INTERMITTENT USE OF A PORT IN RESPONSE TO LOCATION DATA PUSH

A method and apparatus for receiving data via the intermittent use of a port. One embodiment of the preset invention may first access a signal from a location determining device. Responsive to the signal, a communication port may be automatically activated by system resources. Location information may then be received via the communication port and stored into memory in a format that can be unique to the location determining device. Responsive to the reception of the information, the communication port may be automatically deactivated. Optionally, the data or location information can be translated into a general format readable by all applications that recognize the universal data format, e.g., XML. Application programs that have registered or requested location information may be notified of the receipt of location information.