Patent ID: 7444130

Claim:
A multi-media and communications system, including: a palm-held remote; and a console component in wireless communication with the remote; wherein the palm-held remote integrates at least: a speaker, microphone and volume control adapted for use as a telephone, a display at least capable of showing a telephone number, a cursor control and trigger adapted to select and control resources of the console, a compact keypad including numeric keys usable for telephone dialing, the compact keypad further including alphabetic keys usable for web browsing, and a limited range radio for communicating with the console component via a lightweight wireless protocol; wherein the console component integrates at least a DVD/CD player, a network port and logic and resources adapted to connect the palm-held remote to a telephone network, connect the palm-held remote to the Internet and display web pages on a monitor or television, control channels accessed by a video receiver, drive speakers and provide volume control, provide playback control for the DVD/CD player, and access and playback digitally stored music; decode VoIP to a remote control device format and decode DVD video and at least one of IPTV, MPEG-2 or MPEG-4 video; and implement the lightweight wireless protocol used to forward signals in the remote control device format to the limited range radio of the palm-held remote; whereby the palm-held remote allows a user to select among and use the console component's telephone network connection, Internet browsing, channel control, volume control, DVD/CD playback control, and digitally stored music access and playback, without performing the decoding of VoIP or video performed by the resources of the console.