Older generations accuse young people today of being more materialistic than ever before. This has, however, been the case since the time of Queen Victoria. While young people are undeniably becoming more materialistic by the day, the situation is easily explained by the amount of cool stuff available nowadays. With each year comes a raft of great new toys to sate the constant demand for new features and cutting-edge design. Most important of all, a modern materialist should have a natty iPod and a cool mobile phone.

For many years, Nokia mobile phones dominated the market for both business and personal mobile phones. This situation has changed in recent years. Swedish brand Ericsson's partnership with Japanese electrical manufacturer Sony has paid off, with an ever-increasing array of technology being added to handsets, including the latest technology from Sony's impressive range of cameras. The resulting Sony Ericsson mobile phones have caused a stir in the world of mobile technology, largely because they are some of the most progressive handsets available. Of course, while some young people may like to have their phones feature-laden, most just want the phone that looks the 'coolest'.

Because of the nature of the mobile phone market, the best handsets are generally part of a contract, as mobile phone offers. LG have been gaining on the competition in design ever since the introduction of the Chocolate. They have recently pushed the boundaries of design even further through a partnership with super-stylish Italian brand Prada (more known for dressing celebrities than handsets). How many British teenagers would love to get their hands on one of those? Or how about an Apple iPhone, which will surely become an iconic design? Who wouldn't want to be the first kid in the playground with an iPhone? Sadly, they are also most likely to be the first to have their iPhone stolen, but that is another matter entirely. Most retailers offer mobile phone insurance, but it is always worth checking whether a handset is covered on home contents insurance before signing up to anything.

While some privileged children may be able to choose any phone they want thanks to financial assistance from the bank of mum and dad, most need to look around for a suitable mobile phone offer. Quite often, the best deals will be found on the internet, where an increasing number of retailers are offering special deals that take into account the lower operating costs of online retail.

Anyone searching for a contract phone can expect to find an assortment of different handsets on the different networks. If you purchase an Orange mobile phone, it will probably be a different handset to if you plumped for one of the many O2 mobile phone deals. This is because the service providers strike deals with individual manufacturers, enabling them to stock their phones all over the world. Recently, Samsung mobile phones have been very popular on all networks, due, in no small part, to their massive array of features and attractive pricing.

It's not only young people who are drawn to mobile phones. Face it, even your mum is sending texts nowadays. Just make sure you get the right handset for your needs.