Automatically configuring a web-enabled digital camera to access the internet

A handheld portable device having an integral digital camera, the handheld portable device configured to access a website on a public network using a user account, the handheld portable device comprising:

• an operating system;
• a communication manager in communication with the operating system, the operating system configured to:
• establish, via the communication manager, a connection to a server, the server being responsible for establishing and maintaining user accounts;
• automatically send device information uniquely identifying the handheld portable device and a user of the handheld portable device to the server so that the server can at least partially set up a user account for accessing a website on a public network based on the device information;
• receive user account information associated with the at least partially set-up user account from the server;
• and
• store the user account information on the handheld portable device, wherein the user does not have to enter the stored account information to establish a connection with the public network or, if the user account is not completely set up, to establish the user account a next time the handheld portable device connects to the server.

A method for automatically establishing an Internet service provider (ISP) user account and for configuring a handheld portable device, which includes an integral digital camera, for accessing a public network using the ISP user account, the method comprising:

• establishing, by the handheld portable device, a connection to a server a first time the handheld portable device attempts to connect to the public network, the server being responsible for establishing and maintaining ISP user accounts;
• automatically sending, by the handheld portable device, device information uniquely identifying the handheld portable device and a user of the handheld portable device to the server so that the server can set up, based on the device information, an ISP user account for accessing a public network;
• receiving, via the handheld portable device, ISP user account information associated with the set-up user account;
• and
• storing the ISP user account information on the handheld portable device, wherein the user does not have to enter the ISP user account information a next time the handheld portable device connects to the public network.

A handheld portable device having an integral digital camera, the handheld portable device configured to access a website on a public network using a user account, the handheld portable device comprising:

• an operating system;
• a communication manager in communication with the operating system, the operating system configured to:
• establish, via the communication manager, a connection to a server a first time the handheld portable device attempts to connect to the public network, the server being responsible for establishing and maintaining user accounts;
• automatically send device information uniquely identifying the handheld portable device and a user of the handheld portable device to the server so that the server can set up, based on the device information, an Internet service provider (ISP) user account for accessing a public network;
• receive ISP user account information associated with the set-up user account;
• and
• store the ISP user account information on the handheld portable device, wherein the user does not have to enter the ISP user account information a next time the handheld portable device connects to the public network.