Patent ID: 8270963

Claim:
A method for a mobile communication device to indicate activity across operating domains of the mobile communication device, the method comprising: establishing a plurality of operating domains for the mobile communication device each operating as an independent virtual machine, wherein at least one of the operating domains is a high-side domain and at least another of the operating domains is a low-side domain; establishing a plurality of isolated regions of memory within a memory of the mobile communication device; assigning each of the plurality of operating domains to one of the plurality of isolated regions of memory; implementing a communication control module within the mobile communication device to enforce communication restrictions between software associated with each of the operating domains and user interface hardware of the mobile communication device; providing a trusted indicator on the mobile communication device for indicating activity in the high-side domain, the activity including at least one of an incoming call, an incoming text, or a new email, the trusted indicator configured to activate a user notification to indicate the activity, wherein the trusted indicator is under exclusive control of software associated with the high-side domain; providing an input on the mobile communication device for switching from the low-side domain to the high-side domain, the input configured as an input only device that is activated by user input; and providing a trusted element for the mobile communication device that is independent of either the high-side domain or the low-side domain, the trusted element configured to: receive a signal from the input for switching from the low-side domain to the high-side domain; and perform user authentication for switching from the low-side domain to the high-side domain, the user authentication including providing output authentication information from the trusted element to an output device of the mobile communication device and receiving input authentication information at the trusted element from an input device of the mobile communication device.