There was a time when many people simply used cell phones for making phone calls only, but those days seem to be long gone.

"People are getting used to the idea that there's more to a phone than talking," IDC analyst Shiv Bakhshi said to the San Jose Mercury News.  "It's a very exciting time."

Analysts are anticipating a strong sales spike in Smartphones over the next several years.  In 2007, there were 122 million Smartphone sales, which should be topped by 2008 sales figures of 186 million.  In the future, according to Gartner, the numbers will continue to increase, with an estimated 410 million Smartphones sold in 2010.

To accompany sending text and picture messages, using a phone's camera, and listening to music, phone owners are finding multiple other things they can use with their phone.  It's also possible to use your cell phone to also pay bus or train fare, with the technology expected to grow in the future.

Aside from simply placing calls, Nielsen Mobile numbers indicate 53 percent of phone owners send text messages, with 25 percent also relying on multimedia messaging.  Away from messaging, the next most popular use on the phone is ringtone downloads and Mobile Internet, with 19 and 17 percent of phone users using these functions.

Many Smartphone owners also are making use of services such as mobile MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and other online sites that have been re-designed for mobile use.

Nokia also announced its phone owners have downloaded 90 million applications in the last two years, and will continue to make phones that are more "PC-like" than older phones.  Nokia has 45 percent of the Smartphone market, with Research in Motion (RIM) in second with 13 percent, and Apple coming in third with 5 percent, according to Gartner.

Along with those three, Samsung, LG, and other companies are trying to enter the growing market for Smartphones and phones capable of letting owners download new content.