1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing system, an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, a program implementing the information processing method, and a storage medium having such a program stored thereon readably by the information processing apparatus, for storing a plurality of content data in the form of albums and providing albums to communication terminals connected via a network.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recent improvements and advances in infrastructures and technology associated with information processing and communication have made it possible to provide various kinds of services via the Internet.
For example, a site called a photo site provides a service in which images taken by users using a digital camera, a scanner, or the like are transmitted to the photo site via the Internet, and the photo site stores the received images and provides the stored images to users in response to requests from users.
Some photo sites store a plurality of images in the form of albums in which images received from users are archived and release the albums so that general users can view the albums. In some of those photo sites, only particular third persons specified by users are permitted to view albums via the Internet. In this case, photo sites inform particular third persons that albums have been released so that particular third persons may view the albums by using personal computers or portable information/communication terminals.
In the album providing service described above, because of limitations of portable communication terminals in terms of the memory capacity and the transmission rate at which data is transmitted/received, it takes a long time to display an album on a portable communication terminal if the album includes many images. In addition, portable communication terminals, because of a restriction imposed by carriers on the communication time, communication is disconnected before an album including large size data is displayed on a portable communication terminal. Unlike personal computers capable of displaying a plurality of images at a time, portable communication terminals cannot display a plurality of images on their display with limited sizes. Although a plurality of images may be displayed at a time, the images are displayed in a limited display area that is not good enough for users to view.