Ringtones

So now you’ve selected your service provider. You’ve chosen your handset. Your next most important decision is your ringtone. Gone are the days when every cell phone had the same boring, chirpy ringtone. These days ring tones come in as many varieties as people do. An infinite number of funny noises or sounds can serve as your ring tone. Every phone has some ring tones built in, and you may want to choose one of those if you’re not terribly ambitious or not interested in customizing your ringtone. If you are, however, you have a number of fine options at your disposal with most phones.

By now, most cell phones are polyphonic—this basically means they can play at least four different notes at the same time; in other words, they can play cords. Some have full stereo sound, and even replace your MP3 player as a music player. These days most cell phone network providers permit you do download ringtones directly onto your phone from their network. You can also download ringtones from the internet and use your computer to put them on your mobile phone. You can even convert your own music collection to ringtones—often, you don’t have to do anything more than load an MP3 onto your phone. Be careful, though, and choose something you won’t get sick of hearing over and over and over.

The people who care the most about ringtones are kids and teenagers who have cell phones. If you have kids, and they don’t have cell phones yet, they’ve probably asked for one. Once they reach their teenage years, they’ll spend the majority of their free time yakking on the phone. Possibly, it has occurred to you that this is less than ideal. However, giving your kids cell phones has its upside also. For example, your kids will be able to call you in an emergency, no matter where they are. And if they know you’re going to call them, you’ve removed a plethora of excuses as to why they were late to answer the phone.

Today, even inexpensive cell phones are actually a lot more powerful computers than that desktop machine you had in 1990. Most users don’t tap the full power of ordinary cell phones, let alone a smartphone. Nonetheless, there are many programs and services available should you choose to use them. Among the most useful is the calendar/day planner. Many phones allow you to access your email, provided the network coverage includes it. If you have kids with cell phones, they’ll probably install games on their cell phones.

When it comes to choosing a mobile network, bear in mind that cell phone situation in North America is different than in most of the rest of the world. You can move your phone number from one provider to the next quite easily. However, chances are you won’t be able to take your phone along with you when you switch. The mobile network sells most phones to you when you sign up for service. The reason for the incompatibility is simple—mobile network providers want to keep making money from you.