1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to wireless technology. More particularly, the invention relates to a system in which links to media files are stored in network storage to obviate the need to store multiple copies of media files in network storage.
2. Description of the Related Art
Third generation (3G) wireless networks provide high-speed data transmission and make it easier for users to download content such as songs, videos, games and graphics. As these networks are launched, one of the constraints on downloading content is device memory capacity. Generally, users have two options when they run low on memory. One option is to copy local files to removable storage media. The other option is to store content at the network level that they can later access to retrieve the content.
As more and more people purchase content that they store in network storage, the network could potentially store multiple copies of the same file, which is a waste of network resources. For example, if 1,000 people store the same music selection in a network provider's media database, the network provider's resources are wasted.
A need exists for a method and apparatus that obviate the need to store multiple copies of the same file in network storage.