With the various alternative methods of communication taking-off, a phone landline is increasingly becoming a redundant technology. Landlines are associated with monthly rental charges and exorbitant reconnection fees when moving or transferring from one house to another. Repairs have also become increasingly substantial in terms of costs and maintenance.

The mobile phone has evidently become the primary method of communication, especially for the young adult group. E-mail, SMS and instant messaging performs whatever social function the home phone used to have. Mobile phone packages have since become quite competitive offering cheaper calling options than the landline calls. The mobile broadband packages provide even more reasons for consumers to dump the landline.

Ever since phones started becoming miniature computers companies have been attaching the (insert number)G status into their products marketing. Starting with 2G we’re now entering the 4G era of smartphones. But what exactly is this differential anyway? Who decides it? More importantly, what does it mean?

The United Nations decides it – sort of. More specifically a UN agency called the International Telecommunications Union decides what is and what isn’t 2G, 3G, and so on. As it turns out, it’s all about speed. For example the current benchmark for a networked device to be classified as being part of the 4G collective it has to retrieve data at 400Mbit/s when the user is highly mobile in a car, and 1Gbit/s when the user is walking or stationary. The ITU also designates certain security measures that a 4G phone should have that separate it from the 3G network.

This isn’t legally binding regulation, however. It’s merely a defining guideline for the communications spectrum. That poses a problem for consumers in the United States and elsewhere who are currently shopping around for a 4G phone. Earlier this year AT&T received a lot of criticism from industry experts who claimed that the telecommunications giant was marketing a few models as being part of the 4G when they were really just running on highly modified versions of AT&T’s 3G software and network. With Sprint and HTC 4G Android phones already on shelves, it can be safely said that 4G is well on its way. But it’s important to remember that so long as not enough people raise a stink about it afterward, any mobile phone service provider can conceivably market their phones as being part of any generation they want.

That makes me wonder whether or not using the 3G-4G differential is really just a clever marketing strategy by service providers to simplify the choice for consumers bent on getting the best and newest technology. Hopefully that’s not the case and there is mostly true value to the designation. Either way, 4G is definitely here, but just make sure you exercise proper research when picking the next phone you want. Check with the ITU guidelines and ask for a demonstration of a phone’s speed in action before making a purchase. That’s the kind of thinking that gets you to the next generation.

There are many aspects about the iPhone and the iPod Touch that are loved so much by their fans, but one of the main ones is the app store. There are just endless applications to choose from. Some cost money and some are free, but they are all extremely cool. True, some are sillier than others, but it is still amazing what people come up with and how many options there are when it comes to apps.

There are many devices out there that are competing with the iPhone and some of them are RIM’s Blackberry Strom and Nokia’s famous Tube. Although there are positive things to be said about these phones, they do not compare to the iPhone. Yes, they do offer more features than the iPhone, however, when it comes to comfort, ease, and sophistication of the operation systems, they are worlds apart.

There are those that claim that the iPhone is just a lot of hype. Its lack of A2DP or stereo Bluetooth, combined with the missing video and MMS capabilities place it behind its competitors. That might be the case, but there is no doubt that when it comes to the Apple platform and the availability of compatible application, Apple is years if not decades ahead of its competition.

Since the iPhone came out last year it has been a race to see what company would come out with the best competitor. There have been many candidates such as the Samsung Omnia and some others, but now the crown jewel has arrived. The HTC Touch HD is by far the nicest looking cell phone out there, other than maybe the iPhone, just because it is Apple. This phone has a larger screen and a stylus, comes with an eight gigabyte memory card, and has terrific graphics. The price is a bit high, but for a device like that, it is well worth it.