Contact information sharing with mobile telephone

1 . A method for a mobile telephone, comprising:

querying a first local external device for first contact information; and

receiving the first contact information from the first local external device.

2 . A method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

determining a plurality of local external devices that store respective ones of a plurality of contact information; and

receiving an instruction to select the first local external device from the plurality of local external devices.

3 . A method according to claim 2 , wherein the plurality of local external devices comprise a second mobile telephone.

4 . A method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

querying the first local external device for a list representing all accessible contact information stored in the first local external device;

receiving the list representing all accessible contact information from the first local external device;

presenting the list to a user; and

receiving an instruction to select the first contact information from the list.

5 . A method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving a user query for the first contact information; and

determining that the mobile telephone does not store the first contact information.

6 . A method according to claim 1 , wherein querying the first local external device for first contact information comprises querying a plurality of local external devices for the first contact information.

7 . A mobile telephone, comprising:

a communication device to transmit a query to a first local external device for first contact information, and to receive the first contact information from the first local external device.

8 . A mobile telephone according to claim 7 , further comprising:

a processor to determine a plurality of local external devices that store respective ones of a plurality of contact information, the apparatus further comprising:

an input device to receive an instruction to select the first local external device from the plurality of local external devices.

9 . A mobile telephone according to claim 8 , wherein the plurality of local external devices comprise a second mobile telephone.

10 . A mobile telephone according to claim 7 , wherein the communication device is to transmit a query to the first local external device for a list representing all accessible contact information stored in the first local external device, and is to receive the list representing all accessible contact information from the first local external device, the apparatus further comprising:

an output device to present the list to a user, and

wherein the input device is to receive an instruction to select the first contact information from the list.

11 . A mobile telephone according to claim 7 , further comprising:

an input device to receive a user query for the first contact information,

wherein the processor is to determine that the mobile telephone does not store the first contact information.

12 . A mobile telephone according to claim 7 , wherein the communication device is to query a plurality of local external devices for the first contact information.

13 . A method for a mobile telephone, comprising:

receiving a query from a first local external device for first contact information stored in the mobile telephone; and

transmitting the first contact information to the first local external device.

14 . A method according to claim 13 , further comprising:

determining if the first local external device is authorized to receive the first contact information.

15 . A method according to claim 13 , wherein the first local external device comprise a second mobile telephone.

16 . A method according to claim 13 , further comprising:

receiving a query from the first local external device for a list representing all accessible contact information stored in the mobile telephone; and

transmitting the list representing all accessible contact information to the first local external device.

17 . A mobile telephone, comprising:

a communication device to receive a query from a first local external device for first contact information stored in the mobile telephone, and to transmit the first contact information to the first local external device.

18 . A mobile telephone according to claim 17 , further comprising:

a processor to determine if the first local external device is authorized to receive the first contact information.

19 . A mobile telephone according to claim 17 , wherein the first local external device comprise a second mobile telephone.

20 . A mobile telephone according to claim 17 , wherein the communication device is to receive a query from the first local external device for a list representing all accessible contact information stored in the mobile telephone, and to transmit the list representing all accessible contact information to the first local external device.