Choosing a Mobile Phone - 5/8

To skip directly to the other parts of this guide click on the links below:

In part four of our guide to securing the best mobile phone deal for you, we began to look at some of the extras available that could help you decide on the right new mobile phone for you. In part five we continue to look at the features available.

Additional phone features

In part four we examined battery life, Bluetooth, call screening, cameras and colour screens – here are some more additional benefits to consider:

• Games – Most handsets will come with a standard issue of basic games. A JAVA-enabled phone will give you a wider choice.
• GPRS – Allows 2G phones to connect to the internet.
• Hands-free – Allows you to answer the phone without lifting the handset. Particularly useful when driving.
• MMS – Multimedia messaging is used by camera phones to send pictures.
• Ringtones – Can be downloaded to your phone and linked to specific callers.
• Roaming – Allows you to use your phone abroad on other networks.
• SIM-free – SIM stands for Subscriber Identity Module. It carries the user's identity to access the network and stores information. SIM-free mobile phones do not give this information to the network.
• Text messaging – Generally standard – allows you to send brief text-based messages to other mobile users.
• Vibrating alert – Lets you know when your phone is ringing.
• Voicemail – Generally standard – allows caller to record a message if you don’t answer.
• WAP – Wireless Application Protocol. Allows mobile phones to connect to internet-type services.

3G is the latest technology for multimedia content allowing for online gaming, TV, video messages and more on your mobile phone. I-mode delivers information to mobile phones and enables exchange of e-mails from handsets on the PDC-P network.

In part six we’ll take a look at the costs and expenses associated with a mobile phone deal and what you can do to combat them.