Portable Electronic Apparatus and Control Method Thereof

A control method of a portable electronic apparatus comprising a display unit, a first sensor element group having a plurality of sensor elements for detection a contact and arranged continuously around the display unit side by side, and a switch element formed where the first sensor element group is arranged, comprising:

• displaying a plurality of selection candidate items which can be displayed as an operation target region on the display unit;
• monitoring a change in a detection state of the first sensor element group and a state of the switch element;
• changing a selection state of the selection candidate item by changing the selection candidate items and/or the operation target region based on the change in the detection state of the first sensor element group;
• and
• executing a selection candidate item in the selection state when the switch element is pressed.

A portable electronic apparatus comprising:

• a first sensor element group having a plurality of sensor elements for detecting a contact and arranged continuously and adjacently;
• a display unit disposed adjacent to the first sensor element group;
• and
• a control unit for controlling a display on the display unit,
• wherein the plurality of sensor elements of the first sensor element group are arranged around the display unit in a direction comprising at least a first direction component, and
• the control unit controls the display unit to display a plurality of selection candidate items which can be displayed as an operation target region on the display unit in a parallel direction to the first direction, to display at least one of the plurality of selection candidate items as an operation target region, and to change the operation target region in the plurality of selection candidate items according to a positional transition of contact detections of the plurality of sensor elements composing the first sensor element group.