Mobile phones or cell phones are electronic gadgets which are portable and can be seen in every second person`s hand or pocket these days. Teenagers swear by it and their lives revolve around it. Take away a teenagers cell phone and he will be half dead!

The cell phones are portable and have a long range. You can use it for various purposes like talking, sending and receiving short messages, storing your various contact details, sending and receiving e mails, and whole lot of other things which vary from model to model, and the special features that your handset may be having. Cell phone can be called a miniscule computer in your pocket, such great and varying are the features. Listen to music, watch TV, play games, click pictures. The list is exhaustible.

Cell phones have now become an extension of one`s personality but there is a big hue and cry over the environment and health issues involved. It is being researched that does using the cell phone really increase the chances of cancer or tumor? There was a report the other day that those who have pace makers shouldn`t keep cell phones in their breast pocket as the cell battery may affect the heart beat rates. Again there are other researchers who insist that cell phones may lead to permanent brain damage. It is a topic for countless debates all over the globe with the risks outweighing the benefits by a large margin!

Leaving aside the debatable health issues there is one issue over which there is no conflict. That is, accidents are caused while driving because of talking and driving simultaneously. By the data collected it has been well established that talking on the phone while driving increases the chances of making mistakes manifold. This has led to an increase in the number of accidents quite a lot.

There is a great variety of cell phones available in the market and you may get thoroughly confused with the wide array of features available. You may not know which one is suitable for you. Here are few tips to help you choose the cell phone meant for you.

If you know that your phone is going to be rough handled then you shouldn`t go for flip phones. They tend to break with rough handling. You should select something from candy bar styles, clamp bell styles or non flip phones. Sliders and twist phones are also a good option for you. Hence keep your usage and lifestyle in mind before deciding upon the type of phone you intend to buy.

Depending on your choice and budget you can go for the thickest or the slimmest handset. There are various choices and you may select any.

Take care that you can talk at least for four hours on battery and you must be able to use the phone for at least 2 days without charging the battery. Much depends on your usage also. The battery will drain faster if you talk more.

Select a PDA phone if you go online quite frequently or if you send lists of long sms.

Last but not the least before you start using the cell phone you must know cell phone etiquettes. The cell phone ringing at most somber of occasions like a funeral or formal event like a speech, concerts and serious music are insulting to the performer. Quite a few people talk over the phone in high pitch in public. All this should be scrupulously avoided otherwise your own standard of manners and etiquettes go down apart from the fact that everyone can hear what you are discussing.

Keep the tips given above in mind and be a smart cell phone user!

This article can also be accessed in portuguese language from the Article section of page Cell_Phone

Roberto Sedycias works as IT consultant for PoloMercantil.