These features will soon be commonplace among all major cell phone manufacturers. In fact, all of these services exist in some form today, though pricey and not widely available. Cell phones have become more than just our portable telephones; they can be our portable arcades, music players, and digital cameras.

This year, camera phones are expected to top the combined sales of digital, film, and disposable film cameras. Though most users report poor picture quality, many cite camera phones as their most convenient means of photography. Today’s popular models take disappointing half-megapixel shots, which are often grainy and not print-friendly.

In the coming years, cell phone photography will develop into a more meaningful endeavor. We will see a dramatic shift from low-quality snapshot cameras to more sophisticated camera technologies aimed at individuals who want print-quality photos taken by their phones.

In a few years, camera phones will offer comparable image resolution to current point-and-shoot digital cameras. In fact, Sony Ericsson’s latest model offers a 2-megapixel camera, one of the highest resolution camera phones available in the United States. Samsung has recently released an amazing 7-megapixel model, though only available in Asia.

Photography aside, some cell phone users would prefer to watch TV on their phones, perhaps during their daily commute. Television on cell phones, a technology whose public interest is questioned by the cell phone industry, has already been a reality for three years.

Currently, some popular phone providers sell television access by monthly subscription, though it seems that few are interested in paying. This may be due to the price: for actual television reproduction users need to purchase an expensive handset in addition to the subscription fees ($10/month).

To increase interest, Verizon and Vodafone are partnering with Twentieth Century Fox Television to create brief made-for-mobile dramas, or “mobisodes.” Some day, when our technology has caught up to our imaginations, we could have our choice of hundreds of prepared-for-mobile shows on phones.

With thumb drives growing to gigabyte capacity, and iPods allowing for as much as 60 gigabytes in the palm of your hand, it comes as no surprise that cell phones would also take advantage of current hard drive advancements.

As this technology progresses, cell phones come closer to offering all the functionality of our portable music players. It would not be surprising to see, perhaps in a period of five years, music-playing cell phones outselling portable audio devices.

Yet another medium being ported to cell phones is that of the written word. Tens of thousands of Japanese readers have adapted to reading full-length novels on their one to two inch cell phone screens.

Most admit that it takes some getting used to; cell phone book publishers, however, have already had impressive sales figures. Many in Japan see it as an opportunity to catch up on classics that they may have missed. In America, a similar concept could also be a hit and is currently in development.

Phones incorporating new forms of entertainment and functionality will soon be available to consumers, who are likely to embrace them with open arms.