1. A computer-implemented method for identifying information entered by a user of a handheld electronic device, the method comprising: indexing a dataset by computing a collection of numeric index values for alphanumeric entries in the dataset using a conversion procedure to represent the alphanumeric entries in the dataset with the numeric index values and indexing the alphanumeric entries with the numeric index values; receiving input over a user input device of the handheld electronic device; calculating, by the handheld electronic device, a query index value using the conversion procedure to represent the received input with the query index value; comparing, by the handheld electronic device, the query index value to the numeric index values indexing the dataset and identifying matches therebetween; and displaying, on a display screen of the handheld electronic device, information from the alphanumeric entries in the dataset indexed by an index value matching the query index value representing the received input.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dataset is stored locally on the hand-held electronic device.