Among other things, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to communicating via an avatar embedded in an email message. In some embodiments, the avatar can provide information associated with the email message.

The invention provides a method for a user to input individualized primitive data and equipment and a system. The method comprises the following steps of: detecting an input sequence on user equipment; performing match search on the input sequence to acquire one or more matched local individualized primitive data options; and selecting the matched local individualized primitive data options as candidate options, and displaying the candidate options to the user to select. By the method, the equipment and the system, the defect that only character input and symbol input are supported by a traditional input method is overcome; the input of multiple types of individualized primitive data including pictures, audios/videos, style template user-defined characters and the like is realized by the input method; and the user experience is enhanced.

A system and method for managing a phone number-based Social Network Service (SNS) account. When a phone number change schedule information is received from the user terminal, a phone number change schedule message to user terminals included in a friend list of the corresponding account confirms when authentication of the new SNS account is requested from the user terminal, whether or not the account is an account of the changed phone number for the new authentication request based on the previously transmitted phone number change schedule information. If the account is an account of the changed phone number, a phone number change notification message is transmitted to user terminals in a friend list of the account of the changed phone number. Friends linked to the user of the SNS account are correctly informed of information on the change of the phone number.

In one embodiment, a method includes, by a first computing device associated with a first user, receiving a connection request from a second computing device associated with a second user. The method also includes confirming that the connection request is associated with the second user and sending to the second computing device an acceptance of the connection request in response to confirming that the connection request is associated with the second user. The method further includes receiving from the second computing device an acknowledgement of the acceptance and, in response to the acknowledgement, allowing information to be exchanged between the first and second computing devices.

Disclosed are a near field discovery method, a user equipment, and a storage medium. The method comprises: a first user equipment enters a discovery mode; the first user equipment probes one or multiple second user equipment, where the one or multiple second user equipment are in a state allowing them to be probed by the first user equipment; the first user equipment transmits a probe packet to the one or multiple second user equipment, where the probe packet comprises first user information; the first user equipment receives a response packet transmitted by the second user equipment in response to the probe packet monitored thereby and transmitted by the first user equipment, where the response packet requires no reply from the first user equipment, and the response packet comprises second user information; and, the first user equipment discovers the second user equipment on the basis of the response packet.

A method for operating a communication device is disclosed. One embodiment includes the steps of: generating an intermediary key corresponding to peer to peer (P2P) communication between a client and a counterpart client; transmitting the intermediary key to the counterpart client; obtaining an intermediary path corresponding to the intermediary key; receiving the data through the intermediary path from the client that did not receive an acknowledgement for data transmitted to the counterpart client because of a change of a network address of the counterpart client; and transmitting the data to the counterpart client if the counterpart client accesses the changed network address by using the intermediary key.

The invention includes systems, methods, and software applications for centrally maintaining information and automatically distributing relevant portions of the information to remote users. In one embodiment, a central server stores the information, which is maintained on the central server. Periodically, or each time the server information is updated, the server identifies the portion of the information that is relevant to each user and downloads the relevant portion of information to each user, for example to a mobile device such as a Blackberry. The invention may be used to maintain and timely distribute information related to emergency response procedures, sales or servicing schedules, and delivery schedules, among other things.

A hardened VoIP system is presented that includes secure push-to-talk voice functionality. Through the addition of encryption, authentication, user filtering, and integration with the new and existing LMR systems, a secure voice platform ensures malicious software, unauthorized access and brute force security attacks will not compromise the voice communications of the system. The VoIP system is engineered to ensure graceful system degradation in the event of maintenance activities, natural disasters and failure modes. The hardened VoIP system offers the functions a LMR trunking system while utilizing broadband connections. Private calls, group calls, Emergency Alarms with covert monitoring capability, scanning and priority scanning may be incorporated into the system. The system includes a VoIP controller that serves as a trunking controller, manages available VoIP based conference bridges, and assigns them as needed to the parties involved in each voice call.

A method of communication comprising the steps of: requesting at least one service having a plurality of parts; determining if said at least one service can be provided taking into account credit information relating to a user; and if not providing only one or some of said plurality of parts of said at least one service.

A method for communicating location information to a device includes receiving, at a computer system that implements a social networking service, location information that represents a geographic location of a device associated with a first user; associating, by the computer system, the received location information with a profile associated with the first user; and sending, from the computer system to a device associated with a second user, a message that is generated based at least in part on the location information.