Method and apparatus for co-socket telephony

1. A method for use in a communication system that is configured to enable one or more wireless client handheld devices to initiate Voice-over-internet (VoIP) telephony calls, the method comprising:

wirelessly transmitting from a particular wireless client handheld device to a remote internet database server via wireless communication access equipment a set of dialing digits corresponding to a telephone number where a callee can be reached via a public switched telephone network (PSTN); and

wirelessly receiving from the wireless communication access equipment, at the particular wireless client handheld device, an internet protocol (IP) address where a remote device associated with the callee can be presently reached via an IP packet-switched data network, wherein the IP address is looked up in a remote Internet database server based upon the dialing digits, and the remote device associated with the callee is coupled at least in part via the IP packet-switched data network to the particular wireless client handheld device via the wireless communication access equipment;

the particular wireless client handheld device using the IP address to facilitate the establishment of a VoIP communication connection for communicating with the remote device associated with the callee, and wirelessly transmitting via the VoIP communication connection a stream of voice data packets to the wireless communication access equipment for further coupling to the remote device associated with the callee via the IP packet-switched data network, to thereby enable a user of the particular wireless client handheld device to engage in voice communication with the callee,

wherein the particular wireless client handheld device is configured to wirelessly support both circuit-switched telephone calls packet-switched VoIP telephony calls using one or more wireless connections.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

transmitting a digital picture captured by a digital camera, from the particular wireless client handheld device to the remote device associated with the callee, via the wireless internet access gateway and at least partially via the IP packet-switched data network.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

transmitting a digital video stream produced by a digital video camera, from the particular wireless client handheld device to the remote device associated with the callee, via the wireless Internet access gateway and at least partially via the IP packet-switched data network.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the digital video stream supports two-way real-time video communication between the particular wireless client handheld device and the remote device associated with the callee.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the video stream comprises a video clip sent from the particular wireless client handheld device to the remote device associated with the callee.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

effecting, in a two-way real-time chat session, transmission of textual characters entered into the particular wireless client handheld device to the remote device associated with the callee, via the particular wireless internet access gateway and at least partially via the IP packet-switched data network.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

effecting, in a real-time, interactive, two-way application sharing session, transmission of application layer data from a first application program in the particular wireless client handheld device to a second application program in the remote device associated with the callee, via the particular wireless internet access gateway and at least partially via the IP packet-switched data network.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

effecting, in a real-time, interactive, two-way web browsing session, a set of client-server interactions between the particular wireless client handheld device and a remote IP server, via the particular wireless internet access gateway and at least partially via the IP packet-switched data network.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving at the particular wireless client handheld device a second set of dialing digits corresponding to a second telephone number associated with a second callee;

placing a circuit-switched telephone call to establish a circuit-switched telephone communication connection between the particular wireless client handheld device and a second remote device associated with the second callee.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

sending the second set of dialing digits from the particular wireless client handheld device to the remote internet database server at least partially via the IP packet-switched data network; and

receiving at the particular wireless client handheld device from the remote Internet database server an indication that a PSTN dialed telephone connection is needed to establish a communication connection between the particular wireless client handheld device and the second remote device.

11. A method for use in a communication system that is configured to enable a plurality of wireless client telephony devices to initiate both circuit-switched telephone calls and Voice-over-internet (VoIP) telephony calls, the method comprising:

wirelessly transmitting a first internet protocol (IP) packet comprising a destination call setup address associated with a callee from an originating wireless client telephony device to a remote database server via wireless communications access equipment, and via an IP packet-switched data network;

wirelessly receiving at the originating wireless telephone device from the remote database server, via the wireless communications access equipment, a second IP packet comprising an IP address where a remote device associated with the callee can be presently reached at least partially via the IP packet-switched data network;

the originating wireless client telephony device using the IP address to facilitate the establishment of a VoIP communication connection with the remote device associated with the callee, via the wireless communications access equipment and at least partially via the IP packet-switched data network, and wirelessly transmit via the VoIP communication connection to the remote device associated with the callee a stream of voice data packets to thereby enable a user of the originating wireless client telephony device to engage in voice communication with the callee; and

wherein the originating wireless client telephony device is configured to wirelessly support both circuit-switched telephone calls packet-switched VoIP telephony calls using one or more wireless connections.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

transmitting a digital picture captured by a digital camera, from the originating wireless client telephony device to the remote device associated with the callee, via the wireless communications access equipment and at least partially via the IP packet-switched network.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising transmitting a digital video stream produced by a digital video camera, from the originating wireless client telephony device to the remote device associated with the callee, via the wireless communications access equipment and at least partially via the IP packet-switched network.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the digital video stream supports two-way real-time video communication between the originating wireless client telephony device and the remote device associated with the callee.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the video stream comprises a video clip sent from the originating wireless client telephony device to the remote device associated with the callee.

16. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

effecting, in a two-way real-time chat session, transmission of textual characters entered into the originating wireless client telephony device to the remote device associated with the callee, via the wireless communications access equipment and at least partially via the IP packet-switched network.

17. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

effecting, in a real-time, interactive, two-way application sharing session, transmission of application layer data from a first application program in the originating wireless client telephony device to a second application program in the remote device associated with the callee, via the wireless communications access equipment and at least partially via the IP packet-switched network.

18. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

effecting, in a real-time, interactive, two-way web browsing session, a set of client-server interactions between the originating wireless client telephony device and a remote IP server, via the wireless communications access equipment and at least partially via the IP packet-switched network.

19. The method of claim 11 , wherein one or more VoIP communication connections are established to connect the originating wireless client telephony device to remote devices associated with multiple designated callees, by making use of a packet-based teleconferencing protocol that supports multi-way packet-based teleconferences between a plurality of participants.

20. The method of claim 11 , wherein the packet-based teleconferencing protocol is an H.323 protocol.

21. The method of claim 11 , wherein the wireless communications access equipment communicates with the originating wireless client telephony device using a wireless local area network air interface protocol.