During the past decade, companies have begun to mass produce cellular phones and make them affordable to consumers, including high school and college students. Many of us have taken advantage of this and have purchased wireless phones to keep in touch with our friends and families. And for the most part, we're hooked.

And although cell phones have become a necessity in today's society, it now it appears that kids and teens may be more interested in communicating with their fingers than their voices. Text messaging devices and phones have thus become the latest gadgets to enter the game. In this report we will attempt to uncover the features of some of the newest text messaging devices.

Battle Of The Titans (of Texting)

When the pioneers of text messaging products first hit the market in the year 2000, there were a few select models that were popular: the Motorola Talkabout T900 and the Nokia 8200 series wireless phone. However, even though only a few years have passed, the selections in text messaging phones for yourself or your children are endless. Different manufacturers and service providers are constantly coming up with new phones or ideas that keep the market evolving and competing.

Just What Do These Things Do Anyway?

To break it down to basics, these products are simply capable of two-way messaging. They can send and receive messages from other two-way devices, such as computers, phones, or anything else that will send a message to an email address or phone number. This feature is very useful if you needed to send someone a quick reminder, or wonder where your kid has run off to, or just to say hello without talking into something. Checking text messages is much easier and faster than retrieving voice mail, which requires you to dial in and enter a password. They can even update you on the latest news, sports scores, and the weather. It is, in effect, very basic wireless email and internet.

Critical to this whole two-way messaging system is reliability. Will my device send messages every time I want it to? The answer to that is a resounding NO; no matter which device you have, none of the following clever gadgets can deliver a message every single time. Reception seems to be the culprit. The poorer the reception, the worse your chances are of getting that message out. For example, attempting to send messages from the basement will only result in a "Message not sent" reply. You really need to be either outdoors, or upstairs, if you're inside. These devices work great outside, which is where they are usually used anyway.

The Face-Off

T-Mobile is known for its Sidekick phone series and one of the newest (and most affordable) models on the scene is the T-Mobile Sidekick ID ($299.99 or reduced if you purchase the phone with a T-Mobile plan). Weighing only 6.3 ounces this phone features Instant Messaging that is always on, text messaging, e-mail and real HTML webrowsing. Oh, and on top of it all, it is still a phone. The lithium-ion battery has 5.6 hours of digital talk time and over 140 hours of digital standby time. The vibrantly colored screen swivels to flip open revealing a QWERTY keyboard (basically meaning it looks just like a traditional computer keyboard) making texting fast and easy. There is a trackball button for easy navigation and even a speakerphone for hands-free time. The phone is also equipped with T-Mobile's My Faves capability which allows users to pick their five favorite numbers (land lines included) and the minutes used on these numbers are free. Lastly, if the pink that is featured at left is not your style, changeable faceplates are sold separately so your Sidekick can match your mood or your outfit.

One of the thinnest cell phones with a QWERTY keyboard is the Samsung U740 (available only for Verizon Wireless) ($399.99 or discounted to only $24.99 with service provider plan). Weighing only 3.6 ounces, this Samsung phone compares to the sleek design of Motorola's RAZR phone, with slender dimensions of 3.8 inches (length), 2 inches (width) and .58 inches (height). The most unique aspect of this phone, however, is its dual hinge flip design allowing for two flip options: portrait (traditional cell phone flip) or landscape (pictured left). The catch is that the QWERTY keyboard is incredibly cramped making fast texting movements cumbersome and the traditional number pad is just as tight. This phone may be suited best for those with small fingers.

If texting while listening to music is more of your thing then the LG enV Phone (for Verizon Wireless) ($399.99 or $59.99 with the purchase of a service plan) may be just perfect for you. The ultimate in mobile entertainment, the enV has dual stereo speakers, a 2.0 megapixel camera and camcorder and comes equipped with V-Cast, a music program that lets you download full length tunes onto your phone. This enV model, available in black, silver, orange or green, is slimmer and lighter than older versions. Although at first glance, it looks like a regular cell phone, the phone's innovative dual-face clamshell design flips open to reveal a horizontal QWERTY keyboard that allows for text messaging, web-based e-mail and Instant Messaging. The only downside is that the buttons are a little on the small side so it takes a while to adjust, but once you are used to it, you will be punching away like it's nothing. The enV's messaging system is not just for texting (although you can type up to 1,120 characters per text), but it also features picture and video messaging.

Another LG option is the LG Rumor ($299.99 or $74.99 with the purchase of a new Sprint service plan). Featuring Bluetooth capabilities and a 1.3 megapixel camera, this phone can store up to 500 contacts. The five-way navigation toggle and soft keys make for an easy and enjoyable cell phone experience. The Rumor also has a QWERTY keyboard, although unlike the other models, there is no flip involved. Instead the keyboard is accessed by sliding the top away from the rest of the candy bar style phone. There is easy access to text messaging, Instant Messaging, e-mail and the internet, including the popular social networking sites. One of the coolest features the Rumor offers its users is individual text tones: the phone can be programmed so that each contact in the phone can have a distinct ringtone that plays when a text is received from that number.

Do You Deserve Them All?

Having mom or dad get you all of these neat gadgets would be overkill; all a kid (or anyone for that matter) really needs is one. So make sure you pick the one with the features that are best suited for your needs. Also, note that each of these devices can only be used with their own service provider. Sometimes, researching which plan works best for the family may be the best place to start and once the service is selected, start to consider which text messaging phone you covet.

Also, note that all of the aforementioned phones were designed for the purpose of text messaging and/or e-mail and the QWERTY keyboard does make typing a breeze. However, text messaging options and programs have become a standard on most cell phones nowadays. Texting is not as easy, but it is manageable especially with the advent of T-9 (Text on 9 Keys) technology, a program which allows for fewer button pushes because of its predictive text. This means that, as opposed to a multiple tap touch where someone might need to press the number "7" four times to get the letter "s," one can just press it once and eventually (with practice) retrieve the word he or she wishes to spell. gd luk 2 u shpng 4 1!

Glen Luzong, networking specialist and assistant webmaster at FamilyTravelForum.com, enjoyed researching this article with friends.

Jillian Ryan, a happy writer here at FTF, helped keep this article up-to-date and she is sure that by the time the first viewer sees it, the technology will be old news.

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