Today's mobile phones do far more than just make calls - they're portable entertainment centres.

Mobile phones are gradually assimilating all the other devices in our pockets - such as MP3 players, photo viewers, video cameras, PDAs and GPS navigators. The result is a jack-of-all-trades entertainment device, tucked away in your pocket for whenever you need it.

What to look for in Mobile Phones

The features to look for in a mobile phone depend upon what you want to do with it. If you're looking for an entertainment-focused phone, check to see if it uses a standard 3.5mm headphone jack that will let you connect to your headphones of choice. If the phone features a 2.5mm or mini-USB headphone jack then you can probably buy a 3.5mm adaptor. If the phone uses a proprietary audio jack that's specific to that manufacturer then you might be stuck using the headphones that come in the box.

Bluetooth

If you want to use a wireless earpiece or hands-free car kit, you want a phone with Bluetooth wireless access. If you want to use cordless headphones, or connect to a Bluetooth-enabled car stereo, look for a phone with Stereo Bluetooth A2DP compatibility. Not all Bluetooth-enabled phones play nicely with all Bluetooth gear (especially Apple's iPhone), so it's worth doing some research before buying expensive Bluetooth accessories.

TV and Movies

If you want to watch television and movies on your mobile phone, look for a handset with a big screen offering a high resolution. Plenty of phones have access to mobile TV provided by the likes of Telstra, Optus and 3 via their high speed 3G phone networks, but some phones will also let you copy across video files from your computer - either files downloaded from the web or
converted from DVD.  

Photo's and Video

If you want to create content as well as consume it, you'll want a phone with a built-in camera. Camera quality ranges from 1.3 megapixels to up past 8 megapixels, while advanced features can include a built-in flash, zoom and auto-focus. Most high-end camera phones are also video cameras. If you'll be capturing a lot of video (or just watching a lot of movies) you'll want a phone offering plenty of storage space - either built into the phone or from a tiny memory card such as microSD.

Facebook, Twitter and the internet

If you want to share your content with others, you should look for an HSDPA-capable phone that can connect to a high speed 3G network. Many phones offer access to online services such as Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and YouTube, making it easy to upload your photos and video clips for the world to see.

Flight Mode

If you are traveling and you want to listen to music or look at photo's stored on your phone, make sure it has a flight mode feature that disables the phones transmission circuits so they can't interfere with the airline communication and navigation systems when the phone is switched on.