Mobile communication terminal and method

1. A method comprising:

in a first mode of input on a communication terminal, detecting an input by an input device of at least one alphanumerical input character corresponding to a currency identifier;

automatically switching to a second mode of input on the communication terminal, in response to detecting the currency identifier, wherein said first mode of input is alphanumerical, and said second mode is numerical; and

switching back to said first mode upon detecting a space input.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said alphanumerical input character is a currency symbol.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said set of currency identifiers comprises any of the following characters: a plus (+) sign, any of the currency symbols £, $, , ¥ or any combinations thereof.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said receiving a space input comprises switching back to said first mode in response to a prolonged press and hold of said space input.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one alphanumerical input character comprises a sequence of alphanumerical input characters, and said currency identifiers comprises a set of predetermined alphanumerical character sequences.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said currency input is performed in connection with inputting text for an item selected from the group comprising a message, a note, a reminder, a calendar item.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein said message is a multimedia message or a short message.

8. A computer program product comprising software instructions that, when executed in an electronic apparatus, performs the method according to claim 1 .

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising that in the first mode of input, an input to the input device of the terminal produces an alphanumeric output and in the second mode of input, an input to the terminal produces only a numerical output.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

detecting, in the first mode of input, an input to the input device that comprises a sequence of characters corresponding to a currency symbol in the set of currency identifiers;

converting the sequence of characters into the currency symbol; and

presenting the currency symbol on a display of the terminal while keeping the communication terminal in the first mode of input.

11. An apparatus comprising:

an input device configured to receive character inputs;

a controller; and

a memory including computer program code;

the memory and the computer program code configured to, with the controller, cause the apparatus to:

in a first mode of input, detect an input from the input device of at least one alphanumerical input character corresponding to a currency identifier from a set of predeterimined currency identifiers;

in response to detecting the currency identifier, automatically switching to a second mode of input wherein said first mode of input is alphanumerical, and said second mode is numerical; and

switching back to said first mode upon detecting a space input.