Patent Publication Number: US-7222207-B2

Title: Portable computing device-integrated appliance

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/295,305, filed Nov. 15, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,993,615 which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. 

   TECHNICAL FIELD 
   This invention relates to computing devices, and particularly to portable computing devices and portable computing device-integrated appliances. 
   BACKGROUND 
   Portable computing devices, such as handheld PCs and personal digital assistants (PDAs) are becoming increasingly popular. Such devices provide users with a relatively small, portable device that can run various programs. A wide variety of such programs exist, including entertainment programs, reference programs, spreadsheet programs, word processing programs, calculators, and so forth. These programs allow the portable computing devices to provide desired functionality to a wide range of users in a wide range of environments and situations. 
   However, one problem encountered with portable computing devices is how the user is to use the device in various environments. For example, it is relatively easy for a user to hold the portable computing device in the palm of one hand and activate its functionality with the other hand while sitting in a waiting room. Other environments, however, do not allow such ease of use. For example, it is generally considered unsafe behavior for a user to use both hands to operate his or her portable computing device while driving a car. 
   Some solutions to this problem in the car environment provide a cradle for holding the portable computing device. Such a cradle is typically mounted to the dashboard or some other part of the car and has a stand or “gooseneck” that allows the device to be positioned so that it can be better viewed by the user. While such solutions alleviate the need for the user to hold the device in one of his or her hands, they still suffer from being cumbersome to the user in the car environment. 
   Thus, an improved way to hold portable computing devices is needed. 
   SUMMARY 
   A portable computing device-integrated appliance is described herein. 
   In accordance with one aspect, a portable computing device determines a type of an appliance in which the portable computing device is docked. The portable computing device identifies, based on the type of the appliance, a user interface configuration for the portable computing device, and configures the user interface of the portable computing device in accordance with the identified user interface configuration. 
   In accordance with another aspect, a car stereo includes a docking station into which an off-the-shelf handheld computer can be docked. The car stereo also includes an input/output (I/O) component that allows the car stereo to communicate with the handheld computer when the handheld computer is docked in the docking station of the car stereo. 
   In accordance with another aspect, the appliance is an integrated vehicle stereo and portable computing device docking station. 
   In accordance with another aspect, an appliance having a docking station determines when a portable computing device is docked in the docking station. When the portable computing device is docked in the docking station, the appliance sends, to the portable computing device, an indication of a type of the appliance. This indication can be used by the portable computing device to configure its user interface based on the type of the appliance. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The same numbers are used throughout the document to reference like components and/or features. 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating exemplary appliances in different environments in which a portable computing device may be docked. 
       FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating a portable computing device and appliance in additional detail. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates an exemplary portable computing device in additional detail. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates an exemplary vehicle stereo while a portable computing device is docked therein. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates the vehicle of  FIG. 4 , except without a portable computing device docked therein. 
       FIG. 6  illustrates another exemplary vehicle stereo with a portable computing device docked therein. 
       FIG. 7  is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process for changing a user interface on a portable computing device. 
       FIG. 8  is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process for operation of an appliance. 
       FIG. 9  illustrates an exemplary general computing device. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   Portable computer-integrated appliances are described herein. Each appliance is designed to readily allow a portable computing device to be docked therein. Once docked, the portable computing device presents a user interface that is based at least in part on the type of the appliance. 
     FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating exemplary appliances in different environments in which a portable computing device may be docked.  FIG. 1  illustrates a portable computing device  102  and multiple (n) appliances  104 ,  106 , and  108  into which device  102  can be docked. Appliances  104  and  106  are both in the home environment  110  and may be, for example, a home entertainment system, an automation and/or security system, an environment control system (e.g., for controlling a furnace, air conditioner, humidifier, etc.), a clock radio, a refrigeration appliance (e.g., refrigerator, freezer, refrigerator/freezer combination, etc.), an oven or range, and so forth. Appliance  108  is in the vehicle (e.g., car, truck, van, recreational vehicle, boat, etc.) environment  112  and may be, for example, a vehicle stereo or entertainment system. 
   Portable computing device  102  can be any of a wide variety of portable computing devices, such as a handheld or pocket computer, or a portable digital assistant (PDA) or organizer. Portable computing device  102  may also include telephone functionality (e.g., cellular telephone functionality). Examples of portable computing device  102  include: any of the Treo or Visor families of communicators or organizers available from Handspring, Inc. of Mountain View, Calif.; any of the Palm handheld devices available from Palm, Inc. of Milpitas, Calif.; any of the Cassiopeia family of personal PCs available from Casio Computer Co. of Dover, N.J.; any of the CLIÉ line of handheld devices available from Sony Corporation of America New York, N.Y.; any of the Jornada or iPAQ families of pocket PCs available from Hewlett-Packard Co. of Palo Alto Calif.; and so forth. 
   It should be noted that any of a variety of off-the-shelf portable computing devices, such as those discussed above, can be used as portable computing device  102 . Such an off-the-shelf portable computing device may require an additional program(s) to be installed thereon to provide the functionality of configuration module  144  (and possibly to provide at least some of the functionality of I/O component  142 ). Such program(s) can be obtained in any of a variety of manners, such as downloading the program(s) from a server over the Internet, obtaining a pluggable module or card including the program(s), and so forth. 
   Portable computing device  102  can be docked in a docking port of any of appliances  104 ,  106 , and  108 . Docking portable computing device  102  into an appliance refers to physically placing the device into a receptacle of the appliance. When the portable computing device is both docked in an appliance and turned on, the portable computing device presents a user interface that is appropriate to that appliance as well as the environment that the appliance is in. Depending on the type of the appliance in which the portable computing device is docked, the portable computing device may make additional functionality available to the appliance. 
     FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating a portable computing device and appliance in additional detail. The portable computing device  102  of  FIG. 2  is the same portable computing device  102  as in  FIG. 1 , and the appliance  140  in  FIG. 2  can be any of the appliances  104 ,  106 , or  108  of  FIG. 1 . 
   Portable computing device  102  includes an I/O component  142  and a configuration module  144 . Appliance  140  includes an I/O component  146 , a type module  148 , and a docking module  150 . 
   I/O component  142  includes hardware and optionally software and/or firmware that allows portable computing device  102  to communicate with appliance  140  by way of I/O component  146 . Similarly, I/O component  146  includes hardware and optionally software and/or firmware that allows appliance  140  to communicate with portable computing device  102  by way of I/O component  142 . 
   Appliance  140  and a docking station for portable computing device  102  are integrated, allowing portable computing device  102  to be docked into appliance  140 . Docking portable computing device  102  into an appliance refers to physically placing the device into a receptacle (also referred to as a docking port or docking station) of the appliance. The receptacle may be implemented in a variety of different ways, such as a recessed portion of the appliance into which the portable computing device can be inserted, a receptacle that can be extended for docking of the portable computing device but which can be drawn into the appliance when no device is docked (e.g., a tray that can be pulled out for docking and pushed back in and out of the way when no device is docked), one or more clips that are activated to hold the portable computing device in place, and so forth. 
   In one implementation, when docked in an appliance  140 , a power connection is established between the portable computing device  102  and the appliance  140 . This power connection can be used to power portable computing device  102  and thus conserve the battery power of portable computing device  102 . If the battery or batteries of portable computing device  102  are rechargeable, this power connection can also be used to recharge the battery or batteries of portable computing device  102 . 
   Once docked in an appliance, the I/O components  142  and  146  can communicate with one another, allowing data and commands to be passed between portable computing device  102  and appliance  140 . The communication link established between I/O components  142  and  146  may be implemented in a variety of manners, such as by way of signals passed through electrical contacts of the portable computing device that are in physical contact with electrical contacts of the appliance, by radio frequency (RF) signals, by infrared (IR) signals, combinations thereof, and so forth. The exact manner in which signals are communicated between I/O components  142  and  146  can vary by device and appliance, and different devices and appliances may support different communication mechanisms. For example, one appliance may support RF signal communication, another appliance may support IR signal communication, and the portable computing device may support both RF signal and IR signal communication. 
   When portable computing device  102  is both docked in appliance  140  and turned on, portable computing device  102  presents a user interface which is based at least in part on the type of appliance  140  in which portable computing device  102  is docked. A configuration module  144  identifies the type of appliance that portable computing device  102  is docked in, and uses this type information to determine an appropriate user interface for portable computing device  102 . 
   Configuration module  144  can identify the type of appliance in a variety of different manners. In one embodiment, type module  148  of appliance  140  sends a data packet including a type identifier over the communication link between device  102  and appliance  140 . Appliance  140  can be pre-programmed with the type identifier (e.g., by the manufacturer, seller, or purchaser of appliance  140 ). Type module  148  may send the type identifier to configuration module  144  when requested by configuration module  144 , or alternatively may send the type identifier to configuration module  144  without being requested to do so by configuration module  144 . The type identifier can be implemented in any of a wide variety of different manners, so long as portable computing device  102  and appliance  140  both know (e.g., are programmed with) the manner in which the type identifier is implemented. For example, the type identifier may be an eight-bit number, an alphanumeric string, etc. 
   In another embodiment, configuration module  144  relies on a more mechanical mechanism for identifying the type of appliance. Rather than receiving a type identifier from type module  148 , portable computing device  102  includes one or more sensors. In such an embodiment, appliance  140  need not include type module  148 . When portable computing device  102  is docked in appliance  140 , these one or more sensors are positioned to correspond to locations where protrusions from appliance  140  may be situated. The presence or absence of a protrusion at each location is used to identify the type of appliance. The number of locations that are sensed depends on the number of different types of appliances to be identified. For example, one sensor can be used to uniquely identify two (2 1 ) different appliance types, two sensors can be used to uniquely identify four (2 2 ) different appliance types, three sensors can be used to uniquely identify eight (2 3 ) different appliance types, and so forth. 
   The sensors can detect a protrusion at a particular location in a variety of different manners. For example, the detection may be performed optically (e.g., the protrusion may include a reflective material that is sensed, or the protrusion may break an optical beam and the breaking of the beam is sensed), or mechanically (e.g., the protrusions are positioned such that docking the portable computing device causes the protrusion to actuate a button or tab that closes (or alternatively opens) an electrical connection that is sensed). 
   Each type of appliance is associated with a particular environment in which that device is typically located. For example, a car stereo is typically located in the car environment, while a refrigerator or home entertainment system is typically located in the home environment. By having each appliance type associated with a particular environment, the portable computing device can be configured to present a user interface appropriate to that environment each time the portable computing device is docked in that appliance. If a particular appliance may be used in multiple environments, then the user may be requested to select the appropriate environment (e.g., the user may be presented with a request to select a “home” button or a “vehicle” button), or alternatively one of those environments may be chosen as the default (which may be subsequently changed by the user as a user preference setting). 
   Different user interfaces are appropriate in different environments. For example, in the vehicle environment larger buttons and text on a display may be more appropriate so that it is easier for the driver of the vehicle to see them on the display, while in the home environment smaller buttons and text may be more appropriate because the user is able to spend more time viewing the display (and is not concerned with being distracted from driving). Additionally, certain functionality may be more appropriate for certain environments rather than other environments. For example, a spreadsheet program may be less appropriate in the vehicle environment than in the home environment because of the typically small size of the cells and cell contents in the spreadsheet, while a car stereo user interface would be more appropriate for the car environment. 
   Configuration module  144  determines the appropriate user interface to present to the user based on the type of appliance in which the device is docked. In one embodiment, portable computing device  102  is programmed with one or more interface descriptions  152 , each description describing a user interface for a particular type of appliance. Interface descriptions  152  is configured with one or more descriptions for each type of appliance into which portable computing device  102  may be docked. The interface descriptions  152  may be pre-loaded into portable computing device  102  by the manufacturer or seller of portable computing device  102 , or alternatively may be added by the user of portable computing device  102  (e.g., the user may download a user interface description in a manner analogous to the downloading of software for running on portable computing device  102 ). 
   Given an identification of the type of the appliance in which the device is docked (e.g., identified in any of the manners discussed above), configuration module  144  accesses the interface descriptions  152  and searches for an appliance type that matches (e.g., is the same as) the identified type. The interface description for the appliance type that matches the identified type is retrieved and used to configure the user interface of the portable computing device. 
   In another embodiment, appliance  140  communicates the interface description to be used by portable computing device  102 , and appropriate for the environment in which appliance  140  is located, to portable computing device  102 . In this embodiment, the user, seller, or manufacturer of portable computing device  102  need not be concerned with pre-programming portable computing device  102  for each possible appliance type the device may be docked in, but rather can rely on the appliance  140  to have the interface description and transfer it to portable to computing device  102 . The interface description may be transferred to portable computing device  102  each time device  102  is docked in the appliance  140 , or alternatively portable computing device  102  may maintain user interface descriptions so that the description need only be transferred from appliance  140  to device  102  the first time device  102  is docked in appliance  140 . For subsequent dockings, device  102  can obtain the user interface description from the record it maintained. 
   When docked in appliance  140 , portable computing device  102  can send control information to appliance  140  in order to control the operation of appliance  140 . For example, the user may enter selections through the user interface of portable computing device  102  to control playback of audio content (e.g., songs from disc, radio or satellite transmission, the Internet, etc.) by an appliance  140  that is a stereo. The appropriate commands to carry out the user-entered selections are then communicated from portable computing device  102  to the stereo. 
   Portable computing device  102  can also send data to appliance  140  (e.g., operating as an audio source to appliance  140 ). The data sent to appliance  140  may be used directly by appliance  140  (e.g., MP3 (MPEG Audio Layer 3) or WMA (Windows Media Audio) audio data to be played back by an appliance  140  that is a stereo) or alternatively may be used indirectly (e.g., stored or transmitted elsewhere) by appliance  140  (e.g., data to be sent out by appliance  140  over the Internet, data to be communicated to a peripheral device coupled to appliance  140 , data to be stored on a nonvolatile storage device of appliance  140 , and so forth). 
   When docked in appliance  140 , portable computing device  102  can also make use of any resources of appliance  140 . For example, resources of appliance  140  may include a hard drive, a modem or other network connector (wired or wireless) to connect to the Internet, a global positioning system (GPS) receiver, and so forth. The resources may be internal to appliance  140 , or alternatively external (e.g., coupled to appliance  140  via a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connector, IEEE 1394 connector, some other public or proprietary connector, etc.). Thus, by way of example, if portable computing device  102  is docked in an appliance  140  that is a car stereo, a user interface may be presented to the user that lets the user control which music is played back by the car stereo (e.g., which radio or satellite channel is tune in and played back, or which song from the car stereo&#39;s CD player or hard drive is played back), as well as access a GPS receiver and display location information to the user. Resources of portable computing device  102  may also be available to appliance  140 . For example, music stored in a memory component (e.g., Flash memory) of portable computing device  102  may be made available to a car stereo for playback. 
   Various functionality can thus be made available to portable computing device  102  when docked in appliance  140 . The appliance  140  can operate as an audio (or other data) source to portable computing device  102 , such as by having a microphone for speech recognition, providing audio data from a broadcast for recording by portable computing device  102 , and so forth. Storage devices of appliance  140  (e.g., a hard drive or optical disc drive (such as a CD drive or DVD drive)) may also operate as a data source for portable computing device  102 . For example, GPS or other mapping data stored on a CD or DVD may be made available to portable computing device  102  by way of the optical disc drive of appliance  140 . Appliance  140  can also operate as an extensible peripheral bus for portable computing device  102 . Peripheral devices can be coupled to a bus (or busses) of appliance  140  (e.g., USB, IEEE 1394, PCMCIA, etc.), and these devices thus made available to portable computing device  102  when docked in appliance  140 . 
   Additionally, appliance  140  is designed to allow portable computing device  102  to be docked in appliance  140  and blend well with appliance  140 . For example, rather than having a stand bolted to a car&#39;s dashboard, appliance  140  docks portable computing device  102  so that portable computing device  102  blends well with the car stereo. Such design improves the appearance of the appliance  140  with the portable computing device  102  docked therein, making the portable computing device  102  look as if it “belongs” or “fits in” to the appliance  140 . 
   It should be noted that the user interface for portable computing device  102  can change (and typically does change) as it is used in different types of appliances. For example, when the user drives home from work with the portable computing device docked in the user&#39;s car stereo, the portable computing device presents one user interface. When the user gets home and docks the portable computing device in his or her home entertainment system, the portable computing device presents another user interface. Then, when the user is ready for bed and docks the portable computing device in his or her alarm clock, the portable computing device presents yet another user interface. 
     FIG. 3  illustrates an exemplary portable computing device in additional detail. In  FIG. 3 , portable computing device  102  is in a standalone or undocked environment (that is, portable computing device  102  is not docked in any appliance). An example user interface  180  is shown in  FIG. 3 , including the current date, the name and phone number of the owner of portable computing device  102 , an indication of any upcoming appointments, unread messages, and active tasks. A “start” link is also included via which the user may select one or more programs to execute (e.g., analogous to the Windows® operating system start menu). A user may input commands and/or data to portable computing device  102  by selecting a portion of the user interface  180  (e.g., using a finger or stylus, if portable computing device  102  includes a touchscreen), or by pressing one of buttons  182 ,  184 ,  186 ,  188  or  190 . 
     FIG. 4  illustrates an exemplary vehicle stereo while a portable computing device is docked therein. In  FIG. 4 , the appliance that portable computing device  102  is docked in is car stereo  200 . Although described herein with reference to a “car” stereo, it is to be appreciated that the stereo can be included in other vehicles as well, such as trucks, vans, recreational vehicles, boats, and so forth. 
   Car stereo  200  incorporates typical car stereo functionality, such as: the ability to tune in radio stations (e.g., an AM/FM tuner and/or satellite tuner); the ability to play back compact discs, MLP3 files, or WMA files; a power amplifier; radio controls such as channel seek and scan functions; CD controls such as play, pause, stop, fast forward, rewind; base and treble control; and so forth. Car stereo  200  may include all or only some of this functionality (e.g., car stereo may not include the ability to play back MP3 files). Car stereo  200  may also include additional “automotive PC” functionality, such as: a hard drive; peripheral ports; a modem (e.g., wireless) for network (e.g., Internet) access; stereo echo cancellation circuitry; microphone input circuitry; an attached microphone; an attached push-to-talk button (e.g. allowing input for speech recognition); and so forth. Car stereo  200  may include all, none, or some of this automotive PC functionality. 
   Car stereo  200  includes a source display  202 , eight channel pre-set buttons  204 , a scan channel up button  206 , a scan channel down button  208 , a slot  210  for insertion and removal of optical discs (e.g., CDs, DVDs, etc.), an eject button  212  for ejecting optical discs, a volume control knob  214 , and two peripheral device connectors  216  (e.g., USB ports). As illustrated, portable computing device  102  is docked in car stereo  200  such that the user interface display of the portable computing device  102  is approximately parallel to the face of stereo  200 . Alternatively, portable computing device  102  may be docked in car stereo  200  such that the user interface display of the portable computing device  102  is not approximately parallel to the face of stereo  200  (e.g., offset towards or away from the driver&#39;s seat of the vehicle, docked in a moveable manner so that the display may be (but is not necessarily) parallel with the face of stereo  200 , etc.). 
   As seen in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the user interface displayed to the user is different when in the standalone environment than when docked in an appliance in the car environment. When docked, portable computing device  102  displays a user interface  218  that displays track information for the current media source being played, illustrated as “01/15” to indicate track one of fifteen total tracks (e.g., tracks on a CD, on a hard drive, in a play list, etc.) and “02:47” to indicate playback is 2 minutes and 47 seconds into track one. User interface  218  also displays the name of the disc or play list (“Hyperspeed (G-force)”), as well as the source of the disc or play list (“Prodigy”) and the rate of playback for the disc (“128 Kbps”), which is an indication of the quality of the media content. User interface  218  also displays a volume level, indicating a current playback volume (by darkened boxes) relative to a maximum playback volume supported by car stereo  200 . User interface  218  also includes other selectable links (Country, &#39;80s Rock, and Jazz) of different types of music available for playback to the user. A user may input selections to portable computing device  102  via control keys on portable computing device  102  (e.g., keys  182 – 190  illustrated in  FIG. 3 ), and/or a touchscreen of portable computing device  102 . 
   Thus, when a user of portable computing device  102  enters his or her car, he or she can simply dock the portable computing device  102  in the car stereo and have the user interface automatically change to an interface appropriate to the car environment. Through the user interface, the user is able to select which media he or she would like to play back (whether its source be stereo  200  or portable computing device  102 ), and in response to such selection, the portable computing device  102  sends control information to the car stereo to begin playback of the selected content. When the user leaves the car, he or she can simply undock portable computing device  102 , causing portable computing device  102  to return to the user interface for the standalone environment. 
   In one implementation, portable computing device  102  maintains a record of its current state when it is undocked from a particular type of appliance. When the portable computing device is again docked to that same type of appliance, it returns to the same state as when it was last undocked. This current state includes information describing any current resource(s) being accessed, and information describing any data being presented to the user. The exact nature of this current state can vary based on the appliance as well as the actions being performed by the user. For example, when portable computing device  102  in  FIG. 4  is undocked, it can save the current media playback information (e.g., the current song (track one of “Hyperspeed (G-force)”, and temporal location in that song (2 minutes and 47 seconds into track) as associated with the car stereo. The next time the user docks the portable computing device  102  into a car stereo (e.g., any car stereo), portable computing device  102  retrieves the saved information and communicates with car stereo  200  to initiate playback of track one of “Hyperspeed (G-force)” at 2 minutes and 47 seconds into track one. Alternatively, if the car stereo has a unique identifier, then the saved information can be associated with that particular identifier and playback initiated based on that saved information only when the portable computing device is again docked in that same car stereo. 
   It should be noted that, although a single interface form is displayed as part of user interface  218  for portable computing device  102  while docked in a car stereo, the user interface may include multiple forms. For example, one interface form may allow the user to select from different media sources (e.g., satellite radio, local radio, CD, hard disk, etc.), another interface form may allow the user to select from different resources to access (e.g., GPS, the Internet, a printer connected via a USB port  216 , etc.), another interface form may allow for GPS information display (e.g., displaying a map and current location within the map), and so forth. 
   It should also be noted that, as part of the configuration of the user interface to an appropriate interface for the type of appliance portable computing device  102  is docked in, the orientation of the display may change. For example, as seen in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the display orientation is changed by 90 degrees due to the portable computing device being docked “horizontally” in car stereo  200  rather than the normal “vertical” orientation that portable computing device  102  is held in (e.g., when being held in a user&#39;s hand). The proper orientation for the display can be included as part of the interface description for the appliance. 
     FIG. 5  illustrates the vehicle stereo of  FIG. 4 , except without a portable computing device docked therein. In  FIG. 5 , the source display  202  has changed to indicate a currently-tuned channel rather than a disc, and a recessed receptacle  250  that is part of the face of stereo  200 . A portable computing device can be docked in receptacle  250 . Two additional peripheral ports  252  are illustrated allowing additional peripheral components to be installed in car stereo  200 , such as PCMCIA cards. 
   Vehicle stereo  200  is still operational when portable computing device  102  is not docked therein, however, the additional interface and functionality that portable computing device  102  provides is not available when portable computing device  102  is not docked therein. So, for example, the user could still select a pre-set channel using one of buttons  204 , scan through channels, adjust the volume, etc. even though portable computing device  102  is not docked in stereo  200 . 
   In one embodiment, user interface  218  of  FIG. 4  replaces the user interface of car stereo  200  when portable computing device  102  is docked in stereo  200 . For example, the source display may be blank when portable computing device  102  is docked in stereo  200 , and selection of any of the pre-set keys  204  may be ignored by stereo  200  when portable computing device  102  is docked in stereo  200 . Various parts of the user interface of stereo  200  may also be covered by portable computing device  102  when portable computing device  102  is docked in stereo  200 . For example, the source display  202  may be located in the receptacle  250  so that it is covered by portable computing device  102  when portable computing device  102  is docked in stereo  200 . 
   In alternate embodiments, the user interface on portable computing device  102  supplements the user interface of car stereo  200 . For example, the media source display and pre-set keys  204  of  FIG. 4  may remain and be operational when portable computing device  102  is docked in stereo  200 . 
     FIG. 6  illustrates another exemplary vehicle stereo with a portable computing device docked therein. In  FIG. 6 , the appliance that portable computing device  102  is docked in is car stereo  300 . Analogous to car stereo  200  of  FIG. 4 , car stereo  300  incorporates typical car stereo functionality, and may also include additional “automotive PC” functionality. Car stereo  300  includes a source display  302 , six pre-set buttons  304 , a scan channel up button  306 , a scan channel down button  308 , a slot  310  for insertion of compact discs, an eject button  312  for ejecting compact discs, a volume control knob  314 , and two peripheral device connectors  316  (e.g., USB ports). 
   Car stereo  300  includes a tray  330  in which portable computing device  102  is mounted. Tray  300  may be a fixed tray that extends from car stereo  300 , or alternatively may be a retractable tray that need only be pulled out when a portable computing device is to be docked, and otherwise can be retracted in to stereo  300  (and thus be “out of the way”). 
   The physical size of a car stereo in which a portable computing device can be docked can vary. In one implementation, the car stereo is a standard size allowing it to be readily mounted in the dash of many vehicles. The standard size is often expressed in terms of DINs (Deutsche Industry Normen). In one exemplary implementation, car stereo  200  of  FIGS. 4 and 5 , is a Double DIN size, while car stereo  300  of  FIG. 6  is a DIN size. Other stereo sizes may also be used, such as those for “shaft-style” stereos, Euro DIN-style stereos, DIN-and-a-half style stereos, and so forth. 
     FIG. 7  is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process  400  for changing a user interface on a portable computing device. Process  400  is implemented by a portable computing device, such as portable computing device  102  of  FIGS. 1–4  and  6 , and may be implemented in software, firmware, hardware, or combinations thereof. 
   Initially, when the portable computing device is docked, a determination is made as to the type of appliance in which the portable computing device is docked (act  402 ). A user interface configuration for the device is then identified based on the type of appliance (act  404 ). The user interface for the device is configured in accordance with the identified configuration (act  406 ), and user inputs received via the user interface are processed appropriately (act  408 ). This processing continues while the device remains docked (acts  408  and  410 ). Once the device is undocked, the user interface for the device is configured in accordance with the undocked or standalone configuration for the device (act  412 ). 
     FIG. 8  is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process  440  for operation of an appliance. Process  440  is implemented by a appliance, such as appliance  104 ,  106 , or  108  of  FIG. 1 , appliance  140  of  FIG. 2 , stereo  200  of  FIGS. 4 and 5 , or car stereo  300  of  FIG. 6 . Process  440  may be implemented in software, firmware, hardware, or combinations thereof. 
   Initially, when a portable computing device is docked, an indication of the type of the appliance is sent to the portable computing device (act  442 ). The appliance can detect when a portable computing device is docked in a variety of different manners, such as receiving an indication from the user (e.g., by the user pressing a button) that the portable computing device is docked, by receiving a request for a type identifier from the portable computing device, by detecting actuation of a switch which is actuated (e.g., pressed) by the housing of the portable computing device whenever the portable computing device is docked, and so forth. 
   The portable computing device can use the indication sent in act  442  to configure its user interface, as discussed above. The appliance receives user inputs by way of the portable computing device (act  444 ), and operates appropriately in response to the received user inputs (act  446 ). 
     FIG. 9  illustrates an exemplary general computing device  500 . Computing device  500  can be, for example, a portable computing device (e.g., a device  102  as discussed above) or appliance (e.g., an appliance  104 ,  106 ,  108 ,  140 ,  200 , or  300  discussed above) as discussed herein, In a basic configuration, computing device  500  typically includes at least one processing unit  502  and memory  504 . Depending on the exact configuration and type of computing device, memory  504  may be volatile (such as RAM), non-volatile (such as ROM, flash memory, etc.) or some combination of the two. This basic configuration is illustrated in  FIG. 9  by dashed line  506 . Additionally, device  500  may also have additional features/functionality. For example, device  500  may also include additional storage (removable and/or non-removable), such as magnetic or optical disks or tape. Such additional storage is illustrated in  FIG. 9  by removable storage  508  and non-removable storage  510 . 
   Device  500  may also contain communications connection(s)  512  that allow the device to communicate with other devices. Device  500  may also have input device(s)  514  such as keyboard, mouse, pen, voice input device, touch input device, and so forth. Output device(s)  516  such as a display, speakers, printer, etc. may also be included. 
   Various modules and techniques may be described herein in the general context of computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, executed by one or more computers or other devices. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Typically, the functionality of the program modules may be combined or distributed as desired in various embodiments. 
   An implementation of these modules and techniques may be stored on or transmitted across some form of computer readable media. Computer readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, computer readable media may comprise “computer storage media” and “communications media.” 
   “Computer storage media” includes volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can be accessed by a computer. 
   “Communication media” typically embodies computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data signal, such as carrier wave or other transport mechanism. Communication media also includes any information delivery media. The term “modulated data signal” means a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal By way of example, and not limitation, communication media includes wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared, and other wireless media. Combinations of any of the above are also included within the scope of computer readable media. 
   CONCLUSION 
   Although the description above uses language that is specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the invention defined in the appended claims is not limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather, the specific features and acts are disclosed as exemplary forms of implementing the invention.