Using a shape-changing display as an adaptive lens for selectively magnifying information displayed onscreen

摘要

A method of displaying information on a display of a handheld electronic device includes steps of determining a target area onscreen to be visually magnified and causing a shape-changing zone of the display to change shape in the target area to visually magnify information displayed in the target area. The array of shape-changing zones on the touch-sensitive display can be independently actuated to form a magnifying lens over any onscreen object of interest. For example, this lens can be used to magnify a selected portion of a map, a portion of text or a specific point of interest. The lens can be used to magnify a route displayed on a map, or simply to zoom in on the current location of the device as displayed onscreen.