Gone are the days when all you could do on a mobile phone was make calls. Nowadays, many of the phones available have so many functions that they're actually replacing other electronic devices – buy one and you'll find yourself with a digital camera or MP3 player which you also happen to be able to contact people on.
Additionally, incredible design means that you can find something that looks the part as well as being able to fulfil many purposes. Here are some of the common functions and features you should look out for when buying a new mobile handset.
Communication
Take phone calls and SMS as a given; many new phones can handle video calling, lending an extra degree of closeness to your conversations, but this can be troublesome and gimmicky. One really useful communication function is the ability to send files via Bluetooth or MMS.
An MMS is like an SMS, with pictures, video or sound. Bluetooth, on the other hand, is a way for your own phone to "talk" to other phones, PCs and accessories in its immediate vicinity and share information and data with them. You can Bluetooth pictures taken to your mates immediately, or use the technology to send them an MP3 or ringtone. It's been around for a while but is becoming more and more useful – make sure you have it.
Many modern phones will be using an operating system known as Symbian OS to enable them to deal with all of these new functions – you should ask if your chosen model features this, and how it will benefit you.
Multimedia
A lot of phones come with an in-built MP3 player. Three of the hottest handsets around right now – the LG Chocolate, the Samsung X830 and the Sony Ericsson K800i– all enable you to play music on the go.
Some are even more tailored. The Sony Ericsson W850i, for example, has a huge 4Gb memory and comes with a stereo headset. You can even buy speakers for it. If you want your phone to have MP3 playback as a primary function, go for one with more than 1Gb of memory.
Cameras
You don't have to put up with grainy, pixellated blurs on your camera phone –some modern models are able to challenge simple digital cameras in terms of picture quality.
Manufacturers are finding ever more inventive ways to improve the quality of your phone snaps – the aforementioned K800i has a 3.2 megapixel camera built in but forthcoming models from a number of different manufacturers will feature cameras with resolutions of more than five megapixels. Phone screens are also moving on accordingly; look for a mobile with a 256,000 colour display if you want to stay in front of the crowd.
Design
Lest we forget, phones are fashion accessories. The LG Chocolate phone has set a new benchmark for design – it's very minimal and has a beautiful hidden touchpad – but remember that the cooler your phone looks, and the tinier it is, the more you'll need to sacrifice in terms of features.
You'll find a great range of handsets and tariffs at Virgin Mobile.
