The time when the clunky PC used to be the sole way of getting networked is definitely passé now. These days more and more users are using their mobile phones to reach out to social networking sites. The thing is that the latest mobile phones also make it much easier by incorporating applications, which pack the power of social networking clients.

For instance, there are applications like Snaptu, Nimbuzz and many others. Latest mobile phones from Sony Ericsson, HTC, Samsung, and Apple are uniquely capable of integrating all your networking accounts in one seamless interface. But with each device handling the SNS integration in a different way, its a difficult task to determine which phone suits your SNS needs. There is a lot to choose from and these choices range from built-in apps to pre-loaded links, from basic SNS activity to full fledged social networking functionality and even more on your mobile. However, if you can get some of your facts straight, making the right choice will be a cake walk.

One thing you need to know that for a decent SNS experience its not necessary for you to shell out truck loads of money. Today affordable devices also come with some really good social networking features. The trend that was started with Micromax's Q series has caughtup with all the handset brands and today we have devices like Micromax Q7, Alcatel ICE3, INQ Chat 3G and many more. What you need to remember is that in most of these devices social networking sites are integrated through JAVA apps so the page loading is a bit slower. On the other hand most of these devices don't support multi-tasking so you might have to exit you account every time you need to access another feature on the phone. However devices like INQ chat 3G have these apps like Facebook integrated into the device so they keep running in the background without any hindrance. Photo uploading in most of these devices is through a special Email address and very few of them support direct upload. However, more and more features are being integrated in affordable devices too. But if you are a little short on cash and can compromise a bit on the functionality and experience, then there is no need for you to shell out more than Rs 10,000 for a decent SNS phone. needless to say that high-end devices offer enhanced functionality such as contact integrations, combined access to all the SNS apps and obviously more variety of applications. Devices like Nokia X6, Samsung Wave, Sony Ericsson Xperia X10, HTC Legend, offer seamless integration of the SNS applications with their phone features.

When it comes to mass market social networking devices, QWERTY systems seem to be gaining lot of popularity. Mainly because, these devices are more convenient when it comes to text input. They are also sturdier as compared to touchscreen devices. However, if you go a little higher in the price range, touchscreen phones rule the roost when it comes to SNS activity. But you should keep your comfort level in mind while buying an SNS device and make a choice accordingly. Remember, just because a QWERTY device has hardware keys for input, it doesn't mean it might be the most comfortable.

On the other hand, touchscreen devices come with bigger and better screens capable of giving an enhanced visual experience, but here too you need to take care of things like touch response and input options such as virtual keypads and handwriting recognition. Features like an accelerometer also come handy while using a touchscreen device.

Staying connected is all about staying online all the time. Now, in order to maintain a continuous connectivity to your Facebook, Twitter or Orkut profile, you would need a phone that is capable of providing good Internet connectivity on the go. Today, you get 3G devices for as less than Rs 4,000, but its not necessary that all good and affordable SNS devices will be 3G enabled. However, you must make sure that if not 3G the phone that you choose must be EDGE (Enhanced Data Rate for GSM Evolution) enabled that makes data speeds on 2G networks better.

In the phones that are a bit dearer you can choose devices that apart from GPRS and also have WiFi connectivity for faster Internet browsing. Although limited by the availability of WiFi hotspots, having WiFi capability of the phone helps you get faster browsing speeds thus making it faster to upload pictures and other visual content from the phone to your SNS portal.

While most of the phones come pre-loaded with popular SNS applications, it always helps to consider a phone that can support third party applications. In the affordable handset segment, most of the devices are either on a generic or proprietary platform that usually supports only java apps. Now most of the time these java apps are pre-loaded. So in such a situation it is important to consider a device which has a good browser that can take you to the web link of the SNS portal and enable good browsing experience. Most of these devices comes with browsers like Opera apart from the default browser to add to the browsing capabilities. In the high end devices be

it Symbian, Android, Apple or Bada, there is no dearth of applications available online or on the respective app stores of each platform. On the other hand there are some popular third party applications that have set unprecedented popularity across platforms and are compatible with most of the devices. These include the likes of Snaptu and Nimbuzz that make networking on the go a easy and simple process. Just download and install and you will have everything at the tip of your fingers.

Last but not the least are the things you should be looking for inside a device. Is it powerful enough to run all the apps and perform all the functions smoothly? The processor power, the battery etc. have to be taken into account. More than anything else, you have to ensure that the device you are buying is truly rich in features. There is no use forking out money for mere style. Social networking is a serious business, and you need an excellent device to attend to it.