Apparatus and method pertaining to display orientation

1. An apparatus comprising:

a touch-screen display having a first touch-responsive portion that serves to display application content and a second touch-responsive portion that has a substantially uniform appearance and that is visually non-specific as regards to any corresponding touch-based functionality; and

a control circuit operably coupled to the touch-screen display and that is configured to

detect a touch-based user interaction comprising a continuous touch beginning within a first region of the second touch-responsive portion and outside of the first-touch responsive portion, and continuing across the first touch-responsive portion;

in response to detecting the touch-based user interaction, determine if the continuous touch has concluded within the first touch-responsive portion and outside of the second touch-responsive portion, or has concluded within a second region of the second touch-responsive portion and outside the first touch-responsive portion;

in response to the continuous touch having concluded within the first touch-responsive portion and outside of the second touch-responsive portion, rotate displayed content about a center point;

in response to the continuous touch having concluded within the second region of the second touch-responsive portion and outside the first touch-responsive portion, and further in response to the second region being adjacent to and adjoining the first region,

determine that the continuous touch is associated with an attribute indicating that the continuous touch concluded within the second region of the second touch-responsive portion at one of a first side of the touch-screen display and a second side of the touch-screen display, wherein the attribute configures the control circuit to orientate a bottom portion of the displayed content to the one of the first side and the second side of the touch-screen display at which the continuous touch concluded, and

change an orientation of the displayed content to a different orientation associated with the adjacent second region, where the orientation is changed independent of where the continuous touch contacted first touch-responsive portion, wherein the displayed content is presented at the different orientation with the bottom portion of the displayed content facing the one of the first side and the second side of the touch-screen display at which the continuous touch concluded; and

in response to the continuous touch having concluded within the second region of the second touch-responsive portion and outside the first touch-responsive portion, and further in response to the second region being opposite from the first region, invert a polarity of the orientation of the displayed content.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the second touch-responsive portion comprises a touch-responsive periphery of the touch-screen display.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the substantially uniform appearance comprises a substantially uniform color.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the user interaction further includes user interaction with the first touch-responsive portion of the touch-screen display.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second touch-responsive portion comprises at two adjacent regions to the first region, where each of the two adjacent regions is associated a different polarity of the same orientation.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein rotating the displayed content about a center point comprises:

displaying frame edges of the displayed content as the displayed content is being rotated; and

visually distinguishing regions outside of the frame edges from the displayed content and frame edges.

7. A method comprising:

at a device:

detecting a touch-based user interaction with a second touch-responsive portion of a touch-screen display, wherein the touch-based user interaction is a single contact-member touch-based user interaction, wherein the second touch-responsive portion comprises a display frame that surrounds a first touch-responsive portion of the touch-screen display that serves to display application content, and wherein the second touch-responsive portion is a part of the touch-screen display, and wherein the touch-based user interaction comprises a continuous touch beginning within a first region of the second touch-responsive portion and outside of the first touch-responsive portion, and continuing across the first touch-responsive portion;

in response to detecting the touch-based user interaction, determining if the continuous touch has concluded within the first touch-responsive portion and outside of the second touch-responsive portion, or has concluded within a second region of the second touch-responsive portion and outside the first touch-responsive portion;

in response to the continuous touch having concluded within the first touch-responsive portion and outside of the second touch-responsive portion, rotating displayed content about a center point;

in response to the continuous touch having concluded within the second region of the second touch-responsive portion and outside the first touch-responsive portion, and further in response to the second region being adjacent to and adjoining the first region,

determining that the continuous touch is associated with an attribute indicating that the continuous touch concluded within the second region of the second touch-responsive portion at one of a first side of the touch-screen display and a second side of the touch-screen display, wherein the attribute configures the device to orientate a bottom portion of the displayed content to the one of the first side and the second side of the touch-screen display at which the continuous touch concluded, and changing an orientation of the displayed content to a different orientation associated with the adjacent second region, where the orientation is changed independent of where the continuous touch contacted first touch-responsive portion, wherein the displayed content is presented at the different orientation with the bottom portion of the displayed content facing the one of the first side and the second side of the touch-screen display at which the continuous touch concluded; and

in response to the continuous touch having concluded within the second region of the second touch-responsive portion and outside the first touch-responsive portion, and further in response to the second region being opposite from the first region, inverting a polarity of the orientation of the displayed content.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein changing an orientation of the displayed content to a different orientation associated with the adjacent second region comprises one of

changing the orientation from a portrait orientation to a landscape orientation, and

changing the orientation from a landscape orientation to a portrait orientation.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the second touch-responsive portion comprises at two adjacent regions to the first region, where each of the two adjacent regions is associated a different polarity of the same orientation.

10. A portable hand-held apparatus comprising: a touch-screen display;

a control circuit configured to:

use a portion of the touch-screen display as a frame for a remaining central portion of the touch-screen display; and

detect a touch-based user interaction comprising a continuous touch beginning within a first region of the portion of the touch-screen display and outside the remaining central portion, and continuing across the remaining central portion;

in response to detecting the touch-based user interaction, determine if the continuous touch has concluded within a second region of the portion of the touch-screen display and outside of the remaining central portion, or has concluded within the remaining central portion and outside of the portion of the touch-screen display;

in response to the continuous touch having concluded within the remaining central portion and outside of the portion of the touch-screen display, rotate displayed content about a center point;

in response to the continuous touch having concluded within the second region of the portion of the touch-screen display and outside of the remaining central portion, and further in response to the second region being adjacent to and adjoining the first region,

determine that the continuous touch is associated with an attribute indicating that the continuous touch concluded within the second region of the second touch-responsive portion at one of a first side of the touch-screen display and a second side of the touch-screen display, where different sides of the touch-screen display are monitored for based on the apparatus being held in a portrait orientation or a landscape orientation, wherein the attribute configures the control circuit to orientate a bottom portion of the displayed content to the one of the first side and the second side of the touch-screen display at which the continuous touch concluded, and

change an orientation of the displayed content to a different orientation associated with the adjacent second region, where the orientation is changed independent of where the continuous touch contacted first touch-responsive portion, wherein the displayed content is presented at the different orientation with the bottom portion of the displayed content facing the one of the first side and the second side of the touch-screen display at which the continuous touch concluded; and

in response to the continuous touch having concluded within the second region of the portion of the touch-screen display and outside of the remaining central portion, and further in response to the second region being opposite from the first region, invert a polarity of the orientation of the displayed content.

11. The portable hand-held apparatus of claim 10 further comprising:

a housing that includes the touch-screen display and the control circuit, wherein the housing has a tablet-based form factor.