1. In a distributed processing method that includes performing an operation on stimuli captured by a camera or microphone sensor of a user's mobile device, by using a combined system that includes both processing hardware in the mobile device and processing hardware remote from the mobile device, an improvement wherein: the operation comprises an image or audio recognition operation, and the method comprises: identifying, using a hardware processor, a set of component functions that should be executed by said combined system to perform said recognition operation; and determining one or more of said identified component functions that should be performed by the processing hardware remote from the mobile device; wherein said identifying the set of component functions is based on physical attributes of said processing hardware, and is also based on one or more circumstance or context factors selected from the group consisting of: (a) information about mobile device power availability or usage; (b) information about a needed function response time; (c) information about a routing constraint; (d) information about a state of hardware resources within the mobile device; (e) information about mobile device connectivity; (f) information about a geographical consideration; (g) information about a pipeline stall risk; (h) information about turnaround time or cost associated with the remote processor; and (i) information about a user preference regarding remote processing; and wherein, at a first time, one set of component functions is identified to perform said recognition operation, and at a second time, a different set of component functions is identified to perform said recognition operation, due to a difference in one of said factors between the first and second times.