You could be forgiven in thinking that mobile phone manufacturers were trying to confuse us. From the moment you take your bright, shiny new phone from the box the thing is already out of date. With constant innovation both technological and stylistic mobile phone manufacturers are incessant in their pursuit to cram as many features and functions into increasingly tiny phones. Bluetooth, Video Players, MP3, FM radio, digital quality cameras the latest versions of mobiles have come a long way in a short space of time and look set to evolve rapidly in the months and years to come as the phone manufacturers look to offer more in an effort to appeal to your lifestyle and your wallet.

Sony Ericsson, Samsung, Nokia and LG are all striving to have the latest technology integrated into their handsets and on to the market first. The next generation of mobile phones look set to push the envelope further still. The ongoing development of watch and go TV (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/5105400.stm ) looks set to spiral with an estimated 210 million people worldwide to be watching TV on mobile devices by 2011. Nokias efforts to push 3G networks and wireless trends such as digital downloads and streaming media will see the launch of no less than 5 new handsets later this year. Samsung are pushing the boundaries of mobile phone usability with a touch screen technology for mobile phones that will allow further reduction in the size of mobile devices. Security also features highly on the agenda with several companies attempting the development of biometric identity solutions for mobile devices.

To those of us who use their handsets for calls and the occasional text the latest mobile phone developments might seem like a distant world. Further still might be the possibility of carrying these technologies around in our pockets. The journey of mobile phone developments from early innovators to the mainstream is a long one and your network operator may not be all that quick to push the latest handsets directly to you when your contract expires. Keeping up to date with the latest mobile phones can be a tricky business.

But for those who are intent in keeping up to date with the cutting edge there are resources that can be used to find out who is doing what and when you can get it. There are several online resources (http://www.engadget.com ) for keeping up to date with developments and rumours in the world of mobile phones and even more if you want to view the latest mobile phones available in the marketplace. These can be used to try and cut through the pervading confusion, but if youre not intent on having the latest technology in your pocket then most of the phones still let you call your Mum or text your mates, I think.