Intelligent identification of multimedia content for synchronization

1. A method of managing content on a portable media device, the method comprising:

identifying a library of one or more content selections;

accessing one or more rules related to user preferences for content;

structuring the library of one or more content selections based on the rules to define at least one group of content selections of interest to a user;

generating a first configuration for the portable media device, comprising:

determining, for one or more content selections in the group of content selections of interest to the user, metrics indicating a predicted user interest in the one or more content selections,

determining, based on the metrics, relative priorities for the one or more content selections,

adjusting the metrics using intercontent selection factors,

identifying a conflict between two different content selections having the same relative priority,

resolving the conflict, and

identifying a first subset of content selections from the group of content selections of interest to the user to be loaded to the portable media device;

accessing one or more additional rules related to user preferences for loading content, requiring variation of content to be loaded to the portable media device, and independent of user selection of the content selections; and

during a subsequent connection between the portable media device and the library, automatically generating a second configuration for the portable media device, wherein the second configuration indicates a second subset of content selections from among the group of content selections of interest to the user to be loaded to the portable media device, the second subset differing from the first subset in accordance with the one or more additional rules requiring variation of the content selections loaded to the portable media device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the library is dynamic such that the group of content selections changes between the generation of the first configuration and generation of the second configuration, and the user preferences vary the content selections based on criteria other than the dynamic status of the library.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining the storage capability for the entire physical storage capacity of the portable media device.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining the storage capability for a portion of a physical storage capacity of the portable media device allocated to content selections sharing a genre, wherein the portion of the physical storage capacity of the portable media device allocated to content selections sharing the genre is less than an entire physical storage capacity of the portable media device.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more additional rules requiring variation include a variation threshold.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the variation threshold is expressed as a desired rate of change for content defining the group of content selections of interest to the user available to be loaded.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the variation threshold is expressed as a desired percentage of change for content defining the group of content selections of interest to the user available to be loaded.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein the variation threshold is expressed with respect to one partition on a portable media device with multiple partitions.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein each of the multiple partitions has a different variation threshold.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising enabling presentation of a user interface configured to enable user input of the one or more additional rules requiring variation.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising soliciting, from the user, specification of a rule to be designated as the rules related to the user preferences.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein accessing the rules related to the user preferences includes accessing a service-provider rule or a default rule.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein accessing the rules related to the user preferences includes accessing a storage instruction configured to allocate partitions on the portable media device.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein accessing the storage instruction includes allocating partitions by absolute criteria, relative criteria, or a combination of relative criteria and absolute criteria.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein accessing the storage instruction includes specifying a preference for a genre, an artist, an album, an actor, an author, a director, a studio, a record label, a tempo, a mood, a station, a channel, or a content provider.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein specifying the preference includes specifying an absolute preference, a relative preference, a factoral preference, a frequency preference, a boolean preference, a personal preference, a household preference, or a demographic preference.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein accessing the rules related to user preferences includes specifying an update basis indicating how the portable media device should be updated.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein specifying the update basis includes specifying that the portable media device should vary content every synchronization, every day, every week, after every content selection on the portable media device has been perceived, after a particular content selection on the portable media device has been perceived, or when a replacement selection becomes available.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein accessing the rules related to user preferences includes specifying how the portable media device should operate in the event that the portable media device exhausts storage or is projected to exhaust storage.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein accessing the rules related to user preferences includes accessing a promotional instruction configured to include at least some promotional content on the portable media device.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein accessing the promotional instruction includes establishing a transaction gateway so that the user may interact with the promotional content on the portable media device to initiate a transaction upon a subsequent communication with the portable media device.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein using the intercontent selection factors includes increasing a first metric for a first content selection when a user prefers a second content selection and the second content selection is determined to be related to the first content selection.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the second content selection is determined to be related to the first content selection when the first content and the second content selection are associated with a same genre, a same artist, a same album, a desired transition, a desired mood, a desired balance of content, a desired tempo, or a desired advertisement placement.

24. The method of claim 1 wherein resolving the conflict includes removing a first content selection in favor of a second content selection.

25. The method of claim 1 wherein resolving the conflict includes identifying content more responsive to the user interest that complies with the storage capability.

26. The method of claim 1 wherein accessing the one or more additional rules related to user preferences comprises:

accessing one or more rules for accessing the first configuration and determining which content selections are included in the first subset of content selections, and

accessing one or more rules for identifying, based on the content selections determined to be included in the first subset of content selections, different content selections to be included in the second subset of content selections such that the second subset differs from the first subset.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the one or more rules for accessing the first configuration and determining which content selections are included in the first subset of content selections comprise one or more rules for accessing the first configuration from the library.

28. The method of claim 26 wherein the one or more rules for accessing the first configuration and determining which content selections are included in the first subset of content selections comprise one or more rules for accessing the first configuration on the portable media device.

29. The method of claim 1 wherein automatically generating the second configuration for the portable media device comprises automatically generating the second configuration for the portable media device without user intervention.

30. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

loading the first subset of content selections to the portable media device; and

monitoring the user's interaction with one or more content selections included in the first subset of content selections while loaded on the portable media device, wherein automatically generating a second configuration for the portable media device comprises identifying different content selections to be included in the second subset of content selections based on the user's interaction with the one or more content selections included in the first subset of content selections.

31. A tangible computer-readable medium having embodied thereon a computer program configured to manage content on a portable media device, the computer program comprising one or more code segments that, when executed, cause a computer to:

identify a library of one or more content selections;

access one or more rules related to user preferences for content;

structure the library of one or more content selections based on the rules to define at least one group of content selections of interest to a user;

generate a first configuration for the portable media device, wherein the one or more code segments that, when executed, cause the computer to generate the first configuration for the portable media device comprise one or more code segments that, when executed, cause the computer to:

determine, for one or more content selections in the group of content selections of interest to the user, metrics indicating a predicted user interest in the one or more content selections,

determine, based on the metrics, relative priorities for the one or more content selections,

adjust the metrics using intercontent selection factors,

identify a conflict between two different content selections having the same relative priority,

resolve the conflict, and

identify a first subset of content selections from the group of content selections of interest to the user to be loaded to the portable media device;

access one or more additional rules related to user preferences for loading content, requiring variation of content to be loaded to the portable media device, and independent of user selection of the content selections; and

during a subsequent connection between the portable media device and the library, automatically generate a second configuration for the portable media device, wherein the second configuration indicates a second subset of content selections from among the group of content selections of interest to the user to be loaded to the portable media device, the second subset differing from the first subset in accordance with the one or more additional rules requiring variation of the content selections loaded to the portable media device.

32. The medium of claim 31 wherein the one or more code segments that, when executed, cause the computer to use the intercontent selection factors include one or more code segments that, when executed, cause the computer to increase a first metric for a first content selection when a user prefers a second content selection and the second content selection is determined to be related to the first content selection.

33. The medium of claim 32 wherein the second content selection is determined to be related to the first content selection when the first content and the second content selection are associated with a same genre, a same artist, a same album, a desired transition, a desired mood, a desired balance of content, a desired tempo, or a desired advertisement placement.

34. The medium of claim 31 wherein the one or more code segments that, when executed, cause the computer to resolve the conflict include the one or more code segments that, when executed, cause the computer to remove a first content selection in favor of a second content selection.

35. The medium of claim 31 wherein the one or more code segments that, when executed, cause the computer to resolve the conflict include the one or more code segments that, when executed, cause the computer to identify content more responsive to the user interest that complies with the storage capability.

36. A system for managing content on a portable media device, the system comprising a processor connected to a storage device and one or more input/output devices, wherein the processor is configured to:

identify a library of one or more content selections;

access one or more rules related to user preferences for content;

structure the library of one or more content selections based on the rules to define at least one group of content selections of interest to a user;

generate a first configuration for the portable media device by:

determining, for one or more content selections in the group of content selections of interest to the user, metrics indicating a predicted user interest in the one or more content selections,

determining, based on the metrics, relative priorities for the one or more content selections,

adjusting the metrics using intercontent selection factors,

identifying a conflict between two different content selections having the same relative priority,

resolving the conflict, and

identifying a first subset of content selections from the group of content selections of interest to the user to be loaded to the portable media device;

access one or more additional rules related to user preferences for loading content, requiring variation of content to be loaded to the portable media device, and independent of user selection of the content selections; and

during a subsequent connection between the portable media device and the library, automatically generate a second configuration for the portable media device, wherein the second configuration indicates a second subset of content selections from among the group of content selections of interest to the user to be loaded to the portable media device, the second subset differing from the first subset in accordance with the one or more additional rules requiring variation of the content selections loaded to the portable media device.

37. The system of claim 36 wherein the processor is configured to use the intercontent selection factors by increasing a first metric for a first content selection when a user prefers a second content selection and the second content selection is determined to be related to the first content selection.

38. The system of claim 37 wherein the second content selection is determined to be related to the first content selection when the first content and the second content selection are associated with a same genre, a same artist, a same album, a desired transition, a desired mood, a desired balance of content, a desired tempo, or a desired advertisement placement.

39. The system of claim 36 wherein the processor is configured to resolve the conflict by removing a first content selection in favor of a second content selection.

40. The system of claim 36 wherein the processor is configured to resolve the conflict by identifying content more responsive to the user interest that complies with the storage capability.