Navigating among activities in a computing device
A computing device runs multiple activities concurrently and provides at least two modes for interacting with the activities. The user may toggle between the modes as desired. In a full-screen mode, one activity occupies substantially an entire display screen. In a windowed mode, the activity is visible within a window, and a portion of at least one other window is also visible. In the windowed mode, the user can cause windows to move, thereby changing focus from one activity to another. For example, the window having focus can be moved off the screen, to be replaced by a new window that is then given focus. The windows are ordered in a sequence and move in concert with one another; pushing one window off one edge of the screen causes a new window to appear at the opposite edge. A persistent positional relationship can be established among windows.
1. A computer system implemented on a mobile device comprising:
a processor configured to operate at least a first application and a second application concurrently;
a touch-sensitive display screen coupled to the processor, the processor to receive gesture input on the touch-sensitive display screen and operate the computer system in any one of at least two display modes that includes a full-screen mode and a windowed mode, wherein:
in the full-screen mode, the processor presents, on the touch-sensitive display screen, a user interface for only one of the first application or the second application;
in the windowed mode, the processor:
presents a plurality of windows arranged linearly along an axis of the touch-sensitive display screen, the plurality of windows including at least a first window displaying a view of the first application and a second window displaying a view of the second application, the first application different than the second application;
responds to a first user gesture on the touch-sensitive display screen in a first direction along the axis by moving the plurality of windows in concert with one another in the first direction along the axis;
responds to a second user gesture on a selected window of the first window or the second window by moving the selected window along a second direction that is different than the first direction and dismissing the selected window from the touch-sensitive display screen in the second direction; and
closes the corresponding first application or second application based on the dismissal of the selected window;
wherein the processor, in response to receiving a user input indicating a mode change, transitions the computer system at least (i) from the full-screen mode to the windowed mode, or (ii) from the windowed mode to the full-screen mode.
2. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the first direction is along a horizontal axis of the touch-sensitive display screen, and wherein the second direction is along a vertical axis of the touch-sensitive display screen.
3. The computer system of claim 2 , wherein the second direction is upwards.
4. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the second user gesture on the selected window comprises an upward dragging gesture performed on the selected window.
5. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the first direction is along a vertical axis of the touch-sensitive display screen, and wherein the second direction is along a horizontal axis of the touch-sensitive display screen.
6. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein a same type of the user input indicating the mode change is used to transition the computer system from the full-screen mode to the windowed mode and from the windowed mode to the full-screen mode.
7. The computer system of claim 1 , further comprising a physical button coupled to the processor, wherein the user input indicating the mode change comprises the user pressing the physical button.
8. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein dismissing the selected window from the touch-sensitive display screen in the second direction comprises the user dragging the selected window upward off the touch-sensitive display screen.
9. The computer system of claim 8 , wherein the selected window is dragged off an edge of the touch-sensitive display screen.
10. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the selected window is moved in the second direction out of the linear arrangement of the non-selected windows of the plurality of windows.
11. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein a direction of the second user gesture is the same direction in which the selected window is moved by the second user gesture.
12. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the selected window of the first window or the second window is selected based on the second user gesture being performed on the selected window.
13. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the selected window is moved along the second direction in concert with the second user gesture.
14. A method for managing applications in a computer system implemented on a mobile device including a touch-sensitive display screen coupled to a processor that operates at least a first application and a second application concurrently, the method comprising:
operating the computer system in any one of at least two display modes that includes a full-screen mode and a windowed mode;
in the full-screen mode, presenting, on the touch-sensitive display screen, a user interface for only one of the first application or the second application;
in the windowed mode:
presenting a plurality of windows arranged linearly along an axis of the touch-sensitive display screen, the plurality of windows including at least a first window displaying a view of the first application and a second window displaying a view of the second application, the first application different than the second application;
responding to a first user gesture on the touch-sensitive display screen in a first direction along the axis by moving the plurality of windows in concert with one another in the first direction along the axis;
responding to a second user gesture on a selected window of the first window or the second window by moving the selected window along a second direction that is different than the first direction and dismissing the selected window from the touch-sensitive display screen in the second direction; and
closing the corresponding first application or second application based on the dismissal of the selected window; and
in response to receiving a user input indicating a mode change, transitioning the computer system at least (i) from the full-screen mode to the windowed mode, or (ii) from the windowed mode to the full-screen mode.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the first direction is along a horizontal axis of the touch-sensitive display screen, and wherein the second direction is along a vertical axis of the touch-sensitive display screen.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the second direction is upwards.
17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the second user gesture on the selected window comprises an upward dragging gesture performed on the selected window.
18. The method of claim 14 , wherein the first direction is along a vertical axis of the touch-sensitive display screen, and wherein the second direction is along a horizontal axis of the touch-sensitive display screen.
19. The method of claim 14 , wherein a same type of the user input indicating the mode change is used to transition the computer system from the full-screen mode to the windowed mode and from the windowed mode to the full-screen mode.
20. The method of claim 14 , wherein the computer system further comprises a physical button coupled to the processor, and the user input indicating the mode change comprises the user pressing the physical button.
21. The method of claim 14 , wherein dismissing the selected window from the touch-sensitive display screen in the second direction comprises the user dragging the selected window upward off the touch-sensitive display screen.
22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the selected window is dragged off an edge of the touch-sensitive display screen.
23. The method of claim 14 , wherein the selected window is moved in the second direction out of the linear arrangement of the non-selected windows of the plurality of windows.
24. The method of claim 14 , wherein a direction of the second user gesture is the same direction in which the selected window is moved by the second user gesture.
25. The method of claim 14 , wherein the selected window of the first window or the second window is selected based on the second user gesture being performed on the selected window.
26. The method of claim 14 , wherein the selected window is moved along the second direction in concert with the second user gesture.