Patent Publication Number: US-2023161168-A1

Title: Computing device with live background and related method

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of PCT application serial no. PCT/CN2021/133070 filed Nov. 25, 2021, which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to computing devices, and more particularly, to a graphical user interface for computing devices. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Mobile devices have become ubiquitous in modern times. Since mobile devices can be engrossing, easily absorbing a user’s complete attention, there have been efforts to mitigate safety risks when the user is multitasking. For example, some mobile devices detect when the user is traveling within a motor vehicle and will warn the user, and/or disable functionality to encourage the user to pay complete attention to the motor vehicle. 
     In typical metropolitan areas, it is not uncommon to see many people walking about with their attention firmly devoted to a mobile device. Further, it is not uncommon for pedestrians to walk into traffic or trip on sidewalks while using their mobile devices. Indeed, in some high traffic areas, some municipalities have placed signs encouraging pedestrians to keep their attention forward and away from the mobile device. Because of this, there has been general concern for pedestrian safety for users walking while using their mobile device. The issue has grown to such a level that government interest in pedestrian safety has increased. See, e.g., Scopatz, R. A.  &amp;  Zhou, Y. (2016, April), Effect of electronic device use on pedestrian safety: A literature review (Report No. DOT HS 812 256). Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 
     SUMMARY 
     Generally, a computing device includes an image sensor, an inertial measurement unit (IMU), a display, and a processor coupled to the image sensor, the IMU, and the display. The processor is configured to generate a graphical user interface (GUI) current screen on the display. The GUI current screen comprises a background, and a plurality of foreground GUI elements overlaying the background. The processor is configured to when the IMU generates motion data indicative of movement, render the background to comprise a video image (e.g. live video image) from the image sensor. 
     Further, the processor may be configured to, when the IMU generates the motion data indicative of movement and when user input is detected, render the background to comprise the video image from the image sensor. The computing device may further include a flash device adjacent the image sensor, and the processor may be configured to, when the IMU generates the motion data indicative of movement and when ambient illumination is less than a threshold, activate the flash device and render the background to comprise the video image from the image sensor. The processor may be configured to render the background to comprise the video image from the image sensor until a set time period expires. 
     For example, the GUI current screen may comprise a chat application interface. The background may comprise a chat interface background, and the plurality of foreground GUI elements may comprise chat textual elements. The GUI current screen may comprise a home screen interface. The background may comprise a home screen background, and the plurality of foreground GUI elements may comprise application icons. 
     Also, the computing device may further comprise a housing carrying the image sensor, the IMU, the display, and the processor, and the image sensor may be carried by a major surface of the housing, the major surface being opposite the display. The motion data indicative of movement may comprise motion data indicative of at least one of walking and running. 
     Another aspect is directed to a method of operating a computing device comprising an image sensor, an IMU, and a display. The method comprises operating a processor coupled to the image sensor, the IMU, and the display, to generate a GUI current screen on the display. The GUI current screen includes a background, and a plurality of foreground GUI elements overlaying the background. The method comprises operating the processor to, when the IMU generates motion data indicative of movement, render the background to comprise a video image from the image sensor. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a schematic block diagram of a network environment of computing devices in which various aspects of the disclosure may be implemented. 
         FIG.  2    is a schematic block diagram of a computing device useful for practicing an embodiment of the client machines or the remote machines illustrated in  FIG.  1   . 
         FIG.  3    is a schematic block diagram of a cloud computing environment in which various aspects of the disclosure may be implemented. 
         FIG.  4    is a schematic block diagram of desktop, mobile and web based devices operating a workspace app in which various aspects of the disclosure may be implemented. 
         FIG.  5    is a schematic block diagram of a workspace network environment of computing devices in which various aspects of the disclosure may be implemented. 
         FIG.  6    is a schematic block diagram of a computing device in which various aspects of the disclosure may be implemented. 
         FIGS.  7 A and  7 B  are schematic diagrams of the computing device of  FIG.  6    with an original chat interface background and a replaced chat interface background, respectively. 
         FIGS.  8 A and  8 B  are schematic diagrams of the computing device of  FIG.  6    with an original home screen interface background and a replaced home screen interface background, respectively. 
         FIG.  9    is a flowchart of a method for operating the computing device of  FIG.  6   , according to a first example embodiment. 
         FIG.  10    is a more detailed flowchart of the method for operating the computing device of  FIG.  6   , according to a second example embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present description is made with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments are shown. However, many different embodiments may be used, and thus the description should not be construed as limited to the particular embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout, and prime notation is used to indicate similar elements in different embodiments. 
     Referring initially to  FIG.  1   , a non-limiting network environment  10  in which various aspects of the disclosure may be implemented includes one or more client machines  12 A- 12 N, one or more remote machines  16 A- 16 N, one or more networks  14 ,  14 ′, and one or more appliances  18  installed within the computing environment  10 . The client machines  12 A- 12 N communicate with the remote machines  16 A- 16 N via the networks  14 ,  14 ′. 
     In some embodiments, the client machines  12 A- 12 N communicate with the remote machines  16 A- 16 N via an intermediary appliance  18 . The illustrated appliance  18  is positioned between the networks  14 ,  14 ′ and may also be referred to as a network interface or gateway. In some embodiments, the appliance  18  may operate as an application delivery controller (ADC) to provide clients with access to business applications and other data deployed in a data center, the cloud, or delivered as Software as a Service (SaaS) across a range of client devices, and/or provide other functionality such as load balancing, etc. In some embodiments, multiple appliances  18  may be used, and the appliance(s)  18  may be deployed as part of the network  14  and/or  14 ′ . 
     The client machines  12 A- 12 N may be generally referred to as client machines  12 , local machines  12 , clients  12 , client nodes  12 , client computers  12 , client devices  12 , computing devices  12 , endpoints  12 , or endpoint nodes  12 . The remote machines  16 A- 16 N may be generally referred to as servers  16  or a server farm  16 . In some embodiments, a client device  12  may have the capacity to function as both a client node seeking access to resources provided by a server  16  and as a server  16  providing access to hosted resources for other client devices  12 A- 12 N. The networks  14 ,  14 ′ may be generally referred to as a network  14 . The networks  14  may be configured in any combination of wired and wireless networks. 
     A server  16  may be any server type such as, for example: a file server; an application server; a web server; a proxy server; an appliance; a network appliance; a gateway; an application gateway; a gateway server; a virtualization server; a deployment server; a Secure Sockets Layer Virtual Private Network (SSL VPN) server; a firewall; a web server; a server executing an active directory; a cloud server; or a server executing an application acceleration program that provides firewall functionality, application functionality, or load balancing functionality. 
     A server  16  may execute, operate or otherwise provide an application that may be any one of the following: software; a program; executable instructions; a virtual machine; a hypervisor; a web browser; a web-based client; a client-server application; a thin-client computing client; an ActiveX control; a Java applet; software related to voice over internet protocol (VoIP) communications like a soft IP telephone; an application for streaming video and/or audio; an application for facilitating real-time-data communications; a HTTP client; a FTP client; an Oscar client; a Telnet client; or any other set of executable instructions. 
     In some embodiments, a server  16  may execute a remote presentation services program or other program that uses a thin-client or a remote-display protocol to capture display output generated by an application executing on a server  16  and transmit the application display output to a client device  12 . 
     In yet other embodiments, a server  16  may execute a virtual machine providing, to a user of a client device  12 , access to a computing environment. The client device  12  may be a virtual machine. The virtual machine may be managed by, for example, a hypervisor, a virtual machine manager (VMM), or any other hardware virtualization technique within the server  16 . 
     In some embodiments, the network  14  may be: a local-area network (LAN); a metropolitan area network (MAN); a wide area network (WAN); a primary public network 14; and a primary private network  14 . Additional embodiments may include a network  14  of mobile telephone networks that use various protocols to communicate among mobile devices. For short range communications within a wireless local-area network (WLAN), the protocols may include 802.11, Bluetooth, and Near Field Communication (NFC). 
       FIG.  2    depicts a block diagram of a computing device  20  useful for practicing an embodiment of client devices  12 , appliances  18  and/or servers  16 . The computing device  20  includes one or more processors  22 , volatile memory  24  (e.g., random access memory (RAM)), non-volatile memory  30 , user interface (UI)  38 , one or more communications interfaces  26 , and a communications bus  48 . 
     The non-volatile memory  30  may include: one or more hard disk drives (HDDs) or other magnetic or optical storage media; one or more solid state drives (SSDs), such as a flash drive or other solid-state storage media; one or more hybrid magnetic and solid-state drives; and/or one or more virtual storage volumes, such as a cloud storage, or a combination of such physical storage volumes and virtual storage volumes or arrays thereof. 
     The user interface  38  may include a GUI  40  (e.g., a touchscreen, a display, etc.) and one or more input/output (I/O) devices  42  (e.g., a mouse, a keyboard, a microphone, one or more speakers, one or more cameras, one or more biometric scanners, one or more environmental sensors, and one or more accelerometers, etc.). 
     The non-volatile memory  30  stores an operating system  32 , one or more applications  34 , and data  36  such that, for example, computer instructions of the operating system  32  and/or the applications  34  are executed by processor(s)  22  out of the volatile memory  24 . In some embodiments, the volatile memory  24   may include one or more types of RAM and/or a cache memory that may offer a faster response time than a main memory. Data may be entered using an input device of the GUI  40  or received from the I/O device(s)  42 . Various elements of the computer  20  may communicate via the communications bus  48 . 
     The illustrated computing device  20  is shown merely as an example client device or server, and may be implemented by any computing or processing environment with any type of machine or set of machines that may have suitable hardware and/or software capable of operating as described herein. 
     The processor(s)  22  may be implemented by one or more programmable processors to execute one or more executable instructions, such as a computer program, to perform the functions of the system. As used herein, the term “processor” describes circuitry that performs a function, an operation, or a sequence of operations. The function, operation, or sequence of operations may be hard coded into the circuitry or soft coded by way of instructions held in a memory device and executed by the circuitry. A processor may perform the function, operation, or sequence of operations using digital values and/or using analog signals. 
     In some embodiments, the processor can be embodied in one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), graphics processing units (GPUs), microcontrollers, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic arrays (PLAs), multi-core processors, or general-purpose computers with associated memory. 
     The processor  22  may be analog, digital or mixed-signal. In some embodiments, the processor  22  may be one or more physical processors, or one or more virtual (e.g., remotely located or cloud) processors. A processor including multiple processor cores and/or multiple processors may provide functionality for parallel, simultaneous execution of instructions or for parallel, simultaneous execution of one instruction on more than one piece of data. 
     The communications interfaces  26  may include one or more interfaces to enable the computing device  20  to access a computer network such as a Local Area Network (LAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN), a Personal Area Network (PAN), or the Internet through a variety of wired and/or wireless connections, including cellular connections. 
     In described embodiments, the computing device  20  may execute an application on behalf of a user of a client device. For example, the computing device  20  may execute one or more virtual machines managed by a hypervisor. Each virtual machine may provide an execution session within which applications execute on behalf of a user or a client device, such as a hosted desktop session. The computing device  20  may also execute a terminal services session to provide a hosted desktop environment. The computing device  20  may provide access to a remote computing environment including one or more applications, one or more desktop applications, and one or more desktop sessions in which one or more applications may execute. 
     An example virtualization server  16  may be implemented using Citrix Hypervisor provided by Citrix Systems, Inc., of Fort Lauderdale, Florida (“Citrix Systems”). Virtual app and desktop sessions may further be provided by Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD), also from Citrix Systems. Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops is an application virtualization solution that enhances productivity with universal access to virtual sessions including virtual app, desktop, and data sessions from any device, plus the option to implement a scalable VDI solution. Virtual sessions may further include Software as a Service (SaaS) and Desktop as a Service (DaaS) sessions, for example. 
     Referring to  FIG.  3   , a cloud computing environment  50  is depicted, which may also be referred to as a cloud environment, cloud computing or cloud network. The cloud computing environment  50  can provide the delivery of shared computing services and/or resources to multiple users or tenants. For example, the shared resources and services can include, but are not limited to, networks, network bandwidth, servers, processing, memory, storage, applications, virtual machines, databases, software, hardware, analytics, and intelligence. 
     In the cloud computing environment  50 , one or more clients  52 A- 52 C (such as those described above) are in communication with a cloud network  54 . The cloud network  54  may include backend platforms, e.g., servers, storage, server farms or data centers. The users or clients  52 A- 52 C can correspond to a single organization/tenant or multiple organizations/tenants. More particularly, in one example implementation the cloud computing environment  50  may provide a private cloud serving a single organization (e.g., enterprise cloud). In another example, the cloud computing environment  50  may provide a community or public cloud serving multiple organizations/ tenants. In still further embodiments, the cloud computing environment  50  may provide a hybrid cloud that is a combination of a public cloud and a private cloud. Public clouds may include public servers that are maintained by third parties to the clients  52 A- 52 C or the enterprise/tenant. The servers may be located off-site in remote geographical locations or otherwise. 
     The cloud computing environment  50  can provide resource pooling to serve multiple users via clients  52 A- 52 C through a multi-tenant environment or multi-tenant model with different physical and virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned responsive to different demands within the respective environment. The multi-tenant environment can include a system or architecture that can provide a single instance of software, an application or a software application to serve multiple users. In some embodiments, the cloud computing environment  50  can provide on-demand self-service to unilaterally provision computing capabilities (e.g., server time, network storage) across a network for multiple clients  52 A- 52 C. The cloud computing environment  50  can provide an elasticity to dynamically scale out or scale in responsive to different demands from one or more clients  52 . In some embodiments, the computing environment  50  can include or provide monitoring services to monitor, control and/or generate reports corresponding to the provided shared services and resources. 
     In some embodiments, the cloud computing environment  50  may provide cloud-based delivery of different types of cloud computing services, such as Software as a service (SaaS)  56 , Platform as a Service (PaaS)  58 , Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)  60 , and Desktop as a Service (DaaS)  62 , for example. IaaS may refer to a user renting the use of infrastructure resources that are needed during a specified time period. IaaS providers may offer storage, networking, servers or virtualization resources from large pools, allowing the users to quickly scale up by accessing more resources as needed. Examples of IaaS include AMAZON WEB SERVICES provided by Amazon.com, Inc., of Seattle, Washington, RACKSPACE CLOUD provided by Rackspace US, Inc., of San Antonio, Texas, Google Compute Engine provided by Google Inc. of Mountain View, California, or RIGHTSCALE provided by RightScale, Inc., of Santa Barbara, California. 
     PaaS providers may offer functionality provided by IaaS, including, e.g., storage, networking, servers or virtualization, as well as additional resources such as, e.g., the operating system, middleware, or runtime resources. Examples of PaaS include WINDOWS AZURE provided by Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Washington, Google App Engine provided by Google Inc., and HEROKU provided by Heroku, Inc. of San Francisco, California. 
     SaaS providers may offer the resources that PaaS provides, including storage, networking, servers, virtualization, operating system, middleware, or runtime resources. In some embodiments, SaaS providers may offer additional resources including, e.g., data and application resources. Examples of SaaS include GOOGLE APPS provided by Google Inc., SALESFORCE provided by Salesforce.com Inc. of San Francisco, California, or OFFICE  365  provided by Microsoft Corporation. Examples of SaaS may also include data storage providers, e.g. DROPBOX provided by Dropbox, Inc. of San Francisco, California, Microsoft ONEDRIVE provided by Microsoft Corporation, Google Drive provided by Google Inc., or Apple ICLOUD provided by Apple Inc. of Cupertino, California. 
     Similar to SaaS, DaaS (which is also known as hosted desktop services) is a form of virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) in which virtual desktop sessions are typically delivered as a cloud service along with the apps used on the virtual desktop. Citrix Cloud is one example of a DaaS delivery platform. DaaS delivery platforms may be hosted on a public cloud computing infrastructure such as AZURE CLOUD from Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Washington (herein “Azure”), or AMAZON WEB SERVICES provided by Amazon.com, Inc., of Seattle, Washington (herein “AWS”), for example. In the case of Citrix Cloud, Citrix Workspace app may be used as a single-entry point for bringing apps, files and desktops together (whether on-premises or in the cloud) to deliver a unified experience. 
     The unified experience provided by the Citrix Workspace app will now be discussed in greater detail with reference to  FIG.  4   . The Citrix Workspace app will be generally referred to herein as the workspace app  70 . The workspace app  70  is how a user gets access to their workspace resources, one category of which is applications. These applications can be SaaS apps, web apps or virtual apps. The workspace app  70  also gives users access to their desktops, which may be a local desktop or a virtual desktop. Further, the workspace app  70  gives users access to their files and data, which may be stored in numerous repositories. The files and data may be hosted on Citrix ShareFile, hosted on an on-premises network file server, or hosted in some other cloud storage provider, such as Microsoft OneDrive or Google Drive Box, for example. 
     To provide a unified experience, all of the resources a user requires may be located and accessible from the workspace app  70 . The workspace app  70  is provided in different versions. One version of the workspace app  70  is an installed application for desktops  72 , which may be based on Windows, Mac or Linux platforms. A second version of the workspace app  70  is an installed application for mobile devices  74 , which may be based on iOS or Android platforms. A third version of the workspace app  70  uses a hypertext markup language (HTML) browser to provide a user access to their workspace environment. The web version of the workspace app  70  is used when a user does not want to install the workspace app or does not have the rights to install the workspace app, such as when operating a public kiosk  76 . 
     Each of these different versions of the workspace app  70  may advantageously provide the same user experience. This advantageously allows a user to move from client device  72  to client device  74  to client device  76  in different platforms and still receive the same user experience for their workspace. The client devices  72 ,  74  and  76  are referred to as endpoints. 
     As noted above, the workspace app  70  supports Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android platforms as well as platforms with an HTML browser (HTML5). The workspace app  70  incorporates multiple engines  80 - 90  allowing users access to numerous types of app and data resources. Each engine  80 - 90  optimizes the user experience for a particular resource. Each engine  80 - 90  also provides an organization or enterprise with insights into user activities and potential security threats. 
     An embedded browser engine  80  keeps SaaS and web apps contained within the workspace app  70  instead of launching them on a locally installed and unmanaged browser. With the embedded browser, the workspace app  70  is able to intercept user-selected hyperlinks in SaaS and web apps and request a risk analysis before approving, denying, or isolating access. 
     A high definition experience (HDX) engine  82  establishes connections to virtual browsers, virtual apps and desktop sessions running on either Windows or Linux operating systems. With the HDX engine  82 , Windows and Linux resources run remotely, while the display remains local, on the endpoint. To provide the best possible user experience, the HDX engine  82  utilizes different virtual channels to adapt to changing network conditions and application requirements. To overcome high-latency or high-packet loss networks, the HDX engine  82  automatically implements optimized transport protocols and greater compression algorithms. Each algorithm is optimized for a certain type of display, such as video, images, or text. The HDX engine  82  identifies these types of resources in an application and applies the most appropriate algorithm to that section of the screen. 
     For many users, a workspace centers on data. A content collaboration engine  84  allows users to integrate all data into the workspace, whether that data lives on-premises or in the cloud. The content collaboration engine  84  allows administrators and users to create a set of connectors to corporate and user-specific data storage locations. This can include OneDrive, Dropbox, and on-premises network file shares, for example. Users can maintain files in multiple repositories and allow the workspace app  70  to consolidate them into a single, personalized library. 
     A networking engine  86  identifies whether or not an endpoint or an app on the endpoint requires network connectivity to a secured backend resource. The networking engine  86  can automatically establish a full VPN tunnel for the entire endpoint device, or it can create an app-specific µ-VPN connection. A µ-VPN defines what backend resources an application and an endpoint device can access, thus protecting the backend infrastructure. In many instances, certain user activities benefit from unique network-based optimizations. If the user requests a file copy, the workspace app  70  can automatically utilize multiple network connections simultaneously to complete the activity faster. If the user initiates a VoIP call, the workspace app  70  improves its quality by duplicating the call across multiple network connections. The networking engine  86  uses only the packets that arrive first. 
     An analytics engine  88  reports on the user’s device, location and behavior, where cloud-based services identify any potential anomalies that might be the result of a stolen device, a hacked identity or a user who is preparing to leave the company. The information gathered by the analytics engine  88  protects company assets by automatically implementing countermeasures. 
     A management engine  90  keeps the workspace app  70  current. This not only provides users with the latest capabilities, but also includes extra security enhancements. The workspace app  70  includes an auto-update service that routinely checks and automatically deploys updates based on customizable policies. 
     Referring now to  FIG.  5   , a workspace network environment  100  providing a unified experience to a user based on the workspace app  70  will be discussed. The desktop, mobile and web versions of the workspace app  70  all communicate with the workspace experience service  102  running within the Citrix Cloud  104 . The workspace experience service  102  then pulls in all the different resource feeds via a resource feed micro-service  108 . That is, all the different resources from other services running in the Citrix Cloud  104  are pulled in by the resource feed micro-service  108 . The different services may include a virtual apps and desktop service  110 , a secure browser service  112 , an endpoint management service  114 , a content collaboration service  116 , and an access control service  118 . Any service that an organization or enterprise subscribes to are automatically pulled into the workspace experience service  102  and delivered to the user’s workspace app  70 . 
     In addition to cloud feeds  120 , the resource feed micro-service  108  can pull in on-premises feeds  122 . A cloud connector  124  is used to provide virtual apps and desktop deployments that are running in an on-premises data center. Desktop virtualization may be provided by Citrix virtual apps and desktops  126 , Microsoft RDS  128  or VMware Horizon  130 , for example. In addition to cloud feeds  120  and on-premises feeds  122 , device feeds  132  from Internet of Thing (IoT) devices  134 , for example, may be pulled in by the resource feed micro-service  108 . Site aggregation is used to tie the different resources into the user’s overall workspace experience. 
     The cloud feeds  120 , on-premises feeds  122  and device feeds  132  each provides the user’s workspace experience with a different and unique type of application. The workspace experience can support local apps, SaaS apps, virtual apps, and desktops browser apps, as well as storage apps. As the feeds continue to increase and expand, the workspace experience is able to include additional resources in the user’s overall workspace. This means a user will be able to get to every single application that they need access to. 
     Still referring to the workspace network environment  20 , a series of events will be described on how a unified experience is provided to a user. The unified experience starts with the user using the workspace app  70  to connect to the workspace experience service  102  running within the Citrix Cloud  104 , and presenting their identity (event 1). The identity includes a user name and password, for example. 
     The workspace experience service  102  forwards the user’s identity to an identity micro-service  140  within the Citrix Cloud  104  (event 2). The identity micro-service  140  authenticates the user to the correct identity provider  142  (event 3) based on the organization’s workspace configuration. Authentication may be based on an on-premises active directory  144  that requires the deployment of a cloud connector  146 . Authentication may also be based on Azure Active Directory  148  or even a third party identity provider  150 , such as Citrix ADC or Okta, for example. 
     Once authorized, the workspace experience service  102  requests a list of authorized resources (event 4) from the resource feed micro-service  108 . For each configured resource feed  106 , the resource feed micro-service  108  requests an identity token (event 5) from the single-sign micro-service  152 . 
     The resource feed specific identity token is passed to each resource’s point of authentication (event 6). On-premises resources  122  are contacted through the Citrix Cloud Connector  124 . Each resource feed  106  replies with a list of resources authorized for the respective identity (event 7). 
     The resource feed micro-service  108  aggregates all items from the different resource feeds  106  and forwards (event 8) to the workspace experience service  102 . The user selects a resource from the workspace experience service  102  (event 9). 
     The workspace experience service  102  forwards the request to the resource feed micro-service  108  (event 10). The resource feed micro-service  108  requests an identity token from the single sign-on micro-service  152  (event 11). The user’s identity token is sent to the workspace experience service  102  (event 12) where a launch ticket is generated and sent to the user. 
     The user initiates a secure session to a gateway service  160  and presents the launch ticket (event  13 ). The gateway service  160  initiates a secure session to the appropriate resource feed  106  and presents the identity token to seamlessly authenticate the user (event 14). Once the session initializes, the user is able to utilize the resource (event 15). Having an entire workspace delivered through a single access point or application advantageously improves productivity and streamlines common workflows for the user. 
     As discussed above, pedestrian safety due to distracted pedestrians using computing devices has become a problem. Although there have been some approaches to warn users not to dangerously multitask, these may not dissuade stubborn users from engaging in unsafe behavior. Besides the danger of distracted pedestrians on metropolitan streets, there is also risk while walking around buildings and navigating staircases. In the following, an approach to these problems is described. 
     Referring now additionally to  FIGS.  6 ,  7 A- 7 B, and  8 A- 8 B , a computing device  200  according to the present disclosure is now described. The computing device  200  includes an image sensor  201 , an IMU  202 , a display  203 , and a processor  204  coupled to the image sensor, the IMU, and the display. The computing device  200  may comprise a mobile cellular device, a tablet computing device, or any portable computing device, for example. 
     In some embodiments, the display  203  may comprise a touchscreen display configured to receive touch user input. Also, the computing device  200  further comprises a housing  205  carrying the image sensor  201 , the IMU  202 , the display  203 , and the processor  204 . As will be appreciated, in some embodiments utilizing the “black slab” form factor, the housing  205  comprises a first major surface, and a second major surface opposite the first major surface. The display  203  is carried by the first major surface, which faces a user, and the image sensor  201  is carried by the second major surface of the housing, the second major surface being opposite the display (i.e. the rear facing image sensor on the backside of the computing device  200 ). The computing device  200  further includes a flash device  208  adjacent the image sensor  201  and also carried on the second major surface of the housing  205 . 
     As perhaps best seen in  FIGS.  7 A and  8 A , the processor  204  is configured to generate a GUI current screen  206  on the display  203 . The GUI current screen  206  illustratively includes a background  207 , and a plurality of foreground GUI elements  210   a - 210   c ,  211   a - 211   i  overlaying the background. In  FIG.  7 A , the GUI current screen  206  illustratively comprises a chat application interface, for example, Microsoft Teams or Skype, WeChat, or WhatsApp. Here, the background  207  comprises a chat interface background, and the plurality of foreground GUI elements comprises chat textual elements  210   a - 210   c  (i.e. text messages between users). In  FIG.  8 A , the GUI current screen  206  illustratively comprises a home screen interface. Here, the background  207  comprises a home screen background (i.e. background of the OS), and the plurality of foreground GUI elements comprises application icons  211   a - 211   i . 
     The IMU  202  may comprise one or more of a gyroscope, an accelerometer, and an altitude sensor. The IMU  202  is configured to generate motion data related to the computing device  200 . The motion data may comprise three-dimensional motion data, i.e. speed motion values in three-dimensions. The motion data may also comprise computing device orientation data, such as pitch, yaw, and roll values for the computing device  200 . 
     The processor  204  is configured to when the IMU  202  generates motion data indicative of movement, render the background  207  to comprise a video image from the image sensor  201 . In other words, the processor  204  is configured to replace the original background  207  (i.e. static or limited movement background image (stored live background)) of the GUI current screen  206  with a live video image feed from the image sensor  201 . As in the illustrated example, the user is carrying the computing device  200  while navigating a staircase, and the background  207  is replaced with a live image of the staircase. 
     Helpfully, the user can now virtually see through the computing device  200  while focusing on the GUI current screen  206 . For example, in the illustrated example, the user can safely navigate the staircase even though the user’s attention is on the computing device  200 . 
     In some embodiments, the processor  204  is configured to, when the IMU  202  generates the motion data indicative of movement and when user input is detected, render the background  207  to comprise the video image from the image sensor  201 . In touchscreen embodiments, the user input comprises touch user input, but the user input may be generated via other user input devices, such as a short range radar, a joystick, or a physical key. In short, the processor  204  is configured to detect when a user of the computing device  200  is engaged with the GUI and is moving with the computing device. The motion data indicative of movement may comprise motion data indicative of at least one of walking and running of the user. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the motion data may be processed using typical methods of activity detection. 
     In other embodiments, the processor  204  is configured to, when the IMU  202  generates the motion data indicative of movement is detected and when a backlight of the display  203  is activated, render the background  207  to comprise the video image from the image sensor  201 . Further, in some embodiments, the processor  204  is configured to render the background  207  to comprise the video image from the image sensor  201  further when the IMU  202  generates the motion data indicative of downward orientation. In other words, when the computing device  200  is being used and pointed downward, as is typical when the user is walking and engaging with the computing device. 
     As noted above, the processor is configured to monitor for a plurality of use characteristics, and condition the rendering of the background  207  to comprise the video image from the image sensor  201  based upon one or more the plurality of use characteristics. The plurality of use characteristics may comprise: active state of display backlight, detection of user input; detection of motion data indicative of movement; and detection of device orientation. In some embodiments, the processor  204  is configured to cooperate with a wearable device (i.e. one paired and communicating with the computing device  200 ) carried by the user to receive the plurality of use characteristics. For example, the wearable device may generate more accurate motion data, which can be used to error correct the IMU  202 . 
     Also, the processor  204  may be configured to, while rendering the background  207  to comprise the video image from the image sensor  201 , and when ambient illumination is less than a threshold, activate the flash device  208  to illuminate the field of view of the image sensor  201 . In other words, if the ambient environment is too dark to provide a good view, the processor  204  attempts to mitigate this issue with the flash device  208 . 
     To mitigate battery drain, the processor  204  may be configured to render the background  207  to comprise the video image from the image sensor  201  until a set time period expires. For example, the set time period may comprise 30 seconds. As noted below, if one or more of the plurality of use characteristics indicate the user is using the device during the set time period, the set time period may be extended or simply reset. 
     In some embodiments, the computing device  200  comprises a temperature sensor generating an operating temperature and coupled to the processor  204 . The processor  204  is configured to throttle computational load when the operating temperature exceeds a temperature threshold. In particular, the processor may sequentially perform one or more of the following to throttle computational load as the operating temperature increases: downscaling the video image from the image sensor  201 , partitioning the background  207  and only rendering a part of the background, and disabling rendering of the background and returning to the original background (preferably static). For applications where the background  207  is partitioned, the processor  204  is configured to segment the background  207  into first and second sections. The processor  204  is configured to then render only the first section with the video image from the image sensor  201 , and maintain the second section as the original image. In some embodiments, the first section is dynamically sized based upon the operating temperature. For example, as the operating temperature decreases, the first section may be increased in size and vice versa. 
     In some embodiments, the processor  204  is configured to monitor the video image from the image sensor  201  for hazards. When the processor  204  detects a given hazard, for example, obstacles, the processor is configured to cause an output device (e.g. speaker) to generate an alert indication (e.g. sound alarm indication). 
     Referring now additionally to  FIG.  9   , a method of operating a computing device  200  is now described with reference to a flowchart  1000 , which begins at Block  1001 . The computing device  200  comprises an image sensor  201 , an IMU  202 , and a display  203 . The method illustratively comprises operating a processor  204  coupled to the image sensor  201 , the IMU  202 , and the display  203 , to generate a GUI current screen  206  on the display. The GUI current screen  206  comprises a background  207 , and a plurality of foreground GUI elements  210   a - 210   c ,  211   a - 211   i  overlaying the background. The method comprises operating the processor  204  to, when the IMU  202  generates motion data indicative of movement, render the background  207  to comprise a video image from the image sensor  201 . (Blocks  1003 ,  1005 ). The method ends at Block  1007 . 
     Referring now to  FIG.  10   , the method of operating the computing device  200  is now described in greater detail with reference to a flowchart  2000 , which begins at Block  2001 . At Block  2003 , the method illustratively includes monitoring a status of the computing device  200 . At Block  2005 , the method illustratively comprises monitoring for when both the motion data is indicative of movement, and when user input is detected. If one or both conditions are not satisfied, the method returns to Block  2003 . If both conditions are satisfied, the method illustratively includes rendering the background  207  to comprise a video image from the image sensor  201 . (Block  2007 ). If the ambient illumination is below a threshold, the method includes activating the flash device  208 . (Blocks  2009 ,  2011 ). 
     At Block  2013 , the method includes monitoring the computing device  200  for one or both of motion data being indicative of no movement, and a lack of user input. If satisfied, the method includes starting a timer for the set time period. (Block  2015 ). If not satisfied, the method maintains a loop, keeping status quo (i.e. the background  207  being replaced by the video image from the image sensor  201 ). At Block  2017 , the method includes monitoring the computing device  200  for one or both of the motion data being indicative of no movement, and a lack of user input. If not satisfied, the method includes resetting the timer at Block  2019 . If satisfied, the method includes checking to see if the timer has expired at Block  2021 . If the timer has not expired, the method returns to Block  2017 . If the timer has expired, the method includes returning the background  207  to the original image at Block  2023 , and returning to Block  2001 . 
     Many modifications and other embodiments will come to the mind of one skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is understood that the foregoing is not to be limited to the example embodiments, and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.