I, like many others, hate my mobile phone.

I've been using an i-mate Smartphone2 for many months now, however it's just on loaner. The last phone I actually owned (Nokia 3230) was put through the washing machine, and I am still paying it off on contract.

The majority of the mobile phones I have owned have been Nokia phones so therefore I jumped at the chance to use a Windows Mobile Phone. In my mind Nokia Symbian based phones where boring, cheap and crappy therefore Windows Mobile Phones must be fantastic devices capable of doing some amazing things; How wrong I was. I probably shouldn't judge Windows Mobile one one experience, but the i-mate Smartphone2 is an absolutely terrible device. I'm not going to go into too much detail about it's problems, but had I done so I would conclude that a phone that crashes more often than not and prevents you from using it as a phone is not a very useful phone at all.

Up until the last year or so I was always quick to upgrade my phone to the next best model at the time, and generally for superficial reasons or minor feature improvements. I suppose that isn't unusual for someone with a disposable income, but it got to a stage where I was paying off 3 phones on my contract at the same time. So since the destruction of my Nokia 3230 I have been very skeptical about actually getting a new phone.

Over the last few months a few phones have caught my attention:

1. Zenum Opus Operis

   There's no doubt that this is a slick looking phone, although there is extreme doubt that this phone will ever see the light of day.

   Pros: The major appeal of this phone to me was the full QWERTY keyboard, the WiFi, the Touch Screen capabilities and at the time, the Windows Mobile Phone OS.

   Cons: Obviously the Windows Mobile Phone OS is no longer of interest to me, the screen is a tad on the small side if the phone is to be my permanent portable device for the next few years and the miniSD is inconvenient as I have no other miniSD devices.

2. Apple iPhone

   Obviously there is something appealing about this phone, Apple may not be good at many things but they have definitely got Design and Hype going for them.

   Pros: Large Touch Screen, 4GB/8GB built-in storage and the multimedia functions.

   Cons: No actual buttons, closed OS which means extra applications are going to be heavily regulated by Apple which means limited customization for me and of course being a fashion accessory it will become obsolete way to quickly.

3. Nokia N93i

   A very interesting phone, the design style makes it perfect for use as a Digital Video Camera and from my investigations on the web it definitely makes high quality video.

   Pros: Fantastic as a Digital Video Camera, Nokia Symbian S60 OS and great design style making it easy to use for multiple different tasks.

   Cons: I don't particularly need a Digital Video Camera, miniSD and as good as the design style is I've never been a big fan of the clam style phones.

4. Nokia N95

   Lastly the N95, I originally wasn't overly that hot on this phone but as I looked into it further it grew on my so much so that I currently intend to get this phone when possible.

   Pros: The double-slider style is fantastic allowing it to be both a fantastic media player and phone, the HSDPA capabilities although currently unusable in regional victoria definitely future proofs it for me, the GPS, MicroSD as I have a few cards already and the large screen is definitely a plus.

   Cons: No Touch Screen, battery life is questionable and there's an extra subscription cost for voice guided navigation for the GPS.

So as I said, I will likely get the Nokia N95 as soon as I can and hopefully it will be a long life device for me as I really don't intend to have to buy a new phone for a few years after this. Obviously technologies change quickly, but having HSDPA will future proof the device for when regional victoria gets a true high speed network (unlike Telstra's average Next G network), and the WiFi will allow me to use it as a VoIP phone at both home and my workplace.

Maybe something else will come along and change my mind, but as the Nokia N95 has officially begun shipping it's only a matter of time before the networks offer the phone on contract, the sooner the better.