Very few pieces of technology have affected the nature of human communication and activity quite as much as the mobile phone. For evidence of how reliant many of us have become on the devices, try leaving your phone at home for a week. Suddenly, you have to be on time for every date and appointment; phoning or sending a message to let someone know you will be late is no longer an option! While this sounds like a trivial thing, think how many times you have been late to meet a friend in the last twelve months.

Do you remember how it used to be when you met someone in a nightclub? Typing each others numbers into your mobile phones was not an option - you would have to give out your home number and then hope that you were there to take the call. Nowadays, dancefloors across the world are full of young people with phones in hand, making that initial contact which could lead to romance. If someone says they do not have their phone on them, take this with a pinch of salt as it can often be an excuse for handing over a false number. If you are particularly unfortunate, this could be something along the lines of BBC Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills' Flirt Divert, which aims to catch hapless romantics out. Experienced users of phones may know what to look out for while a mobile virgin probably won't.

The introduction of SMS - commonly known in the UK as text messaging - has had a huge influence on the way we communicate. This is why many a mobile phone offer will put great emphasis on the number of free monthly texts included in the price. A text message can be incredibly succinct, as you have the opportunity to get everything you want to say down in one go and then have a chance to review it before you send it. That is not to say that messages don't sometimes go astray. It is quite easy, particularly after a couple of beers, to send a message to the first person in your phonebook or to the last person who sent a message to you. Samsung mobile phones and the average Sony Ericcson mobile phone offer different menu systems, leaving different people more likely to receive your errant messages.

Nowadays, there are more mobile phones in Great Britain than there are people. Most young people have a Pay As You Go handset while most adults prefer to have a contract phone. You are much more likely to get a free mobile phone if you sign up to a contract, although you should add up the long term cost before agreeing to anything that appears too good to be true. One of the most remarkable results of mobile telephony is that you can now search for a new mobile phone by browsing the internet on your current one.

While 3G hasn't taken off in quite the way mobile phone operators had hoped it would, those early-adopters who have discovered the convenience of getting email and information straight to your phone are agreed that mobile internet is the way forward. The main problem with 3G handsets is that most people are unaware of the power contained within. Everyone loves receiving email (unless it is spam) almost as much as receiving text messages and phone calls. Some Orange mobile phones have excellent pricing packages for anyone needing a new mobile phone with internet capabilities.

The most amazing thing about all this mobile technology is that it is so new. Who knows what wonderful advances will be made? With paper thin screens already a reality, who will make the next real breakthrough in the world of mobile phones?