Before buying any mobile phone, first of all you should think about what sort of mobile phone you want? Because in India there are two sorts of service provider which are based on the network technology first is GSM like Vodafone / Orange, Airtel, Reliance, Idea, BSNL and second is CDMA like Reliance and Tata Indicom. Both technologies are not compatible with each other. CDMA phones are attached to an exact service provider and cannot be used with different service providers. On the other aspect, GSM phones utilize a SIM card to communicate and can be used with different service providers.

Features of mobile phones:

Today, Mobile phones have puzzling collection of features. Some features are important and they need to be considered carefully and some of them are rarely used by the people. The features of the mobile phones that should be considered first is given below:

1) Display:

Display of the mobile phones is a very important aspect. There are two types of screen: black and white screen which have null demand in the market and the other is color screen which have over demand in the market. There are various sorts of screen like TFT (thin film transistor) or Active Matrix screen which gives a wider viewing angle compared to the traditional passive LCD technology. If you plan to play games on your phone or use it to take / view video clips then TFT screens are also a must. Few are upcoming technologies that will be seen in a short period through Samsung’s UFB (Ultra fine & Bright) in the Samsung X430 & X100 models and the OLED (Organic light emitting Diode) also pioneered by Samsung in their E700 model. Some parameters like size, resolution and no. of colors are to be considered while evaluating the display of a mobile phone.

2) Sound / Ringtones:

Sound and Ringtones is second important aspect after considering display of the mobile phones. Seek out for phones which can play MP3 songs as ringtones, while polyphonic ringtones have become standard.

3) Camera:

Camera phones are used to take spontaneous pictures or even video clips. From the past few years, Camera phones have achieved significant popularity. Today’s models offer 1 Mega Pixel / 1.3 Mega Pixel cameras and earlier camera phones offered 640x480 resolutions. Nowadays, camera phones are offering 2 Mega Pixel cameras.

4) Connectivity:

Nowadays, mobile phones give GPRS / EDGE Connectivity to browse the internet (on your phone itself or on a laptop by doubling up as a modem). If you want to connect your phone to your laptop or to exchange files with other handsets then bluetooth / Infra-Red capability will come in handy.

5) Network Band:

Worldwide, 3 bands – 900, 1800 & 1900 are working in GSM phones (these numbers refer to frequency ranges in MHz). You will have to make sure that you get a tri-band phone (one which can operate in all the three bands), if you plan to take & use your mobile abroad. The WCDMA (the future of the GSM network) 2100 band has been offered by some phones.

6) Multimedia Features:

If you are doing lots of local traveling then an FM radio and MP3 player can be a useful feature. For the radio to work, the handsfree kit is required by few phones which is to be attached (to function as an antenna). Streaming video can be displayed by some of the higher end phones.

7) Expandable Memory Slot:

If you plan to use phones as a multimedia or business device then Memory is an important aspect for mobile phones. Now, Memory cards (Multi-media cards, RS-MMC Cards, Memory Stick / MS Pro) are also available in market. Memory cards are of many types like 128 MB, 256 MB, 512 MB, 1 GB, 2GB and more.

8) Java Enabled:

A number of games and applications in the mobile phones are enabled by Java.

9) Speakerphone:

While buying handsets, speaker phone is also to be considered for driving purpose or to make a call.

10) Some evergreen favorites of mobile phones:

Few are old favorites like an efficient Organiser / Alarm application, Predictive Text Messaging (using the T9 system), and good battery life.

Mobile phones are according to the budgets of different users which are as follows:

Mainly there are four levels of phones like Entry Level Phones, Mid Range Phones, High End Phones and PDA Phones.

Entry Level Phones

If you are interested in reliable conversation and messaging then you should go for an entry level phone. And their range is less than Rs.5000 which is very reasonable. These phones are also called as rough and tough phones because of their evergreen favorites like an efficient Organiser / Alarm application, Predictive Text Messaging (using the T9 system), and good battery life. List of entry level phones is as under:

• Samsung C210
• Motorola C115 / 116
• Nokia 1100 / 1108 for its sheer simplicity
• Sony Ericsson J200i for its polyphonic ringtones
• Nokia 1600 / 2600 – The Entry level color screen phones
• Sony Ericsson T300 – has GPRS

Mid Range Phones

Mobile phones which have an expanded features like a camera (typically less than 1 Mega Pixel), brighter & better display, MP3 & FM capability, Infra-Red & Bluetooth, GPRS and / or EDGE and occasionally great looks are called as Mid Range Phones. The range of mid phones is between Rs. 5,000/- to 15,000/-. List of Mid Range Phones is given below:

• Motorola RAZR V3
• Sony Ericsson K700i, K300i, K500i, K508i
• Nokia 3230, 6260, 6230, 6600, 6670, 7260

High End Phones

High End Phones offer greater memory, enhanced connectivity options, more powerful (1.3 - 2 MP) cameras, Touch Screens, MPEG4 video, huge displays and business applications. The range of High End Phones is from Rs.15, 000/- to Rs.25, 000/-. List of High End Phones is mentioned below:

• Motorola A780
• O2 Xphone II, XDA Mini
• Panasonic X800
• Sony Ericsson W800i, K750i, K600i
• Nokia N-70, 7710, 6680, 7280
• Samsung D500, D600

PDA Phones

The functionality of PDA Phones is as short of a Laptop computer. You can run (view & edit) a range of office applications by sport full fledge Operating Systems (Windows or Symbian). Few are wi-fi enabled and almost all have a ‘full size’ keypad. List of PDA Phones is as follows:

• Sony Ericsson P910i, Z800i
• Krome SPY
• Nokia 9500 / 9300 Communicator, N-90
• PalmOne Treo 650
• Mate Jasjar, K-Jam
• O2 XDA II

You Might Also Like :

• Reliance Recharge Vouchers Online
• 3G Activation Guide for all Networks in India
• Mobile Portability in India: How to switch your Service Provider?
• Mobile Recharge Online Using Itz Cash Card at www.itzmobile.co.in
• Airtel 3G Vs Idea 3G Vs Vodafone 3G Vs Reliance 3G: Tariff plan compared
• Samsung Duos Touch Mobile in india : Price, Specifications & Screenshots