Localized voice mail system

1. In a voice mail system having a central voice message server for delivering voice messages to a first cellular telephone, a method comprising:

storing a voice signal as a voice message on the central voice message server;

selecting, using the first cellular telephone, whether the central voice message server will transmit the stored voice message in a digital voice stream format at a playback transmission rate or in a computer file format at a file storage rate;

transmitting the stored voice message from the central voice message server to the first cellular telephone in the selected format; and

transferring the voice message wirelessly from the first cellular telephone to a second cellular telephone, either in stream format at a playback transmission rate or in a computer file format at a file storage rate, without interaction with the central voice message server.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the voice message in the first cellular telephone; and

storing the voice message in a computer readable medium in the first cellular telephone.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

compressing the voice message before storing the voice message in the first cellular telephone.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of storing the voice message further comprises:

a caller requesting to leave a voice message on the central voice message server;

recording the voice message on the central voice message server in a computer readable format; and

storing the voice message in memory designated for the voice message.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the voice message is compressed before storing in memory.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

synchronizing the first cellular telephone with the central voice message server;

accessing memory designated for voice messages in the central voice message server;

downloading to the first cellular telephone any messages found in the designated memory; and

storing the voice messages in memory of the first cellular telephone.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the voice messages are compressed before storing in the memory of the first cellular telephone.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the messages are compressed before downloading any messages to the first cellular telephone.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of transferring the voice message further comprises:

establishing a wireless link between the first and second cellular telephones;

selecting the voice message to transfer from the memory of the first cellular telephone;

transmitting the voice message from the first cellular telephone to a receiver of the second cellular telephone in computer readable format;

receiving the voice message by the second cellular phone; and

storing the voice message in memory of the second cellular telephone.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the voice message is compressed before storing in the second cellular telephone's memory.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

synchronizing the first cellular telephone with a personal computer;

selecting the voice mail message from computer readable medium of the first cellular telephone; and

copying the selected message from the computer readable medium of the first cellular telephone to memory in the personal computer.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

organizing voice messages on the personal computer into a grouping of voice messages in a format compatible with the personal computer and the first cellular telephone; and

copying the grouping of voice mail messages from the personal computer to the first cellular telephone, whereby the grouping facilitates quick retrieval of a voice message in the grouping.

13. A first cellular telephone comprising:

a radio frequency unit enabling transmission and reception of voice messages between the first cellular telephone and a central voice message server;

a voice output means;

a memory for storing one or more of the voice messages received from the central voice message server;

an input/output device allowing user-selection of a first operation or a second operation, wherein the first operation requests and receives voice messages through the radio frequency unit from a voice message server as a digital voice stream for immediate playback through the voice output means and the second operation requests and receives voice messages from the voice message server as a digital computer file for storage in the memory, and wherein the input/output device allows user-selection of a third operation, wherein the third operation transmits a voice message from the memory through the radio frequency unit to a second cellular telephone as either a digital voice stream or as digital computer file for storage in a memory of the second cellular telephone, without interaction with the voice message server.

14. The first cellular telephone of claim 13, wherein the memory can playback voice messages through the voice output means.