Peter Griffin: Avoiding mobile madness

Mobile phones have really advanced this year, which is just as well because our appetite for them is insatiable. We bought an estimated 1.3 million of them this year and another 1.5 million are likely to sell next year.

Despite the fact that mobile calling rates are among the highest in the western world, we keep calling and texting and demanding new phones that play video and music and access the internet.

While subsidies for new mobile phones had all but dried up a couple of years ago, stiff competition between Telecom and Vodafone has led to heavier discounting again, which will benefit consumers this Christmas.

Naturally, discounted phones come with a catch: your signature on a long-term contract. So look carefully at what your needs are.

Some of these deals can more than halve the cost of buying a new high-end handset and be cost-effective when you use your bundled free talking minutes wisely.

This Christmas you should push for the best deal possible. Don't be afraid to haggle with mobile phone dealers.

They can't deviate too far from the path, but if you're a high-use customer upgrading to a new phone, they'll want to keep you on board.

If you plan to use your phone as a music player, the size of the flash memory card is all-important.

You'll want at least a 512MB card for long-term play and decent song selection. On the digital camera phone front, 1.3 megapixel is the standard but only produces low-resolution pictures good for sending as PXT messages.

The 3G (third generation) phones will cost you more, so make sure you really want to watch mobile TV, make video phone calls or surf the net at high speed on your mobile.

Remember that 3G phones use more battery power so you'll have less talk time, but a phone with better features.

Have a good play with a wide range of phones before you buy. Keyboard layout, screen size, resolution and menu design will determine how useful your phone is on a day-to-day basis and are often more important than the whizbang extras like Bluetooth and an FM radio tuner.

And as you'll still use your phone for talking most of the time, call quality is vital. The last thing you want is a phone that has regular dropouts. They do exist.

Make sure to do some research before you buy. Don't rely on dealership staff to give you a balanced view, they want to sell higher-value phones.

Find the model number of the phone you covet and do some research on the internet. Somewhere on the web, reviewers have analysed all the phones listed below to the nth degree and their conclusions are only a Google search away.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY