Smartphones have taken mobile phone technology to the next level. A combination of a personal digital assistant or PDA and mobile phone, these super-smart palm-sized gadgets are packed with useful applications. No longer just a phone, you can share data, photos, files, email, surf the web, update your calendar, listen to music and even shoot and watch movies in HD.

There are quite a few smartphones on the market to choose from but don’t be fazed by all the jargon – it really comes down to what your main usage or requirements are. Operating systems can vary from brand to brand, with Android, Windows, Apple OSX, Symbian, BlackBerry OS and the latest Samsung Bada being the main options.

If you love all the fun apps, check out the phone’s battery life because bright screens, fun games and a multitude of apps can drain the juice of a mobile. Those who like to text and email may well prefer a larger QWERTY keyboard. Some of the latest handsets also offer built-in 3G for faster data sharing and downloads while others include wi-fi for quicker access to the internet. Obviously style, size and brand are also a big part of the decision process and we’ve made it easier with a quick round up of some of the hottest handsets on the market.

For great photos on the go the Nokia X6 is a slimline 3.2-inch touchscreen handset complete with a 5-megapixel autofocus camera and Carl Zeiss lens. The 16GB version has plenty of storage for music and media files, Quick-touch access to friends and family and the option to get extra entertainment from the Nokia Ovi store. Find a Nokia X6 smartphone tariff online today.

The latest Wildfire smartphone from HTC offers a social media centre in your pocket. Thanks to Friend Stream software, you can see all updates, tweets, photos etc in one feed and even sort them by friend. Plus the simple- to-use tap to view panels and next-generation caller ID will even tell you when it’s someone’s birthday. Compare HTC Wildfire tariffs online.

Any multimedia addicts will love the Sony Ericsson Vivaz Pro. This super-slimline handset has a 16.9-inch widescreen and QWERTY slider keyboard – ideal for emailing. Plus a dedicated one-touch video button provides a fuss-free way to shoot in HD and publish online. Review all the Vivaz Pro features and tariffs.

Powered by Bada, Samsung’s hot new smartphone the Wave incorporates a mega-bright 3.3-inch Super AMOLED screen, fast 1GHz processor and HD video capture. This entertainment-rich mobile delivers responsive gaming action and plenty of social networking add-ons and all in vivid high-resolution colour. Find out more about the Samsung Wave.

The Sony Ericsson Experia X10 is a one-stop shop for all your media and social network updates. This smartphone has an impressive user interface, MP3 player, wi-fi and 3G, all packed in to a sleek glossy handset. Plus there is a 8.1-megapixel camera, which can even recognise some of your friends’ faces – and for those who like all the latest tech but in a smaller handset, check out the Sony Ericsson Experia X10 Mini.

Talking of small smartphones, the HTC Mini HD goes a long way to prove great things can come in small packages. This tiny handset offers many of the features of its bigger brothers, such as real time Twitter updates or shortcut keys for important numbers or applications, as well as HD quality images and 3G. Plus, the HTC Mini even has a 5-megapixel camera all packed in to a tiny case. Find an HTC HD Mini tariff online.

The latest iPhone 4 packs a smartphone punch for any Apple addict. Behind the minimalistic handset you’ll find HD video, 5-megapixel camera with flash, a high-resolution sharp Retina touchscreen and phone apps galore. Use the iPhone as an MP3, games console, editing suit or even for video conferencing. Review all the iPhone 4 features for yourself.

If it’s a mini PC you’re looking for then the latest Nokia N900 might just be the answer. Much more than just a smartphone, this glossy QWERTY slider handset boasts 3G, wi-fi, fast internet browsing and media entertainment thanks to the Maemo 5 operating system. Store all your files and photos on the whopping 32GB of internal memory and even tag and share your photos online with tag cloud. Check out all the Nokia N900 functionality online.

For serious texting and emailing you can’t beat a BlackBerry. The latest BlackBerry Bold 9700 features a sharp high-resolution display, intuitive trackpad navigation for easy scrolling and improved multimedia playback of up to 35 hours. Add to this hi-speed 3G network connectivity and expandable memory for extra storage and you’re good to go. Find a BlackBerry Bold tariff today.

If you want all the features of a BlackBerry, but with the touchscreen functionality of some of the other smart phones, you can’t beat the BlackBerry Storm. This neat palm-sized handset includes a SurePress virtual keyboard, 3.3-inch screen, easy switching from web-browsing to the phone features and a long battery life. Throw in a 3.2-megapixel camera and quick-link connectivity and the BlackBerry Storm has it all.

Motorola’s smart new handset called the DEXT includes Motoblur technology – ideal for streaming messages and updates right to your phone via secure synchronisation. This power-packed side slider handset manages to merge ergonomic design with functionality. Enjoy snapping away with the 5-megapixel autofocus camera, picture editing and Geo Tagging or link to the internet via wi-fi and browse the web with a full HTML browser. Compare Motorola DEXT offers online.

Finally, here’s the Desire smartphone from HTC. Heavy on personalisation widgets and HTC applications, this mobile has it all. View your photos, messages and the web on a large 3.7-inch touchscreen in super-quick time thanks to a 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. Use Friend Stream to follow all your social updates in one place. Promoted as an intuitive mobile, the HTC Desire is one of easiest smartphones to use thanks to its HTC Sense software. Compare HTC Desire tariffs on Ciao.

The Apple iPhone 4 is everything that a new piece of technology should be: It’s innovative, attractive, and ahead of its competition. In comparison, previous iPhone upgrades seem inconsequential–that’s how much iPhone 4 brings to the table.

The Apple iPhone 4 is everything that a new piece of technology should be: It’s innovative, attractive, and ahead of its competition. In comparison, previous iPhone upgrades seem inconsequential–that’s how much iPhone 4 brings to the table.

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority organized a seminar today at Sarena, Islamabad, to highlight various aspects of 3G mobile broadband services and 3G spectrum auctions in Pakistan, policy and regulation issues.

Minister In-charge for IT and Telecom, Sardar Mohammad Latif Khan Khosa was the chief guest, while IT Secretary Naguib Ullah Malik was the guest of honor. PTA Chairman Dr Mohammed Yaseen chaired the panel discussion.

Representatives of Mobilink, Telenor, Zong, SCO, PTCL, Warid, Ufone, NSN, Ericsson, ZTE, Huawei, Motorola, Alcatel-Lucent, Qualcom and CDMA Forum were present at the event.

World’s first iPhone virus has been reported, which is creating some buzz in at least Australia right now, however, it is said that world over iPhones that are jailbroken are under threat.

The virus, dubbed the ikee worm, breaks into iPhones, changing their lock screen wallpaper to an image of 1980s pop star Rick Astley with the message: “ikee is never going to give you up”

We knew the the place and the price, just needed to know when the party starts. You can grab a pre-order for the $600 netbook ($300 with two-year contract) at Best Buy and pick it up November 15. [Engadget]