What's a Cell Phone, Anyway? I bet you thought that cell phone in your pocket was just for talking. Silly you. Voice-only handsets have become as quaint as hand-crank telephones. Today's mighty mobiles are do-it-all devices that have a lot in common with computers, except that they fit in your pocket and you pay by the minute to use them. At the recent CTIA Wireless show in New Orleans, mobile handset vendors unveiled a passel of cutting-edge phones, many of which won't be available until later this year. Here are some of the key things these cell phones may do for you (besides letting you make calls, of course). Surf the Web at Light Speed: Cell phones that roam the Web and send text messages have been around for years. What's new? Faster third-generation networks that let you surf at speeds from 144 kilobits per second to a DSL-like 2 megabits per second. This, in turn, will allow carriers to stream video, music, and more sophisticated games to your mobile phone. Today's 3G nets top out at 300 to 400 kbps and are mostly found in Europe and Asia. The United States still relies largely on 2.5G networks that max out at 90 kbps, though some 3G service should be available nationwide by year's end. Select Models: LG Electronics VX8000, Motorola V1150, and Sony Ericsson Z800i. Smile, You're on Candid Cell Phone: Your phone may be able to double as a spy camera, though usually not a very good one. Most camera phones offer limited resolutions of around 1 megapixel, though 2-megapixel units are becoming more common, and 3-megapixel units are beginning to show up in Japan. Some 2-megapixel models, like Sony Ericsson's K750i, offer limited zoom and focus controls. Others, like LG's recently announced A7110, can even capture 30 minutes of full-motion video. So what do you do with those tiny, low-res shots? Embarrass your friends by posting them directly to a mobile blog site such as TextAmerica or FotoLog. Select models: LG Electronics A7110 and Sony Ericsson K750i. These Tunes Were Made For Walkin': The problem with cell-phone MP3 players is that most hold only a handful of songs. That's about to change. Sony Ericsson's newly announced W800i can hold around 150 songs in its 500MB of memory, and Samsung's SPH-V5400 comes with a 1.5GB hard drive, though it's only available in Japan. Meanwhile, iTunes, MSN Music, Napster, and Sony Connect have announced plans to let users download music directly to their cell phones. But until 3G networks get more common, most users will still have to download songs to their PCs and then transfer them to their phones. Mobile phones may eventually replace mini-MP3 players, especially for teens. Select Models: Motorola V360, Samsung p777, and Sony Ericsson W800i. A Portable Boob Tube: You say you like to watch "a little TV"? Then Idetic's MobiTV is just the thing for you. For $10 a month, you can tune into 25 channels of live television on your phone anywhere in the United States. The video feed is choppy and there's a slight time lag when changing channels, but these problems should gradually disappear as more high-speed networks come online. At press time, MobiTV was available on phones from Cingular, Midwest Wireless, and Sprint PCS; Qualcomm has announced plans to provide live TV service in 2006. Verizon Wireless has something called V Cast, which broadcasts video clips from sources such as E!, ESPN, and Sesame Street (for all those kids whose parents give them cell phones at a young, young age). Select Models: Nokia 6620, Samsung MM-A700, and Sanyo MM-7400. But that's just in 2005. Further down the road, your mobile phone may fulfill a host of other roles--some highly beneficial, some less so. For example: Mobile Money: Someday, your cell phone may replace your wallet--at least when it comes to toll booths, gas stations, subway tickets, convenience stores, and the drive-through line at McDonald's. Just wave your Bluetooth-enabled phone near the store's reader, and the charges show up on your monthly cell phone or credit card bill. Mobile "contactless" payment systems are already in use in Europe and Japan, but they're still in trials at select U.S. convenience stores and restaurants. Can I See Some ID? With phisher scams and identity theft on the rise, some financial institutions are turning to cell phones to help them separate their real customers from the scam artists, using a scheme called RSA Mobile. When users log in to their bank, the site sends them a one-time code via text message to their cell phone. If they don't enter the code on the Web site, they can't access their accounts. RSA Mobile has been employed at banks in Europe and New Zealand; Gartner predicts three quarters of U.S. banks will adopt some form of two-factor authentication by 2007. Don't Look Now, But You're Being Followed: The FCC's E911 initiative requires cell phone carriers to be able to pinpoint their customers' location within 100 meters, so emergency responders can reach them in a crisis. Some phones, like Motorola's A780, come with Global Positioning System transponders built in, which can find you within a few feet. Sounds good, right? Well if the fire department can find you, so can just about anyone else. According to market research firm Allied Business Intelligence, location-based commercial services will be a $40 billion market by 2007. Such services can be a boon if you're in a strange town and need directions to the nearest Thai restaurant. But you could also end up with your cell phone buzzing with ads for nearby businesses as you walk down the street. Worse, your location records could be used by police to verify your movements, or become part of a legal dispute such as a divorce settlement. There are few rules governing wireless location privacy; if and when such rules are devised, you can expect them to be friendlier to commercial interests than to consumers. So the next time you arrange a discreet rendezvous, you might want to turn your phone off first. Just as a precaution. Award-winning journalist Dan Tynan writes PC World's Gadget Freak column. He is also author of the upcoming best seller, Privacy Annoyances (O'Reilly Media, June 2005). His blog on politics, media, and technology can be found at witlist.blogspot.com