispatcher module  174  delivers the event information to application  136 - 1 . A respective event recognizer  180  of application  136 - 1  compares the event information to respective event definitions  186 , and determines whether a first contact at a first location on the touch-sensitive surface (or whether rotation of the device) corresponds to a predefined event or sub-event, such as selection of an object on a user interface, or rotation of the device from one orientation to another. When a respective predefined event or sub-event is detected, event recognizer  180  activates an event handler  190  associated with the detection of the event or sub-event. Event handler  190  may utilize or call data updater  176  or object updater  177  to update the application internal state  192 . In some embodiments, event handler  190  accesses a respective GUI updater  178  to update what is displayed by the application. Similarly, it would be clear to a person having ordinary skill in the art how other processes can be implemented based on the components depicted in  FIGS. 1A-1C . 
     The foregoing description, for purpose of explanation, has been described with reference to specific embodiments. However, the illustrative discussions above are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.