While cell phones allow us to make and recieve phone calls on the go, cell phones are no longer limted in scope to just making calls anymore. In fact, the feature list on most modern cell phones would make most secret agents of the good old days green with envy. Sean Connery as 007, my personal hero, would most certainly have really been able to give it to the bad guys with a modern cell phone strapped to his belt. Modern cell phones do so much that the making the simple phone call seems pedestrian and ill suited for such a wonderful device.

"Alright, what is it that cell phones do that makes the humble phone call seem unimportant?"

Non-verbal communication... not just about posture anymore, a text message allows a new age 007 to recieve vital messages without stopping to answer his phone. A text message, like an email, doesnt require direct person to person interaction and can be read without having to do any more than look at the phone or even ignored until the modern gentleman spy finishs his shaken-not-stirred dry vodka martini or his witty tet-au-tet with an arch villian. Similarly, email and voicemail are both with us in the field and allow us to get the message at our own convienince.

"Is that a PC in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?"

Web browsing, while still primitive on some phones, is rather quite advanced on any of a modern 007's choice in phones. Access to the web, or even your home computer through a VPN, is not only a possibility but has been in practice for some time. In fact, mobile computing has become its own industry and the day might soon come when the home based computer will be relegated to second place in use to our own portable client computers built into our cell phones. Mobile computing means a lot more than just playing tetris on your cell phone, however just playing tetris or other games on your cell phone just to kill time while waiting is a vital part of mobile computing. Everthing you do on your home computer is quickly being adapted for mobile use. The logic becomes "why have a home compter if you cant take it with you?" As cell phones advance in computing power, more and more of what you do at your home pc will be availiable to you on your phone, where ever you may be. And with advances in network technology, odds are that if your phone doesnt have high speed data acess or wifi built in now, it will soon.

PDA No More

Even the most basic cell phone puts early Palm Pilots to shame. Your calendar, your daily schedual, your contacts, and even a calculator are all built in to every cell phone. Why carry another device around to do exactly this? Granted some cell phones make these tasks easier to manage, but those capabilities are there. And to top all that off, most cell phones are able to sync thier clocks off of local network time. That means that the clock on your phone is probably more accurate than your wristwatch, and dont forget that most cell phones can also be your alarm clock! If cell phones could keep beverages cool I would also get rid of my refigerator, however that day hasnt come yet.

Amateur Photography

Granted, most cell phone cameras arent up to par with the latest digital cameras, but they have one major advantage... your cell phone camera is handy and you are far more likely to have a cell phone on your person at all times where as your expensive camera is most likely stashed in a safe place. That means you can take snapshots with little to no preparation time, allowing you to capture life's more spontaneous moments. But this is more of a tool to the gismo savvy James Bond of today, a camera has multiple uses beyond just taking pictures. I have found that recording information with the camera is far quicker and more reliable than writing it on sticky notes... information off of screens, street addresses, I even took a shot of my own licence plate number once just so that I didn't have to remember it. All this information can be quickly recalled and viewed right on your cell phone at any time, and even shared wirelessly with your comrades.

GPS and You

Not even your cuddly little Garmin or TomTom is safe from your cell phone. Having AGPS (assisted GPS, or location based off of cell phone towers) or even built in GPS is a feature most cell phones currently have. With this you also have acess to maps and voice guided directions. Certainly James bond would use this feature to find his nemisis' underground volcano lair.

"Grow up 007"

Cell phones can be used in creative ways not normally recognised as features such as: the screen light can double as a flashlight, the stubby antenna makes for a great personal defence weapon when jammed into soft body tissues, and the rest is up to your own imagination. Certainly having all these things put together into one compact plastic unit that you commonly have access to 24 hours a day could make you the ultimate gentleman spy, just like 007.