Touch of class

Gone are the days when clothing and footwear used to make youngsters fashionable. The latest vehicle of youths' coolness is the cell phone.
While earlier, students preferred basic models for meeting communication needs, they are now going in for smart phones from brands like I-Phone, HTC, Blackberry, Samsung, LG and Nokia, to name a few.
The stylish looks, wide screens and amazing functions offered by these phones have captured young minds.
Youths feel that handsets are not just status symbols. They also reflect one's attitude.
''Touchscreen phones make working on applications and typing easier as they have a virtual keyboard and not a physical one. It is almost essential to have a smart phone these days,'' said Panjab University student Umang Aggarwal.
The youths are also using brand names of luxury cars to identify their mobile phones.
''Depending upon the type of phone and its cost, people have given them the names of the Mercedes, BMW or Audi,'' Umang added.
Another student, Kanav Bhardwaj of Rayat College, adds, ''I am using HTC Desire HD. It is an android phone. Android widgets are remarkable and provide many facilities.''
Those not yet possessing a smart phone are waiting for their opportunity to join the league.
Sumit, a PU student said, ''I don't have a touchscreen phone as of now, but the features they offer are exciting. Gaming in these phones is of advanced level. I would prefer an I-Phone 4. It has a masculine look. It is like a computer system.''
However, advanced features like global positioning system, web browsing, 3G, video, photo storage, and music playback are not available through expensive phones. ''Some mobile companies also offer such hi-tech phones between the price range of Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000,'' said a phone dealer from Sector 22.
Hitesh Bali
Touchscreen phones are classy. Once you get used to the comfort, you can hardly use on any other phones. Mobile companies are making touch pads easier to use.
Shikha Verma
The whole experience of touchscreen phones is really nice. I got one for just Rs 6,000. Internet service enables me to use facebook frequently and it looks very stylish
Akash Abrol
Touchscreen phones have changed the way we look at mobile phones, which were just intended for taking calls, sending messages and needed one to push physical keys
Sandeep
I like the lock system of touch phones. These phones are easy to use and there is no headache of getting the keypad replaced once it stops working as is the case with other phones
Aakanksha Jindal
Apart from stylish looks, touchscreen phones have better user interface and give better accessibility to wider applications. This is a very different experience from earlier phones