A network appliance which receives digital content from a remote location; said appliance including decoding and recoding means by which digital content is downloaded, decoded then recoded for on-transmission to a digital device for consumption by a user. In a particular form each network appliance operates according to secure peer assist criteria; said secure peer assist criteria enabling reception of at least portions of said item of content from others of said plurality of network appliances if said item of content has been previously downloaded to said others of said plurality of network appliances.

A mobile device includes a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The memory includes instructions that are executable by the processor to perform operations including receiving, via a first network associated with a wireless service, an offer for a content item that is deliverable via a multimedia service. The operations also include sending information indicating acceptance of the offer via the wireless service to a server associated with the multimedia service. Based on the information indicating acceptance of the offer, the server sends the content item to a device associated with the multimedia service account.

A method for distributing context-based data using an acoustic receiving device and a high frequency analog acoustic signal is disclosed. The acoustic receiving device a high frequency analog acoustic signal. A high frequency analog acoustic signal is of a frequency of at least 21,000 Hz and contains encoded data. The high frequency analog acoustic signal is converted to a digital acoustic signal and then analyzed to obtain the encoded data. The data is decoded to obtain information, and the information is then displayed on the acoustic receiving device.

To make a payment, a smartphone presents artwork for a payment card (e.g., a Visa card) that has been selected by a user from a virtual wallet of such cards. Encoded in the displayed artwork is payment information that has been encrypted with a context-dependent session key. A cooperating system (e.g., a retailer's point of sale system) uses a camera to capture an image of the artwork, and independently creates the session key from its own context sensor(s), enabling decryption of the payment information. Such technology provides a superior transaction security model at a fraction of the cost of competing chip card payment systems (which require, e.g., expensive physical cards, and single-purpose reader hardware). A great variety of other features and arrangements are also detailed.

Improved service acquisition techniques for wireless communications systems are described. In one embodiment, for example, an apparatus may comprise a processor circuit, a service acquisition application for execution by the processor circuit to select multiple services for attempted acquisition, and a service management module for execution by the processor circuit to attempt to acquire the multiple services according to a connection mode, the service management module to attempt to acquire the multiple services concurrently when the connection mode comprises a concurrent connection mode. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Example embodiments of systems and methods for data transmission system between transmitting and receiving devices are provided. In an embodiment, each of the transmitting and receiving devices can contain a master key. The transmitting device can generate a diversified key using the master key, protect a counter value and encrypt data prior to transmitting to the receiving device, which can generate the diversified key based on the master key and can decrypt the data and validate the protected counter value using the diversified key.

Leveraging the wealth of information available on-line to accelerate and facilitate commercial transactions initiated by viewers of television programming, both during conventional programming and while using interactive features such as shopping channels, application channels, executing downloaded applications, and the like, for reducing the amount and frequency of user input required by accelerating and simplifying the process of accessing stored profiles and payment methods in these transactions, and by reducing user efforts in maintaining their on-line presence without compromising user security, is described. The motivation for such simplification derives from concerns apparent in emerging t-commerce transactions, where the means by which viewers may engage in two-way transactions directly in the context of the television programming are different and frequently more constrained than in traditional e-commerce and m-commerce modes.

The disclosure relates to an information processing method, a client, a server and a computer storage medium. The method includes that: a service application detects a payment operation; payment information is acquired in response to the payment operation; a payment request is formed according to the payment information; and the payment request is sent, the payment request being sent to a payment account bound to the service application for payment.

An embodiment of this disclosure provides an apparatus. The apparatus includes a memory element configured to store a plurality of products and services and a processor. The processor is configured to receive profile information for a user accessing a plurality of video content. The processor is also configured to receive video content information for each of the plurality of video content being accessed by the user in a smart viewer. The video content information identifies at least one category associated with each of the plurality of video content. The processor is also configured to identify one or more of the plurality of products or services based on the profile information and the at least one category of the video content information. The processor is also configured to send the one or more of the plurality of products or services to the smart viewer

An embodiment may involve receiving, by a computing system, a message from a wireless service provider system. The computing system may include one or more computing devices located, e.g., in the trusted cloud. The message may contain a service-provider-based identity of a client device, an indication that the service-provider-based identity has been authenticated by the wireless service provider, and a code that the client device obtained from a remote machine proximate to the client device. The computing system may generate an anonymized identity of the client device based on the service-provider-based identity. The computing system may verify that a task associated with the code is within the authorized capabilities of the anonymized identity. Possibly based on the code (and perhaps other information as well), the computing system may transmit an instruction to the remote machine. The instruction may direct the remote machine to perform the task.