Stuck in Line at the Airport? Pick Up Your Cell Phone

We're gearing up for a whole new style of holiday travel in America. It's an America that lines up hundreds of people for airport security checks, laptop in one hand, metal-hinged belt under one armpit and steel-reinforced loafers under the other. You've got one hand free and lots of time between you and homeland security on the other side of the metal detector. Don't pony up for the same old overpriced snack-shop magazine in this down economy. You've got a world of entertainment in your mobile phone, ready for the discovering.

Somewhere past the address book, winding back behind the alarm-clock feature and the ringer settings, your mobile phone features a set of tiny electronic games just for you. Generally, the pricier the phone, the more sophisticated and numerous the games that come installed on it -- a friend who got a $39 Kyocera cheapie with Radio Shack rebates recently has exactly one game included on his phone, Brick Attack. But nearly every major handset maker includes at least one game.

If you spent enough to get a Web-enabled phone, you can even connect to a network of games and game-players, but you'll have to foot the cost of the phone call or give up some of your valuable bucket of minutes for the privilege. ...