Remote control having hotkeys with dynamically assigned functions

An intelligent television system, comprising:

• a handheld remote control comprising at least one shortcut button, a first hotkey visually identified with a first color, a second hotkey visually identified with a second color, a third hotkey visually identified with a third color, and a fourth hotkey visually identified with a fourth color, the first color, the second color, the third color, and the fourth color being different;
• and
• a television comprising an operating system kernel, one or more applications, and a middle layer disposed between the one or more applications and the operating system kernel, which are in communication with each other to perform functions of the intelligent television system, wherein:
• the middle layer comprises an input event dispatcher for receiving user input events and sending the user input events to the one or more applications, the user input events comprising selecting one shortcut button and subsequently selecting a hotkey among the first hotkey, the second hotkey, the third hotkey, and the fourth hotkey on the handheld remote control;
• in response to a selection of a first shortcut button on the handheld remote control, the input event dispatcher is configured to receive a user input event associated with the first shortcut button and dispatch the user input event to an application for the application to display a first user interface associated with the first shortcut button and to enable a user navigation from the first user interface to a second user interface of the application, the second user interface containing a first portion and a second portion simultaneously displayed in the second user interface, the first portion enabling user selection of one of a plurality of selection states of a first item displayed in the first portion, wherein a function associated with at least one of the first hotkey, the second hotkey, the third hotkey, or the fourth hotkey is indicated in the second portion of the second user interface and is dependent on a user-selected selection state among the plurality of selection states of the first item by:
• the first portion displaying the first item, the second portion displaying one or more of a first indicator having the first color, a second indicator having the second color, and a third indicator having the third color that are associated with the first hotkey, the second hotkey, and the third hotkey, respectively, and the first hotkey being configured to activate a first function in response to the first item being in a first selection state of the plurality of selection states, and
• in response to the first item switching to a second selection state of the plurality of selection states, the application being further configured to associate the first hotkey with a second function, and to display a first description of the second function with the first indicator;
• the application is configured to update the second user interface in response to the first hotkey being selected at the second user interface;
• and
• the second function associated with the first hotkey and the first function associated with the first hotkey are different.