The diversity of cellphone features

Originally cell phones were large and expensive. All you could do was talk on them. Soon speakers were added so that you didn't have to keep them right near your ear. Then they began to shrink in price and size, down to the point where you could keep them in a shirt pocket. Then the phones became capable of sending text messages and a whole new world opened up. The progress of digital technology increased the security of transmissions and allowed you to talk without worrying about your messages being overheard by eavesdroppers. The inclusion of web browsers in cell phones meant that you could surf the web without running back and forth to your computer. In recent years the speed that you can browse the web on a cell phone has increased tremendously. Now all but the most basic cell phones have cameras built right into them, allowing you to take a picture and send it on to your friends with one or two clicks, so that they can enjoy it too.

Even the most basic cell phones make GPS information available to services such as 911. However the GPS information on smarter, more modern phones can often be integrated with mapping software, to help you get maps or directions to where you are headed.

Many of today's phones can act as removable storage devices for PCs and some of them can even act as storage devices for Macs.

Some phones have built in media players. With these phones, not only can you download videos from e-mail or the net, you can play them right on your cell phone.

Many modern cell phones accept memory cards that expand the amount of data that they can store.

Texting with a basic phone can be difficult as you have to cycle through the letter choices for each key. Although cell phones may come with pre-composed messages for common situations, this doesn't help in all situations. One answer to this are the QWERTY keyboards that come with many phones. In essence you get a small keyboard with your phone, similar to those found on computers. These will often fold out when you want to use them, and collapse back in, to make the phone easier to carry. There are two additional features that many smart phones come with, which make it faster to navigate through program commands and data -the ability to respond to voice commands, and touch screens like the Apple iphone.

Even though cell phones have been able to browse the internet for many years, they have never been as fast at browsing as a laptop at a good Wi-Fi location. The new features on cell phones today include being able to make use of wi-fi hotspots. If your house is Wi-Fi enabled this means you can get a fast connection anywhere within your house. When you are away from home, hotspots occur almost everywhere, even at your local McDonald's.

One more recent development with the latest phones is their ability to download and make use of Apps. These are applications that are made for a specific purpose, such as allowing you to get the latest stock market quotes, or updates to the menu at your favorite restaurant.