These days, GSM mobile phones are quite a mainstay in various households and businesses.
It is not a shock that almost everybody holds a mobile phone the next time you go out for dinner, either sending an SMS message or chatting with somebody.
However, the mobile phone that once was bulky and expensive is now cheaper and has more functions than what we had imagined it would be a long time ago.
Global System for Mobile communications, or GSM, is perhaps the world's most popular standard for such mobile phones, making almost all phones in the world easy to bring in every country because there is only one standard.
This is especially helpful for those who bring their phones when travelling.
Nowadays, there are many additional services to GSM networks around the world.
There's the 2.
75G like General Packet Radio and Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution, more commonly known as GPRS or EDGE.
On the contrary, 3G GSM networks are more popular today, like HSDPA, UMTS and WCDMA, making fast wireless broadband Internet accessible to just about anyone, regardless of where they are in a certain country - as long as they have 3G signals.
Before buying GSM phones, there are lots of factors that you need to take in consideration.
Main Phone or Additional Phone Will it be your primary or your secondary phone? People nowadays normally carry two GSM mobile phones wherein one serves as their all-around phone and the other is only for a handful of friends or family members.
Of course, it also goes to say that the first one has more features and functions as compared to the secondary phone.
When scouting a new phone, this is basically what defines most points at times.
Depending on how you want to use it, your decision would surely be molded by whether you need a new phone or you need another phone.
Functions What kind of user are you? If you need to have business functions like email and wifi connectivity, then you might settle for a smart phone or a PDA phone.
For music lovers, there are many phones which are made especially for listening to MP3s, AACs and WMAs.
There are also some which are designed for photographers.
There are various GSM mobile phones especially designed for music, or for imaging.
There are also some especially made for business purposes, and others which can be considered as a mini-computer.
Depending on your preferences, there are dozens of features especially designed for your needs.
Phone's Price Once you have figured out which features you want, then you need to work on your budget.
How much are you willing to shell out for a mobile phone? This is perhaps one of the most important factors that you should consider when you buy GSM phones.
From entry-level to high-end ones, there is something that best suits your needs - and your budget, as well.