Unified contact list

For a mobile phone network that comprises a mobile phone carrier providing mobile phone service to a plurality of mobile phone users and a data service provider providing data services to the plurality of mobile phone users through the mobile phone carrier, a computer program product comprising one or more computer readable media carrying computer executable instructions that implement a method of maintaining current contact and metadata information for initiating multiple forms of mobile phone communication with a contact, the method comprising acts of:

• creating a contact list that stores contact information for multiple forms of communication with one or more contacts in the mobile phone;
• designating at least one contact as an automatic live contact to be updated as new information becomes available, with any remaining contacts being designated as other contacts that will not be updated as new information becomes available in order to control airtime, bandwidth, or processing requirements at the mobile phone;
• sending the contact list to the data service provider for backup storage and update processing so that as new information becomes available for the at least one automatic live contact, the data service provider can send the new information to the mobile phone;
• periodically receiving through the mobile phone carrier automatic contact and metadata information updates from the data service provider for the at least one automatic live contact;
• and
• updating the at least one automatic live contact with the received updates so that an appropriate form of communication may be initiated using accurate contact and metadata information for the automatic live contact.

In a mobile phone network that comprises a mobile phone carrier providing mobile phone service to a plurality of mobile phone users and a data service provider providing data services to the plurality of mobile phone users through the mobile phone carrier, a method of maintaining current contact and metadata information for a contact that allows multiples forms of communication to be initiated from a mobile phone, the method comprising steps for:

• storing contact information for multiple forms of communication with one or more contacts in the mobile phone;
• identifying each contact as either an automatic live contact to be synchronized as new information becomes available or as an other contact that will not be synchronized as new information becomes available;
• communicating the one or more contacts to the data service provider for update processing so that as new information becomes available for the at least one automatic live contact, the data service provider can synchronize the mobile phone with the new information;
• periodically applying automatic contact and metadata information updates received through the mobile phone carrier from the data service provider to one or more contacts identified as automatic live contacts;
• and
• initiating a form of communication with the one or more contacts identified as automatic live contacts based on the updated contact and metadata information for the one or more automatic live contacts.

In a mobile phone network that comprises a mobile phone carrier providing mobile phone service to a plurality of mobile phone users and a data service provider providing data services to the plurality of mobile phone users through the mobile phone carrier, a computer program product comprising one or more computer readable media carrying computer executable instructions that implement a method of maintaining current contact and metadata information for a contact that allows multiples forms of communication to be initiated from a mobile phone, the method comprising steps for:

• storing contact information for multiple forms of communication with one or more contacts in the mobile phone;
• identifying each contact as either an automatic live contact to be synchronized as new information becomes available or as an other contact that will not be synchronized as new information becomes available;
• communicating the one or more contacts to the data service provider for update processing so that as new information becomes available for the at least one automatic live contact, the data service provider can synchronize the mobile phone with the new information;
• periodically applying automatic contact and metadata information updates received through the mobile phone carrier from the data service provider to one or more contacts identified as automatic live contacts;
• and
• initiating a form of communication with the one or more contacts identified as automatic live contacts based on the synchronized contact and metadata information for the one or more automatic live contacts.