Skinnable touch device grip patterns

A computing device comprising:

• a processing system;
• a touch-aware skin having one or more skin sensors that form a grid substantially covering outer surfaces of the computing device including over edges and a back-side of the computing device;
• and
• a skin driver module operable via the processing system to control the touch-aware skin;
• including:
• obtaining input received via the one or more skin sensors at designated locations of the touch-aware skin;
• detecting a combination of a grip pattern and a device placement based upon the input received at the designated locations of the touch-aware skin, the device placement corresponding at least in part to contact between the computing device and an object;
• deriving a context for interaction with the device that reflects the combination of the grip pattern and the device placement as detected;
• selectively activating and deactivating grip sensing and touch input of the one or more skin sensors according to the derived context;
• selectively adjusting sensitivity of the one or more skin sensors corresponding to the derived context;
• and
• enabling grip dependent functionality of the computing device corresponding to the derived context.

One or more computer-readable storage media storing instructions that, when executed via a computing device, cause the computing device to implement a skin driver module configured to perform operations including:

• detecting input applied to the computing device through a touch-aware skin of the computing device configured as a grid of sensors formed within the touch-aware skin substantially covering at least a back side of the computing device;
• detecting a combination of a grip pattern and a device placement based upon the applied input;
• ascertaining a context for the computing device that reflects the combination of the grip pattern and the device placement as detected, the device placement corresponding at least in part to contact between the computing device and an object;
• determining an identity of a user of the computing device based upon the detected grip pattern;
• selectively activating and deactivating grip sensing and touch input of the sensors according to the ascertained context;
• selectively turning sensitivity of the activated sensors up or down based upon the ascertained context;
• and
• adapting one or more features of the computing device to correspond to the determined identity of the user.