RESTON, Va. -- Cell phones offer far more than simply a means of voice communication. They can provide entertainment, convey social status, and express one's individuality.

A new study finds that consumers in both the Cellular Generation -- young adults ages 18-24 who grew up with cell phone awareness, experiencing cell phones as a part of their everyday lives -- and Transitioners -- those people ages 25-34 who fall in between two distinct groups: those who grew up with cell phone knowledge and those who did not -- are likely to view their cell phones as multi-dimensional devices.

Adult adopters -- this group, age 35 or older, was not exposed to cell phones until adulthood -- tend to have a more functional view.

Approximately one-quarter of both the Cellular Generation (26 percent) and Transitioners (25 percent) said that "trendiness" was of high importance when selecting a cell phone, as compared to just 10 percent of Adult Adopters. Additionally, 41 percent of Cellular Generation consumers strongly agree with the statement "I like my cell phone to be personalized" with options such as color schemes and ring tones, while only 19 percent of Adult Adopters feel the same.

The Cellular Generation clearly places the greatest value on additional features, with 57 percent ranking text messaging of "high importance" when selecting a wireless carrier and 25 percent stating the same for instant messaging, in both cases higher than their more senior counterparts.

Forty-two percent of the Cellular Generation said that a camera was of high importance when selecting a wireless phone and 20 percent said the same of an mp3 Player. In comparison, a lower 30 percent of Adult adopters felt that having a camera was of high importance, and just 8 percent felt the same about an mp3 player.