User interface for mobile computer unit

An electronic device comprising:

• a housing;
• a display mounted in said housing;
• one or more sensors mounted in said housing detecting contact above said display;
• a processor mounted in said housing, connected to said display and receiving information from said sensors;
• and
• a user interface accessing a plurality of applications, each application running on the electronic device in an activated state and in a non-activated state whereby, in its activated state, the application presents a graphical user interface (GUI) on said display and runs interactively via the GUI, and, in its non-activated state, the application presents a gadget on said display and runs non-interactively to present, within the gadget, dynamically generated information related to the application, wherein the user interface:
• initializes each application in its non-activated state when the electronic device is turned on;
• arranges the gadgets in a layout that is larger than said display, whereby some of the gadgets are in the display and others of the gadgets are out of the display;
• causes an application in its non-activated state to transition to its activated state when said sensors detect tapping that application's gadget;
• and
• alters the layout when an application transitions to its activated state, comprising:
• displacing some, but not all, of the gadgets from in said display to out of said display;
• and
• replacing the displaced gadgets with a window for the activated application's GUI.

A non-transitory computer readable medium storing program code which, when executed by a processor of an electronic device comprising a display, the processor receiving information from one or more sensors operative to detect contact above the display, causes a user interface to access a plurality of applications, each application running on the electronic device in an activated state and in a non-activated state whereby, in its activated state, the application presents a graphical user interface (GUI) and runs interactively via the GUI, and, in its non-activated state, the application presents a gadget and runs non-interactively to present, within the gadget, dynamically generated information related to the application, wherein the user interface:

• initializes each application in its non-activated state when the electronic device is turned on;
• arranges the gadgets in a layout that is larger than the display, whereby some of the gadgets are in the display and others of the gadgets are out of the display;
• causes an application in its non-activated state to transition to its activated state, when the sensors detect tapping that application's gadget;
• and
• alters the layout when an application transitions to its activated state, comprising:
• displacing some, but not all, of the gadgets from in the display to out of the display;
• and
• replacing the displaced gadgets with a window for the activated application's GUI.

An electronic device comprising:

• a housing;
• a display mounted in said housing;
• a touch sensor detecting contact above said display;
• a force sensor distinguishing between different amounts of pressure applied to said display from above;
• a processor mounted in said housing connected to said display, receiving information from said touch sensor and from said force sensor;
• and
• a user interface comprising a plurality of displayed activatable controls, wherein the user interface selects a control in response to the touch sensor detecting an object touching that control on said display, and wherein the user interface activates a thus-selected control in response to the force sensor detecting an increase in pressure applied to the display by the object from above.