Everyone has a mobile phone these days, and often people have more than one. It’s very common these days for people to have one for work exclusively, and one they have for personal use. While the one for work is paid for, it’s the one for personal use that everyone gets excited about. Technology moves so fast, it seems every 6 months there is a new “hot” phone that everyone wants. Over time the ASP (average selling price) of phones has gradually crept higher as consumers are willing to pay more for better features on a phone.
It is not uncommon today for almost every phone to have a built in camera to take photos. Almost as common now is the ability to take video as well, and store mp3’s on the phone, along with surfing the net. Gaining popularity as well is the ubiquitous slide out keyboard, made famous by the T-Mobile sidekick. Anyone who uses My Space regularly has a phone with a keyboard, as it makes it easy to keep in contact with your friends and update your whereabouts in real time. Text messaging has been gaining in popularity for years, and as more and more phones build in technology to make it easy for users to type back, it will grow further.
One thing most mobile phone users do not consider at all when they purchase a phone is mobile phone insurance and exactly what that covers. It is usually an afterthought and is possibly considered after adding on all the other charges that tally the bill up each month. In fact, this should probably be the first thing you consider when purchasing a phone. Most people don’t even think about it, because the price of the phone is subsidized (at least in the US) by the carriers, so its common for someone to have a £400.00 phone they only paid £50.00 for. However, if you should drop the phone, or it should malfunction in such a way that is not a manufacturing defect, you are out of luck. You now have a cell phone contract without a phone. Going back to the mobile phone store to buy the same will set you back the full retail price. This is where insurance comes in very handy.
One aspect as well that most people do not consider, is that a lot of cell phones are damaged or destroyed by water damage. Even with insurance, most (at least in the UK) do not cover water damage. Insurance companies are always very smart to try to exclude the things that happen most often, if you are not paying attention to what they cover. So when shopping for a phone, knowing to get insurance is good, but knowing the RIGHT insurance company to go with is the best. Always make sure your mobile phone insurance covers accidents AND water damage, as well as normal wear and tear that can cause a malfunction over time.

Resources of Interest
More Internet Resources
Mobile Phone Insurance Website.