Abstract: A Virtual Device is described which is composed of at least one Open device, e.g. a PDA, laptop or mobile phone that can be programmed, at least one Closed device, e.g. a camcorder or digital camera with a closed inner structure, and a number of Primitive devices, e.g. a head-set or microphone. A middleware installed on one or more Open Devices or on an external server will act as an operation system getting the devices to cooperate as one Virtual Device.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and device for accessing services and files on a computer (4) in a home network (1) from a stationary or mobile device (8, 9) outside said local network Said local network is equipped with a networked file system, and said stationary or mobile device is able to communicate with said local network over a wide area network. For any networked file system message that is to be transmitted over said wide area network, at least some fields of said networked file system message are mapped into corresponding fields in an XML message representing said networked system message. Any XML message that is received over said wide area network, said XML message is parsed, and if said XML message represents a networked file system message, a networked file system message is reconstructed by mapping each field of said XML message into a corresponding field of said reconstructed networked file message.