How to Customize Your Cell Phone

All of these items are now used by many people to set their cell phones apart.

Skins are exactly what the name suggests: thin coverings for your phone that can protect against scratches. Cell phone skins are usually made of vinyl and sometimes feature a design of the consumer's choice.

You can purchase a skin with virtually any design you want. In stores, selections may be limited, but some online retailers offer a service that allows consumers to upload their own photos or digital files for a skin design, making the options almost endless.

Skins are available for most cell phone brands and models, but they do vary in cost. An average price for a cell phone skin is between $10 and $15.

Some cell phone users have taken skins to the next level. A shop in New York City covers cell phones with thousands of tiny Swarovski crystals to create devices that sparkle. Of course, the cost for a crystallized skin is significantly higher: a few hundred dollars to cover the entire phone.

Face plates are another popular way to customize cell phones, but many newer cell phone designs are not designed with much face area besides the screen. For these phones, it will be harder to find customized face plates.

Most cell phone stores and kiosks carry face plates for popular phone brands and models. Face plates can cost as little as $5 for a solid color. Online stores typically carry a greater variety of face plates in almost every color imaginable and with various designs.

Customized ringtones have become one of the most popular ways to individualize a cell phone. Cell phone technology has really progressed in this area. When cell phones were first introduced on the consumer level, ringtones were simple monophonic tunes. In this style, every note had the same tone.

Later in the 2000s, ringtones in the polyphonic style emerged. These tunes feature short clips with notes of different tones. For example, some notes in the same ringtone may sound like bells and others like flutes. Most phones available today have a minimum technical capacity to play polyphonic ringtones.

Polyphonic ringtones can be obtained several ways. Most service providers sell ringtones that you can select online and then send to your phone. If your cell phone can be used to access the Internet, you might be able to purchase the ringtones online and then download then to your phone. These ringtones usually cost $2 each.

Polyphonic ringtones can also be purchased from independent Web sites. Some of these sites offer monthly subscriptions, during which users can download as many ringtones as they like. Prices for these services vary. Users should beware of sites that offer free cell phone ringtones. This can be a ploy to gather your personal information. However, some sites do offer one free ringtone with your paid subscription to their ringtone service.

Many phones also now have the ability to use MP3 sound clips as ringtones. This way, the ringtone is not an instrumental rendition of a given song but the actual song itself.

MP3 ringtones can be purchased in the same ways as polyphonic ringtones, but they usually cost a bit more. One caveat: Not all phones can play MP3 ringtones. Be sure your phone is a compatible before purchasing one of these ringtones.

Customized wallpaper is another way people customize their cell phones. Wallpaper is the image displayed behind the date and time on the cell phone screen. Wallpaper can be purchased in the same ways as ringtones: through service providers or independent Web sites.

Most devices with camera phones allow users to import their photos as wallpaper, which is a free and fun alternative to consider.

Cell phone charms are little novelty figures that hang from a string near the antenna of a cell phone, much like a small key chain. Charms are quickly becoming popular items and are available at cell phone retailers, kiosks and even tourist locations.

Cell phone charms usually cost $10 or more. Charms are an effective way for cell phone users to express themselves even when their phone is not ringing.

 

If you're on a budget, you can make your own cell phone charms by using beads and fishing line. Just be sure to tie a very secure knot when you attach your charm to your phone.