The streets of State College are clogged with people talking on their cell phones and listening to their iPods.

Now, high-tech cell phones and personal digital assistant (PDA) devices, which combine the best aspects of phones, cameras, computers, and MP3 players, could be the next popular items on students' wish lists.

Students have already discovered the advantages of phones with cameras included, snapping pictures at seemingly every opportunity.

The next trend in wireless communications may be cell phones that include an MP3 player and instant messaging capabilities, along with quality picture, video, and sound recording.

Jennifer Rubio (freshman-division of undergraduate studies) bought her LG VX8000 for $300.

"It's a camera phone and it has an MP3 player," she said.

"But I have an iPod, so I don't use the [MP3 player]."

Rubio said she likes to use the camera for taking pictures.

"All my friends at home have high-tech cell phones," she said.

Even Penn State is getting in on the trend, lending PDAs to orientation leaders to administer a survey of first-year students and their families moving into East Halls during Welcome Week.

Orientation Leader Rebecca Ellis (junior-history) said she used a PDA to survey incoming freshman in the middle of Findlay Commons.

"The PDA wasn't hard to use," Ellis said. "I was really excited when I figured it out."

Ellis said the PDA was a much better surveying tool than pen and paper, adding that she thought "it was a good use of the university's money" to invest in the PDAs.

Ellis said she has seen many of her classmates and friends using PDAs and high-tech cell phones with similar capabilities, but the price makes her reluctant to buy her own device.

"If they gave me one to keep for free, I would definitely take it," Ellis said.

Hanjoo Lee (sophomore-biochemistry) has a Sony Ericsson S710a, which contains an MP3 player, memory stick camera, video and sound recording, Internet and instant messaging capabilities and infared and bluetooth connectivity.

"I got it because there are so many features -- it saves space when you don't buy them separately," Lee said.

He added the memory stick camera is an actual camera, not the typical cell phone camera, "so it has better quality."

"Mine is top of the line in America. I just came back from Korea and mine is a few years old there," Lee added. Lee said he feels cell phones in Korea are typically at a much higher quality than American cell phones because they have additional and improved features, including better service.

American cell phones, Lee said, seem to be just picking up on this trend of all-in-one devices.

For some, one of the barriers to buying a high-tech cell phone is its high price. Lee has had his phone for four months and said he pays extra attention to it "because it's so expensive."

Tom Donohue, a district manager at Sprint Store Express, 200 W. College Ave., said PDA cell phones are increasing in popularity, even though they can be costly.

"They can basically do everything," he said. "It's the convenience of having everything in your hands."

The Sprint Store Express, which opened on July 27, offers several models of the high-tech phones, including BlackBerry and PalmOne devices.

Donohue, who owns the PalmOne Treo 650, said his device is handy in place of a pen and paper, and added that he likes the PDA cell phone because of its special features and capabilities.

He bought the Treo 650 for its ability "to do everything."

"Treo can hook up to Microsoft Windows with Sprint technology and you can surf the Web," Donohue said.

Chase Wilson, a sales representative at Immix Wireless, 134 W. College Ave., said the store doesn't carry PDA phones because there aren't "a whole lot of customers asking for the phones."

Wilson said he would like to carry more high-tech phones just to have them available.

"If we did offer the Internet on our phones, I think more people would be interested in buying them," Wilson said. "We have had a few people come in and ask about PDAs and Internet, but I don't think it's a big issue."

Wilson said people who come into the store are normally looking for a free or cheap phone that will be able to make calls.

"Camera phones were a big fad for a while and we still get people that want them, but not so much anymore. I think the demand is declining," he said.

Wilson also said PDA cell phones are useful because they have so many features.

"I've used them before, and it's very nice to be able to do all of that on your phone," he said.