You can also make calls

Can it turn the clock back? OK, maybe not that. But a mobile phone can certainly do a lot to keep you entertained. You can listen to music, watch videos, play games or even surf the internet. Plus, some mobile phones now feature touch screens. What more could you ask for?

"There is a thing in my pocket, but it's not just one thing, it's many." The tag-line from Nokia's new commercials encapsulates the revolution that has taken place in the world of mobile phones.

Husni El-Assi, General Manager, Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications International AB, says, "Mobile phones have developed into multi-media devices, with a camera, a music player with clear stereo sound, a TV on demand and a gaming console.

"The technological advancements have allowed these devices to be in a small handy size with a good battery performance. Operator services have also contributed to this development as consumers are now able to download or send music, photos, e-mails, in addition to browsing the internet via networks."

Watching live television on a mobile phone will be the next big thing to hit the market.

"TV is the biggest media in the world and we are mobilising it with the pocketable and affordable Nokia N77, which further drives broadcast mobile TV based on DVB-H technology towards the mainstream market phase. The ability to watch live television on a mobile device has never been easier," says Jonas Geust, head of Nokia Nseries Players Category, Multimedia, Nokia.

The N77 is a multimedia phone offering an optimised mobile TV experience. With the Nokia N77, the latest integrated DVB-H device in the Nokia Nseries range, operators now have greater choice of devices as they further develop their broadcast mobile TV platform to launch and attract more subscribers.

The Nokia N77 enables living room TV as viewers have come to understand. The N77 has a wide 2.4-inch flat screen with up to 16 million colours and high quality stereo sound that makes it an ideal personal mobile device for enjoying live TV and music on the move.

The new MOTOSLVR L9 is packed with entertainment functionality. The new handset provides users with a rich multimedia experience with features including an integrated music player and FM radio, and powerful imaging. In addition, the phone supports progressive downloading and video streaming, enabling quick music and video downloads.

This handset is powered by GPRS, EDGE class 10 technology providing quick downloads, and easy information exchanges enabling users to share pictures, videos and music with family and friends seamlessly.

"Motorola's phones enable consumers to access calls or messages or information whenever and wherever they like, on the device of their choice. Our customers can stay connected with our stylish phones that have music and data that they want," says Raed Hafez, Director, Product and Technology, MENATPAK.

William Webb, Head of Research and Development and Senior Technologist, Ofcom, says that mobile devices are becoming more capable with better screens and memory. "As a result people don't have to carry two devices. The ability to download new content while being on the move is an additional feature but not a key driver," he says.

Recent research by the UK-based phone company Orange found that 15 million customers are using their mobiles as entertainment centres for music, videos and games.

Many mobile phones can access the internet - Orange also has more than 2.1 million customers in the UK accessing the web each month as well as downloading games, ringtones and video clips.

In the first quarter of 2007, almost 750,000 games were downloaded on the Orange network, with Sonic the Hedgehog, Worms and Space Invaders (anniversary edition) featuring as the top three choices.

Gavin Forth, Head of Entertainment, Orange, says that players are split fairly across the gender divide. "The average age of a mobile games downloader is 30 - older than traditionally seen in the game industry," he says.

Part of the reason for the age difference between players on consoles and handsets may be because mobile phones that can easily and quickly access games are usually more expensive or tied to a contract, while the teenage audience tends to use pay-as-you-go-phones.

The youth end of the market is taken in with downloading songs, with more than 250,000 music tracks, ringtones and music videos downloaded in a month. Most activity is in the late afternoon and at the weekend, suggesting the majority of users are children just out of school.

The younger generation is a vital demographic segment for mobile phone vendors. LG's research has found that users of mobiles are getting younger and are seeking multi-dimensional handsets.

"Mobiles are also a piece of gadget everyone has with them all the time, hence this strong desire to have as many features available in it as possible," says Andrew Song, Head of Mobile Communication, LG.

LG's latest models feature MP3 and FM radio as standard add-ons. LG has also built a standard home TV antenna function into the new phone to receive broadband DMB that adopts the DMB-receiving System-on-Chip (SoC).

The chip enables users to watch television broadcasts and talk on the phone simultaneously. The phone stores the broadcast that has been received while the phone is used
as a communications device, and replays it afterwards allowing for continuous viewing.

"‘LG's time-machine satellite DMB phone - SB-120 - has opened up a new world where people can watch terrestrial DMB TV and simultaneously speak via a mobile phone. The handset uses our handset design technologies and terrestrial broadcast-receiving chip, giving it the competitive edge in size, performance and convenience.

"By overtaking Europe in launching the terrestrial DMB phone, we can have a bigger voice in setting global standards," says C.H. Lee, President, LG Electronics Gulf FZE.

In future, mobile phones will get sleeker, slimmer, easier to navigate and come packed with even more powerful features.

"New trends in mobile phones will center around the user interface in the phone and the phone capabilities. Therefore, new features will include voice recognition to rapidly track down material, large memories to store content and innovative screens that would fold out to provide a larger viewing areas," says Webb.