Enhanced search suggestion for personal information services

A method for facilitating the searching of personal information items comprising:

• identifying a search query for searching a plurality of personal information items entered through a search element in a user interface to a personal information service;
• identifying, based at least in part on the search query, a search suggestion for searching the plurality of personal information items and a contact suggestion;
• identifying, based at least in part on the search query, an event suggestion by examining at least one personal information item included in search results associated with the search query for an indication of an event and searching a plurality of events for at least one scheduled event that satisfies event criteria comprising the indication of the event, wherein the event suggestion comprises at least the one scheduled event;
• presenting at least the event suggestion, the search suggestion and the contact suggestion through a suggestion element in the user interface;
• and
• in response to a selection of the contact suggestion, presenting associated contact details while persisting the presentation of at least the search suggestion through the suggestion element in the user interface.

A computing apparatus comprising:

• one or more computer readable storage media;
• and
• a personal information application embodied at least in part in program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable storage media and comprising:
• a search element in a user interface to a personal information service through which to enter a search query for searching a plurality of personal information items and in response thereto, identify, based at least in part on the search query, an event suggestion by initiating examination of at least one personal information item included in search results associated with the search query for an indication of an event and initiating a search of a plurality of events for at least one scheduled event that satisfies event criteria comprising the indication of the event, wherein the event suggestion comprises the one scheduled event;
• a suggestion element in the user interface through which to present at least the event suggestion, a search suggestion and a contact suggestion associated with the search query and through which to receive a selection of the contact suggestion;
• and
• a contact in the user interface through which to, in response to the selection of the contact suggestion, present associated contact details while at least the search suggestion persists in the suggestion element.