Patent ID: 8532563

Claim:
A portable electronic device comprising: a housing portion having at least a first surface portion corresponding to a first facet on the housing portion and having a second surface portion corresponding to a second facet on the housing portion, wherein the first facet and the second facet are non-parallel and intersect at a boundary, and wherein the device may be oriented to rest on not more than one of the first surface portion and the second surface portion at a particular time; a user interface: a sensor configured to provide an output signal when the device is oriented from resting on the first surface portion to resting on the second surface portion; and a controller coupled to the user interface and to the sensor, the controller configured to invoke a mode of operation of the device in response to receiving the output signal from the sensor, wherein the mode of operation of the device may be changed by rocking the device from an orientation where the device rests on the first facet to an orientation where the device rests on the second facet; and wherein the mode of operation is indicated at the user interface.