Mobile phones are moving into new generation.

New models, ring tones and graphics, removable covers and, last week, a marathon phone ring in London involving 254 people that made it into the Guiness Book of Records.

Are mobile phone buffs, or phonies, just sad people or do they have a point?

Is there anything about a mobile phone that could reasonably engender the hype that surrounds them?

Ray Hatley looks at the latest mobile phones and why some people love their mobile so much...

*Nokia With indisputably the best mobile phone menu system around, it is a shame that most of the Nokia range now look a trifle dated.

The only bright star is the clam shell-style Nokia Communicator.

It has a colour web browser and the ability to handle email along with a host of other functions, including a personal organiser and address book.

The Nokia Communicator is a truly great piece of equipment for anyone who needs to impress their non-technical friends or run a multinational company from the top of a Brighton bus.

For most people it is just a big chunky bit of techno-fun and, although it has some serious applications, is way too techie (and huge) for the average person in the street.

*Motorola Motorola has some really nice bits of telephony and I can see how the extremely lightweight and sexy Motorola Timeport could catch on.

The downside to older Motorola phones is an onboard menu system so convoluted I defy anyone to enjoy it.

Even trying to programme in a new phone number is a painful and laborious experience when compared to Nokia's intuitive interface.

The new Motorola Timeport 280 tri-band phone, due for release later this month (no price available as yet), may offer a solution to Motorola owner frustration.

The Timeport 280 is General Packet Radio Service (GPRS)-enabled.

This means it can retrieve internet-based information faster than previously possible and utilises a new Motorola menu system made even easier by a four-way joystick allowing for speedy and efficient navigation.

Users can personalise their Timeport 280 with 20 available ring tones, including five that are programmable.

The phone also allows users to send logos, ring tones and pictures, making it fun as well as practical.

With up to 253 hours of standby time and 260 minutes of talk time, requiring only one-and-a half to two hours to completely recharge, it is definitely one to watch for.

*Telepong Swiss-based developer called Telepong has just announced an unconventional prototype mobile terminal aimed at early adopters who mainly use their phones for non-voice applications such as text messaging and gaming.

These consumers are most likely to pioneer services such as short messaging service SMS), photo messaging, music messaging and interactive Java-based games and will require a suitably esoteric handset to handle the communications traffic.

Somehow I doubt a multi-functional banana is the real shape of things to come, but the functionality of this prototype is absolutely spot-on.

As more people realise what their mobile phone could do for them in the way of extended services, handset manufacturers will be pressurised to deliver a sensible solution.

Would I buy a Telepong banana phone or a Nokia Communicator? I don't think so but I could definitely be tempted by a Motorola Timeport, always providing the new interface lets me do exactly what I want.

Could I really love any of them? Sadly, the answer has to be an emphatic "no.

Despite downloading Bear Necessities from the Jungle Book as a personal ringing tone, I hate hearing phones playing daft jingles and tunes and I can't really understand anyone wanting to pay money for silly graphics.

Rapid recharge time could sway me. But nothing will ever convince me to have a camera watching me when I talk.

www.nokia.com
www.motorola.com
www.telepong.com