Cellphone Crib Sheet, Cutting Through All the Talk

It's tough to resist wrapping up a new cellphone, given the great looks and the powerful features being offered on the newest models. But before you make a purchase, there are a few things you should consider.

A mobile phone can be just as much a reflection of one's personality as it is a tool for communication. What some see as stylish with robust features, others might consider gaudy and cluttered.

Likewise, those great prices are almost always based on a service-plan commitment of two years. And you'll probably be expected to pay a higher price at the register and wait for some of your money to come back in the form of a rebate.

Consider these questions as you shop for a phone:

· Who will be responsible for the monthly bill: the giver or the recipient or even the recipient's parent?

· Will the phone work with the recipient's current cellphone service provider? (In some cases, breaking those contracts can be more expensive than the new phone itself.)

· Will the features of the phone meet the user's specific needs?

FOR MUSIC LOVERS: Sprint's new Fusic ($99) is a pleasingly light, small flip phone in white with iPod-looking controls below a small external screen. The controls are not touch-sensitive but are still easy to use. It plays MP3s and supports streaming video and audio, including Sirius satellite radio, and can broadcast audio over FM.

The Cingular Sync also has external music controls and screen, along with a huge screen inside the flip cover and stereo speakers.

FOR ROUGH USERS: If the recipient's last phone drowned and her current flip phone cover is hanging by a wire, consider Verizon's G'zOne, ($300, pronounced "gee-zee-won"). This flip phone meets military standards for shock, dust and water resistance.

FOR THE FASHIONABLE: Those who crave style will enjoy the ultra-popular, ultra-thin Motorazr (available from many carriers), which has been refreshed by T-Mobile with laser-etched brushed aluminum cases ($70) and a gold-finished Dolce & Gabbana edition ($300). If you'd like something even slimmer, check out the Motokrzr ($200). Verizon also has updated the elegant and powerful Chocolate with a better speaker phone and new colors -- Mint, Cherry, and White Chocolate ($100).

FOR THE SMART PHONE USER: There are many do-everything smart phones, but the one to beat is still the Treo. Sprint's Treo 700wx ($400) does most things right, though the screen has lower resolution than the Treo 650 or 680. Verizon's new enV ($150, pronounced "envy") is a streamlined gray clamshell vCast phone that flips open to reveal a spacious keyboard. T-Mobile's Dash ($200) is not as sleek and compact as the BlackBerry Pearl (it looks more like an old-school BlackBerry), but it is thin and hand-friendly despite its full keyboard.

FOR THE EXECUTIVE: If your gift recipient is an e-mail addict who also wants movies and music on a keyboard phone with more executive-chic than a Treo, consider T-Mobile's BlackBerry Pearl ($200) or Cingular's Samsung BlackJack ($200). The Pearl is sleek and compact with a convenient roller ball in place of a navigation wheel. Unlike other BlackBerrys, it plays MP3 music and movies and comes with a 1.3-megapixel still camera (no video).

The BlackJack is larger but just as thin and runs Windows Mobile on a large, sharp, clear screen. It has the same "push" e-mail as the BlackBerry along with streaming video and streaming audio from XM Satellite Radio.

In contrast to its rough name, its styling is tasteful and refined.