Low-power hand-held transaction device

A hand-held device for inputting request data, constructing a request, transmitting the request to a server computer through a telecommunications link, receiving a response to the request from the server computer, and outputting the response, the hand-held device coupled to a telecommunications link through which the request is transmitted and the response is received, the hand-held device comprising:

• a number of input components for inputting request data from a number of different input media, including audio tones and mechanical manipulation of an input component and at least one of additional input media including electronic, magnetic, and printed request data;
• a processing component that constructs a request from the request data;
• a transceiver component that sends the request to the server computer and receives the response from the server computer;
• and
• a number of output components that output a portion of the response received from the server computer in a particular response output medium.