Patent ID: 8036689

Claim:
A method for enabling a user of a first distributed device to communicate with a second distributed device using a variable cost structure, comprising: configuring a user interface of the first distributed device to have a plurality of user-selectable options for sending a communication to the second distributed device, a first one of the user-selectable options relating to sending of a communication without an added message and a second one of the user-selectable options relating to sending of a communication with an added message; enabling a user of the first distributed device to select, using the user interface of the first distributed device, whether to send the communication to the second distributed device using a first communication server of a communications network at a first cost to the user of the first distributed device or a second communication server of the communications network at a second cost to the user of the first distributed device different than the first cost, the step of enabling the user to select whether to send the communication to the second distributed device using the first or second communications server comprising associating the first user-selectable option with an indication of use of the first communications server and associating the second user-selectable options with an indication of use of the second communications server; directing the communication to the first communication server to be forwarded therefrom to the second distributed device when the user selects the first user-selectable option and thus to send the communication to the second distributed device using the first communication server; and directing the communication to the second communication server to be forwarded therefrom to the second distributed device when the user selects the second user-selectable option and thus to send the communication to the second distributed device using the second communication server, whereby when the user selects to send the communication to the second distributed device using the first communication server, a message is not added to the communication and when the user selects to send the communication to the second distributed device using the second communication server, a message is added to the communication such that the communication and added message are delivered to the second distributed device and the second cost to send the communication is less than the first cost to send the communication.