Somewhere around 15 years ago when mobile phones were introduced to the telecommunication market, a glance at them would give an impression of a colossal wireless device, and if you held them-boy! they were heavy enough to kill someone with a good hit. There were only two things a mobile phone could do, making and receiving calls. But technology is never static, and with the time passing by mobile phones evolved into light weight, sophisticated, multitasking devices. A mobile phone now, comes with an embedded digital camera ( the latest Sony Models offer around 12 megapixel) that is coupled with features like autofocus, digital zoom, video recording capabilities. Memory capabilities have increased considerably with the emergence of flash based memory cards, which offer a memory ranging between 128 MB to 32 GB. Music player with considerable audio capabilities are incorporated within the mobile phones. You can store your favourite music in the device and the memory options available, support it pretty well. Internet browsing is another feature that has made lives simpler.

Offering a wide assortment of choices, mobile phones can be basically classified into following categories:

• Basic Phones: As the name suggests, these cellphones are basic phones with simple features like phonebook, text messaging, alarm clock, calendar etc...... these phones generally come under lower price range, and form the major portion of mobile phone market. There are a lot of companies including Nokia, Samsung, Sony Erricson and LG which are manufacturing basic phones.

• Smartphones: Smart as they are, these phones are capable of doing everything ranging from sending e-mails, to communication, entertainment, productivity etc. There has been a recent surge in smartphones demand, as they offer ultra-portability with PC like features. Smartphones are available in following popular user interface options.
  • Business Phones: These devices come with a QWERTY keyboard interface (commonly found in PC's), which is specifically designed for working with emails and other office related applications such as excel, powerpoint, word, outlook etc. These phones are generally preferred by business professionals who prefer e-mail and internet connectivity anywhere they go. Easy navigation is another key feature of this phone, as it is basically designed for internet browsing. Apart from these they have a camera, music player, FM radio, GPRS and 2G or 3G support.
  • Touchscreen: Touchscreen is a display that can detect the presence and location of a touch within the display area for user interface. These phones generally lay more emphasis on suave looks, easy navigation and high end entertainment features. A good camera, expandable memory options, digital music players with good audio quality, and of course the internet browsing facility.

• PDA Phones: PDA ( Personal Digital Assistant) is a higher form of business phones and came into existence much before the smartphones. They are coupled with advanced PC like functionalities, and are pretty expensive. Like PC's, they too work on OS (Operating Systems), with MS Mobile Pocket PC and Palm OS being the most popular. The major difference between a smartphone and a PDA is, that PDA's have a little more advanced and sophisticated functionalities than their counterpart. With rapid development and technological advances, the difference between PDA's and smartphones is slowly fading out.