Customize Your Cellphone

Have you ever had this happen to you - you could swear that your cellphone is ringing, but by the time you get it out and open there is no caller on the display at all - and then the guy beside you starts talking? This is what I call 'the curse of the default ringtone'. It afflicts more than a few of us, but don't dispair! It's a simple matter to add a few customizations here and there to your cellphone, so that your most important accessory is more than a cookie-cutter mobile phone. Apply your own personality and style, with these three easy cellphone customization ideas.

Ringtones

My number one tip for adding style to your cellphone is the ever popular ringtone. Some may think it is so old-fashioned it is almost retro now, but ringtones are an excellent way to personalize your phone. You will avoid the annoying problem where are never sure if it is your phone or someone beside you. Using the default ringtone on your cellphone is much more common than I would have thought. Although one reason I used the default ringtone for years on my cellphone was that it was simply the loudest ringtone available, so I would be certain to hear my phone in my bag.  But then I downloaded some new ringtones. Listening to them before downloading let me choose ones that I would be loud enough. Now I never think twice about which phone call is for me - I know my ringtones, and on top of that, I customize them depending on who is calling me. In fact this is my favorite part of the customized ringtone feature.

Ringback Tones

Idea number two is another sound option that you can get for your cellphone. Have you heard about ringback tones yet? Or Call Answer Tones? Or Call Tunes? These are all different names for the same concept of a tone that will play to your caller, when they call you, as they are waiting for you to pickup. Whether you've heard about it already or not, it is one of the fastest growing markets for cellphone services in the US today. In order to add ringbacks to your cellphone, you must signup for and pay monthly for a ringback tone service from your provider - typically either $1.49 or $1.99, depending on who your carrier is. Once you've enabled the service, you login to your carriers site and choose to download ringback tones that you want available in your account. You will be charged for each ringback, and it will be available in your account for a set time period. Songs are generally $.99 to a few bucks, and will expire anywhere from 30 days to a year. Changing the song that your callers hear before they talk to you is a fabulous way to set your cellphone personality.

Cellphone Cases

One of my favorite ways to customize my cellphone is by getting a nice case for it, or even a few cases. This is possibly one of the first ways that you could add some individuality to your cellphone. The best part about personalizing with a case, or faceplate, or cellphone skin, is the added bonus of protecting your cellphone. Not only do cases add some style to your handset, they often cushion your cellphone if it falls, and prevents the case and screen from getting scratched up and dinged from other things in your bag or pocket.  

The very best ideas for adding some fun and style to your mobile gadgets are often some of the simplest ideas as well. My top three tips for customizing your cellphone aren't revolutionary, but they are super quick, easy and cheap.  They are not complicated so anyone can use these techniques to add some personality to their cellphone. The next time you go out, look around at how little people pay attention to their cellphone as compared to their other accesories. You'll be glad you put some effort into customizing your cellphone and making it into a fashion accessory with style to spare.