It’s for you...
COMMENTARY
Nicole Duvall

These days, cell phones are providing an incredible array of functions, and new ones are being added to the market daily. People send pictures wirelessly. And polyphonic ring tones download faster than you can hum the Pink Panther theme.

Depending on the cell phone model, people can perform an array of useful functions, like downloading MP3s directly to a phone or keeping in touch with friends halfway around the world on wireless AOL Instant Messenger and Yahoo Messenger. You can use your phone to check phone listings, movie times or to make restaurant reservations by dialing 411. By sending a text message on your AT&T wireless phone, you can get addresses, phone numbers and driving directions sent to your mobile messenger.

Wondering who’s leading the big game? Have the real time score sent to your phone with ESPN. From the latest scores to BCS rankings, ESPN can wirelessly deliver.

Wondering what the weather is like in Tallahassee? Log on to The Weather Channel to access current weather conditions in 44,000 locations worldwide.

For those who love to shop, access Ebay or Amazon.com anytime to check auctions and browse music, books and DVD’s.

You can even track your portfolio, stocks or get updated stock data throughout the day. Business Week and the Wall Street Journal are available via mobile phone. This service offers access to top stories.

Even mobile messaging is evolving beyond text by taking a development path from simple text messages to MMS. The Multimedia Messaging Service is, as its name suggests, the ability to send messages comprising a combination of text, sounds, images and video to MMS capable handsets. Phones with digital cameras and voice recording capacity are the current must-haves on any new cellular phone. Make a video, then watch it on your phone.

Known as a “converged device,” the Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) is the new wave in cell phone technology. PDAs are wireless phones with messaging capabilities in one compact, multi-tasking device. They combine the functionally of a Palm Pilot with the mobile ability of a cell phone. They can access all the data on your office or home computer and its network, thus improving its preceding technology that merely allowed the user to access e-mail, calendar and contacts. Most PDA devices integrate MMS technology.

One popular PDA is the Siemens SX56 Pocket Phone. It is basically a pocket PC with cellular ability. It offers popular programs like Microsoft Office, which allows the phone to communicate with your PC. The Siemens SX56 Pocket Phone has a big all-color screen, all the better to surf the Web, manage your schedule, send and receive e-mail, download and listen to MP3s.

Palm is again revolutionizing the business world with its new PDA. The Palm Tungsten W blends the best of voice and data. With its large high resolution color screen and familiar Palm interface, it is easy to use. The Tungsten W has incorporated a keyboard into the face of the PDA, making it easier to type e-mail and other data messages.
Samsung’s i500 is a classic case of cell-phone-meets-PC. Its sleek Palm-powered flip-phone design makes it stylish. Powered by a 66MHz processor, the Samsung i500 syncs information with your laptop or desktop. It has a standard 16MB memory, multi-mode browser, full-color screen and handwriting recognition software.

Nokia’s latest dual band phone, the Nokia 3300, will allow users to take the music with them wherever they go. Nokia’s new music phone is packed with music features like an MP3 player, stereo FM radio and a digital recorder. You can copy MP3 files from a compatible PC to the included 64 MB memory card to personalize your phone.

All these cell phone features continue to increase the popularity of the ever-evolving device. As the popularity of cellular phones continues to flourish, so will the technology behind them.