1. A battery-powered mobile computing device comprising:
a battery to provide power;
a processor;
a Global Positioning System (GPS) component to obtain information about the geographic location of the device, wherein:
the information about the geographic location of the device obtained using the GPS component has a first degree of accuracy, and
obtaining information about the geographic location of the device using the GPS component consumes a first amount of battery power;
a wireless communication interface to obtain information about the geographic location of the device, wherein:
the information about the geographic location of the device obtained using the wireless communication interface has a second degree of accuracy that is less than the first degree of accuracy, and
obtaining information about the geographic location of the device using the wireless communication interface consumes a second amount of battery power that is less than the first amount of battery power; and
a memory storing instructions executable by the processor, the instructions including:
first instructions corresponding to a first application that utilizes information about a geographic location of the device;
second instructions corresponding to a second application that utilizes information about a geographic location of the device;
third instructions corresponding to a location updater module, the location updater module to request either the GPS component or the wireless communication interface to obtain information about the geographic location of the device; and
fourth instructions corresponding to a location services module, the location services module to:
register the first and second applications for access to information about the geographic location of the device;
determine whether the first or the second application is, or was recently, active; and
control the location updater module regarding whether to use the GPS unit or the wireless communication interface to obtain the information about the geographic location of the device based, at least in part, on a determination as to whether the first or the second application is, or was recently, active.
2. The battery-powered mobile computing device of claim 1 wherein the location services module controls the location updater module to use the GPS unit to obtain the information about the geographic location of the device if one or more of the applications that require information about the current geographic location of the device are active.
3. The battery-powered mobile computing device of claim 1 wherein the location services module controls the location updater module to use the wireless communication interface to obtain the information about the geographic location of the device if one or more of the applications that require information about the current geographic location of the device is not currently active and was not recently active.
4. The battery-powered mobile computing device of claim 3 wherein the wireless communication interface comprises a WiFi transceiver.
5. The battery-powered mobile computing device of claim 1 wherein the location services module controls the location updater module to request information about the geographical location of the device at a frequency that depends, at least in part, on an extent to which the device is moving.
6. The battery-powered mobile computing device of claim 1 wherein the location services module controls the location updater module to request information about the geographical location of the device at a frequency that depends, at least in part, on whether or not the device is determined to be substantially stationary.
7. The battery-powered mobile computing device of claim 1 comprising a power manager to determine a remaining level of battery power available in the device, wherein the second location services module controls the location updater module to request information about the geographical location of the device at a frequency that depends, at least in part, on the remaining level of battery power.
8. The battery-powered mobile computing device of claim 7 wherein the location services module controls the location updater module to update information about the geographical location of the device at a lower frequency if the remaining level of battery power drops below a predetermined amount.
9. A method of operating a battery-powered mobile computing device having a processor, a memory, and a battery, the method comprising:
determining, by the device, whether an application that is available on the device and that uses information about a current geographic location of the device is, or recently was, active;
using, by the device, a first location-determining technique to determine the geographic location of the device if the application is, or recently was, active, wherein the first location-determining technique uses a first amount of battery power; and
using, by the device, a second location-determining technique to determine the geographic location of the device if the application is not active and was not recently active, wherein the second location-determining technique uses a second amount of battery power that is less than the first amount of battery power.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein the first location-determining technique uses information from a GPS system.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein the second location-determining technique uses cell ID or a WiFi access point information.
12. The method of claim 9 wherein information about the geographic location of the device obtained using the first technique has a first degree of accuracy, and information about the geographic location of the device obtained using the second technique has a second degree of accuracy that is less than the first degree of accuracy.
13. The method of claim 9 wherein the application is considered to be active if the application is the focus of a graphical user interface on the device.
14. The method of claim 9 including requesting information about the geographical location of the device at a frequency that depends, at least in part, on an extent to which the device is moving.
15. The method of claim 9 including requesting information about the geographical location of the device at a frequency that depends, at least in part, on whether or not the device is determined to be substantially stationary.
16. The method of claim 9 including updating information about the geographical location of the device at a frequency that depends, at least in part, on a remaining level of battery power in the device.
17. The method of claim 16 including updating information about the geographical location of the device at a lower frequency if the remaining level of battery power drops below a predetermined amount.
18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with a computer program comprising instructions that, if executed by a processor of a mobile computing device, operate to cause the mobile computing device to perform operations comprising:
determining whether an application that is available on the device and that uses information about a current geographic location of the device is, or recently was, active;
using a first location-determining technique to determine the geographic location of the device if the application is, or recently was, active, wherein the first location-determining technique uses a first amount of battery power; and
using a second location-determining technique to determine the geographic location of the device if the application is not active and was not recently active, wherein the second location-determining technique uses a second amount of battery power that is less than the first amount of battery power.
19. The medium of claim 18 wherein the first location-determining technique uses information from a GPS system.
20. The medium of claim 19 wherein the second location-determining technique uses cell ID or WiFi access point information.
21. The medium of claim 18 wherein information about the geographic location of the device obtained using the first technique has a first degree of accuracy, and information about the geographic location of the device obtained using the second technique has a second degree of accuracy that is less than the first degree of accuracy.
22. The medium of claim 18 wherein the application is considered to be active if the application is the focus of a graphical user interface on the device.
23. The medium of claim 18 including instructions that, if executed, operate to cause the device to request information about the geographical location of the device at a frequency that depends, at least in part, on an extent to which the device is moving.
24. The medium of claim 18 including instructions that, when executed, operate to cause the device to request information about the geographical location of the device at a frequency that depends, at least in part, on whether or not the device is determined to be substantially stationary.
25. The medium of claim 18 including instructions that, if executed, operate to cause the device to update information about the geographical location of the device at a frequency that depends, at least in part, on a remaining level of battery power in the device.
26. The medium of claim 25 including instructions that, if executed, operate to cause the device to update information about the geographical location of the device at a lower frequency if the remaining level of battery power drops below a predetermined amount.
27. A battery-operated mobile computing device comprising:
a battery to provide power;
a processor;
a Global Positioning System (GPS) component to obtain information about the geographic location of the device, wherein obtaining information about the geographic location of the device using the GPS component consumes a first amount of battery power;
a wireless communication interface to obtain information about the geographic location of the device, wherein obtaining information about the geographic location of the device using the wireless communication interface consumes a second amount of battery power that is less than the first amount of battery power; and
a memory storing instructions executable by the processor, the instructions including:
first instructions corresponding to a first application that utilizes information about a geographic location of the device;
second instructions corresponding to a second application that utilizes information about a geographic location of the device;
third instructions corresponding to a location updater module, the location updater module to request either the GPS component or the wireless communication interface to obtain information about the geographic location of the device; and
fourth instructions corresponding to a location services module, the location services module to:
determine whether the first or the second application is, or was recently, active; and
control the location updater module regarding whether to use the GPS unit or the wireless communication interface to obtain the information about the geographic location of the device based, at least in part, on a determination as to whether the first or the second application is, or was recently, active.
28. The battery-operated mobile computing device of claim 27 comprising a power manager to determine a remaining level of battery power available in the device, wherein the information about the geographical location of the device is updated at a frequency that depends, at least in part, on the remaining level of battery power.
29. The battery-operated mobile computing device of claim 28 wherein the information about the geographical location of the device is updated at a first lower frequency if the remaining level of battery power drops below a first predetermined amount.
30. The battery-operated mobile computing device of claim 28 wherein the information about the geographical location of the device is updated at a second frequency lower than the first lower frequency if the remaining level of battery power drops below a second predetermined amount lower than the first predetermined amount.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A fluid-ejection printhead die comprising:
a plurality of first fluid-ejection nozzles to eject fluid of a first type, the first fluid-ejection nozzles organized over a first row and a second row non-collinear to the first row;
a plurality of second fluid-ejection nozzles to eject fluid of a second type different than the first type, the second fluid-ejection nozzles organized over a third row and a fourth row non-collinear to the third row, the fourth row at least substantially collinear to the first row; and,
a mixing barrier at least substantially between the first row of the first fluid-ejection nozzles and the fourth row of the second fluid-ejection nozzles.
2. The fluid-ejection printhead die of claim 1, wherein the mixing barrier is to minimize mixing of the fluid of the first type with the fluid of the second type at least during wiping of the fluid-ejection printhead die.
3. The fluid-ejection, printhead die of claim 1, wherein the mixing barrier comprises a groove within a surface of the fluid-ejection printhead die.
4. The fluid-ejection printhead die of claim 1, wherein the mixing barrier comprises a protrusion extending from a surface of the fluid-ejection printhead die.
5. The fluid-ejection printhead die of claim 1, wherein the mixing barrier is a first mixing barrier, the first row is longer than the second row, the third row is longer than the fourth row, and the fluid-ejection printhead die further comprises:
a short edge to abut a corresponding short edge of another fluid-ejection printhead die, the second row of the first fluid-ejection nozzles and the fourth row of the second fluid-ejection nozzles ending at the short edge; and,
a second mixing barrier at the short edge and substantially between the second row of the first fluid-ejection nozzles and the fourth row of the second fluid-ejection nozzles.
6. The fluid-ejection printhead die of claim 5, wherein the second mixing barrier is at least substantially shaped as a triangle having a first corner and a second corner on the short edge, the triangle having a third corner between the second row of the first fluid-ejection nozzles and the fourth row of the second fluid-ejection nozzles.
7. The fluid-ejection printhead die of claim 1, wherein the mixing barrier is a first mixing barrier, the first row is longer than the second row, the third row is longer than the fourth row, and the fluid-ejection printhead die further comprises:
a short edge to abut a corresponding short edge of another fluid-ejection printhead die, the first row of the first fluid-ejection nozzles and the third row of the second fluid-ejection nozzles ending at the short edge; and,
a second mixing barrier at the short edge and substantially between the first row of the first fluid-ejection nozzles and the third row of the second fluid-ejection nozzles.
8. The fluid-ejection printhead die of claim 7, wherein the second mixing barrier is at least substantially shaped as a triangle having a first corner and a second corner on the short edge, the triangle having a third corner between the first row of the first fluid-ejection nozzles and the third row of the second fluid-ejection nozzles.
9. The fluid-ejection printhead die of claim 1, wherein the mixing barrier further extends between one or more of:
the first row of the first fluid-ejection nozzles and the third row of the second fluid-ejection nozzles;
the second row of the first fluid-ejection nozzles and the fourth row of the second fluid-ejection nozzles.
10. The fluid-ejection printhead die of claim 1, wherein the fluid-ejection printhead die is an inkjet-printing device printhead die, the fluid of the first type is ink of a first color, and the fluid of the second type is ink of a second color different than the first color.
11. A fluid-ejection device comprising:
a first fluid-ejection printhead die having a short edge; and,
a second fluid-ejection printhead die having a short edge abutting the short edge of the first fluid-ejection printhead die,
wherein each of the first and the second fluid-ejection printhead dies comprises:
a plurality of first fluid-ejection nozzles to eject fluid of a first type, the first fluid-ejection nozzles organized over a first row and a second row non-collinear to the first row;
a plurality of second fluid-ejection nozzles to eject fluid of a second type different than the first type, the second fluid-ejection nozzles organized over a third row and a fourth row non-collinear to the third row, the fourth row at least substantially collinear to the first row; and,
a mixing barrier at least substantially between the first row of the first fluid-ejection nozzles and the fourth row of the second fluid-ejection nozzles.
12. The fluid-ejection device of claim 11, wherein the mixing barrier of the first fluid-ejection printhead die is a first mixing barrier, and the mixing barrier of the second fluid-ejection printhead die is a second mixing barrier,
wherein the first row of the first fluid-ejection printhead die is longer than the second row of the first fluid-ejection printhead die, the third row of the first fluid-ejection printhead die is longer than the fourth row of the first fluid-ejection printhead die,
wherein the first row of the second fluid-ejection printhead die is longer than the second row of the second fluid-ejection printhead die, the third row of the second fluid-ejection printhead die is longer than the fourth row of the second fluid-ejection printhead die,
and wherein the first fluid-ejection printhead die further comprises:
a third mixing barrier at the short edge of the first fluid-ejection printhead die and substantially between the second row of the first fluid-ejection nozzles of the first fluid-ejection printhead die and the fourth row of the first fluid-ejection nozzles of the first fluid-ejection printhead die.
13. The fluid-ejection device of claim 12, wherein the second fluid-ejection printhead die further comprises:
a fourth mixing barrier at the short edge of the second fluid-ejection printhead die and substantially between the first row of the first fluid-ejection nozzles of the second fluid-ejection printhead die and the third row of the second fluid-ejection nozzles of the second fluid-ejection printhead die.
14. The fluid-ejection device of claim 11, wherein the fluid-ejection device is an inkjet-printing device, the fluid of the first type is ink of a first color, and the fluid of the second type is ink of a second color different than the first color.
15. A fluid-ejection printhead die comprising:
a plurality of first fluid-ejection nozzles to eject fluid of a first type, the first fluid-ejection nozzles organized over a first row and a second row non-collinear to the first row;
a plurality of second fluid-ejection nozzles to eject fluid of a second type different than the first type, the second fluid-ejection nozzles organized over a third row and a fourth row non-collinear to the third row, the fourth row at least substantially collinear to the first row; and,
means for minimizing, at least during wiping of the fluid-ejection printhead die, the fluid of the first type ejected by at least the first row of the first fluid-ejection nozzles from mixing with the fluid of the second type ejected by at least the fourth row of the second fluid-ejection nozzles.