Patent ID: 7098899

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: a first plurality of electronic components defining an instant on mode of operation, said first plurality of electronic components being controlled by a first operating system capable of supporting execution of a first application program; a second plurality of electronic components defining a non-instant on mode of operation, said second plurality of electronic components being controlled by a second operating system different from said first operating system; a plurality of input/output devices capable of being used in conjunction with said first plurality of electronic components during said instant on mode of operation and with said second plurality of electronic components during said non-instant on mode operation, said plurality of input/output devices including a first input device disposed to receive user input processed by said first application program during operation in said instant on mode of operation and additional user input processed by a second application program during operation in said non-instant on mode of operation; and one or more switching mechanisms to selectively couple one or more of said plurality of input/output devices to one or more of said first plurality of electronic components and enable said apparatus to start up in said instant on mode of operation to the exclusion of said second plurality of electronic components, or to selectively couple said one or more input/output devices to one or more of said second plurality of electronic components and enable said apparatus to start up in said non-instant on mode of operation to the exclusion of said first plurality of electronic components.