I've bought a new mobile phone this week, and I thought it would be interesting to compare it to my first mobile, which I bought in November 1994 (and which still works!) My old Nokia was considered slim, compact and lightweight at the time, but it really feels like a housebrick compared to the new phone.

On the right, my 1994 Nokia 2140. Its nickel-hydride battery provided 18 hours standby or 80 mins talktime. It had text messaging, but you could only type in upper case. It had a single band transceiver (GSM1800 only). The LCD screen was monochrome, and text-only. You could hook it up to a computer, but only to use it as a modem with a serial cable, which wasn't supplied. You had to pull out the antenna to make or receive a call. It cost £250, subsidised by an expensive contract.

On the left, my 2007 Sony Ericsson W200i. Its lithium-ion battery affords 360 hours (15 days) standby or 420 mins talktime. It has a graphical LCD colour screen with animated menus, a clock display and a screensaver. It has a tri-band transceiver, supporting GSM1800, GSM900 and GSM1900. In addition to text messaging, it has a built-in email client. It also has a web browser, a calendar and a personal organiser. It can be connected to a PC using a USB cable (supplied) or an infra-red connection. It has 27MB of internal memory and a memory card slot.

It is also an FM radio, an MP3 player, and a digital camera. Cost: £49.

Note that although I have a new phone, I'm using my old 07813 SIM in it, so previous advice about my phone number still applies!