Cellphones are one of the few product categories where dearth of choice is something you will never have to worry about. Manufacturers release handsets in droves. Typically, these spurts of products coincide mostly with festivals, although there are new models available nearly all through the year. Earlier there were entry-level cellphones for those on shoestring budgets. Then, there were the high-end devices that had all the features that you paid pretty penny for. These two categories were rather segregated. Today, manufacturers realise that variation in choices exist, even in the same price category. For example, one consumer willing to spend Rs 10,000 on a cellphone may be looking for a really good camera, while another may want a lot of storage space. Yet another person may want a phone that doubles as a capable PMP. It’s good to know exactly what you want when shopping for a cellphone, lest the sheer volume of choices available overwhelm you. If you are one of those people looking for an ultra high-end smartphone then a simple list of features just isn’t going to cut it. We’ve always agreed that for such cellphones one needs to consider the usability, intuitiveness and feel of the device in addition to the feature list and performance. Looks are also important for most people and even more so for someone spending a lot; he simply expects more.

Form Factors

Admittedly, some candy-bar phones look good; but the sheer commonness of this shape renders it less desirous. Amongst the ladies clamshells are hot. These cellphones open and fold just like their namesake and owing to the sleekness of the phone they’re naturally considered as a female accessory.

This isn’t necessary however, but a general consensus. The other hot form factor is the slider. Sliders are slick; and nothing grabs attention more than a resounding click as someone opens his slider phone to receive a call or send a message.

Initially we had reservations about extra moving parts on a cellphone since this is usually results in mechanical failure over extended use. However, we’ve seen improvements made across the board by all major brands to prevent this; mechanically stressed parts are built better or reinforced.

Slider Although mechanical parts are prone to greater wear sliders are undeniably hot. They have immeasurable flaunt value; just try sliding one open in public	Clamshell If sliders are hot; clamshells are chic and fasionably cool.	CandyBar By far the most common form factor and for good reason. Can be attractive or dull looking; depends on the phone

Camera

This is one (admittedly over hyped) feature that probably sells more cellphones than anything else. Convergence is the name of the game here and everybody wants a camera to tinker around with on their cellphones. Obviously nearly every multimedia cellphone has a camera and while the best of these cameras will not be as good as a digital camera yet the convenience of having a cellphone that can be used to capture the odd photo cannot be dismissed. Usually cellphone cameras range from the mundane one megapixel and 1.3 megapixel peashooters to the high-end 5.0 and 8.0 megapixel cameras. Naturally the settings are what is most important since most cellphone cameras do not offer best results on automatic settings. You will need to check the cameras settings and menus before deciding on a model to buy.

Remember to take a look at the flash, as this is important especially when shooting in dimly lit areas. A dual LED flash is powerful, but not as powerful as a Xenon flash, which really lights up even dim shots; in fact we’d go as far as saying a cellphone camera without a flash unit is pretty much useless except for daylight, outdoor shooting.

Buttons and Keypad Layout

Although important for almost anyone; the layout of the keypad is really important for SMS junkies and anyone who needs a PDA phone. Although the basic number keypad in conjunction with T9 works wonders for typing out text messages if you’re looking at sending emails (which will typically be much longer) than you may need to look for a cellphone with a QWERTY keypad. Regardless of what you choose, keypad layout is tantamount, as a badly laid out QWERTY keypad is much worse than a decently laid out number pad.

Tiny Keys

Some keypads may look cool and funky but may be a nightmare to use. Sometimes tiny keys look neat but they may be an ergonomic nightmare. The best keypads have adequate (not extra) spacing between the pressing the keypad results in a definite feeling of pressing a key; this is called positive feedback

Large Keys and Bevilling

Some keys are rather close to each other as shown above but they still allow for ergonomic working. The raised portion in the middle is called bevilling and allows your finger to feel each key; which is an integral part of properly using the keys

QWERTY Keypad

These keypads are suitable for typing out longer SMS’ and mails. But the keys should be properly spaced and large enough to operate with both thumbs. Besides this bevilling is also important

Pseudo QWERTY Keypad

A new and space saving concept, where one physical key represents two alphabets. Such keys work similar to a rocker switch where pressing on either side results in a different key press. Key size and bevilling are of utmost importance here.

Memory

Being highly personal devices we store a lot of data on cellphones. Be it the mundane SMS’ or MP3s, videos and photos, storage space is a much desired element of any cellphone. Some of the higher-end cellphones are coming with a lot of memory onboard; to the tune of eight and even 16 gigabytes. Most of the phones do not come with this kind of memory but have expansion in the form of SD, microSD and miniSD.

When buying a multimedia phone please ensure your phone has at least 512 MB of available memory, whether integrated or in the form of memory card expansion. This ensures you can store your collection of photos, music and so on. There is nothing more annoying than running out of space.

SD, miniSD and MicroSD

The most common flash standards, SD is the oldest and largest form factor. MiniSD and microSD have been spawned and recent advances mean you can get a 16 GB microSD card; which means 16 GB on the size of your thumbnail.

Flash and Camera Cover

Useful additions; a flash makes indoor shooting a little better. Xenon flashes are rare; but worth the premium over even dual LED flashes which are practically useless. A camera cover protects the lens from dust and grime.