The mobile is more than just a phone

Is it a camera? A wallet? A computer? A TV? An MP3 player? Or is it simply your mobile phone?

If you are using your mobile phone just to make some mundane calls and send those odd short messages to friends then you are missing out on a lot of action.

From dating to finding jobs, from playing your favourite movie clips or catching up on the latest cricketing action to finding your life partner, from downloading jazzy ring tones to buying chocolates there's a plethora of value added services available at your fingertips that makes a mobile phone a one stop shop for many of your needs.

For instance by sending a simple SMS you can get information on the status of your cousin's train arrival time or arrange pick up for your boss's delayed flight.

You could also book a surprise movie ticket or deliver some dainty dandelions for your date or access some serious stock information.

You can even buy pizza or buy music through your phone or you can know what's in store for you through daily horoscope. If you want to outwit your friends you can even send cool sound clips with your own recorded voice.

For those who are looking for a job or a life partner, the days of putting an advertisement is past.

The smart way of doing it in the telecom world is to look for one without stepping out that too at costs that are much lower.

Just feed your profile through SMS and get information on the options available that suits your profile.

Be it job or marriage or even if it is just for flirting. One of the major attractions is the mobile gaming zone.

Backed with a powerful 32k SIM card, services providers are cashing in on the popularity of video games by offering fun features suited for downloading games on your handset.

So next time you are stranded at a bus stop or waiting for someone pick up your phone and start punching the keypad.

If you are looking for some higher-end applications you can also use a Global Packet Radio System connection, with which can use your mobile as a modem to access the internet from a Laptop or PDA.

All you require is a connection between your handset and the device. With GPRS coming into play, you can surf the internet at blistering speeds, without paying any airtime charges. You are charged only for what you send and receive.

And the next time you go out and want to find out which movie is playing in which theatre or which restaurant is near you use your mobile phone.

You can also get a complete list of ATMs, movies, pubs, discotheques, coffee shops, health clubs, beauty saloons, hospitals and 24 Hour Chemists in your city through your handset.

One of the mind blowing applications that are catching everyone's imagination is the Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS).

With this you can click and send photographs to your friends practically converting your phone into a camera.

That's not all. You can even get access to banking and credit card services directly from your cellular phone. With mobile-banking you can now conduct banking and credit card transactions making a call.

All you need is a cellular phone which supports SMS sending and an account with a bank that has a tie up with your service provider.

There's a lot on offer for the corporate executives and businessmen as well. Through the fax and data service on your mobile , you can take your office wherever you go.

You can send and receive data/fax documents, access the internet, e-mail accounts and corporate databases whenever you are on the move.

You can also convert your mobile into your personal answering machine. The voice mail service allows you to receive messages when your phone is busy, switched off or outside the coverage area.

But before you start using these service a word of caution. Please check the tariffs that you will have to pay for using such services. While most operators have different packages some of these services can be expensive.

For instance sending a MMS picture could cost you as much Rs 5 per message and using a GPRS connection could cost you as high as Rs 750 a month in addition to your voice calls.

The rationale for pegging such high tariffs for value-added services is that operators are looking to make up their revenues, which has been hit due to declining voice call tariffs, through such data services.

The other issue is that not all handset support data services.

While messaging based service can be availed on most low end handsets, high end applications like mobile internet works only on specific models that are usually above the Rs 10,000 mark.