You know what SMS and MMS stand for but what about HSDPA, 3G or WAP?… Join the bandwagon and decode the jargon. Here are a few tech terms used by many but understood by few!

Bluetooth: Nowadays most phones come with Bluetooth. It is a wireless technology allowing people to connect (without wires!) and exchange information and data between mobile phones and laptops, PCs, digital cameras and even video-game consoles. This only works within a particular distance; it need not be in the line of sight but usually within 10 metres.

HSDPA: Short for High-Speed Downlink Packet Access. Sounds like gibberish? It’s easier to think of it as ‘mobile broadband’. It’s a step ahead of 3G, but there are no HSDPA networks in India yet.

3G: The third generation of mobile phone standards, evolved to incorporate high-speed Internet access and video telephony. In India, there are 3G mobile handsets but no carrier offers the service yet. We’re waiting!

EDGE: Enhanced Data rate for GSM Evolution. It increases data transmission rate and reliability. It is almost three times faster than GSM wireless service (almost 384kbps!) to meet the bandwidth needs of 3G.

GSM & CDMA: Both GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) and CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) are global phone standards, although GSM is the leading cell phone standard all over the world. The SIM card is unique to GSM phones.

A2DP: Acronym for Advanced Audio Distribution Profile, this is a Bluetooth profile that allows for the wireless transmission of stereo audio from an A2DP source (typically a phone or computer) to an A2DP receiver (a set of Bluetooth headphones or stereo system). If you want to use Bluetooth speakers and headphones, you must have this baby on your mobile.

Polyphonic ringtone: Polyphonic comes from the word polyphony, meaning “many sounds”. All polyphonic phones support the playing of more than one note together, so your ring tone is more melodic.