A cellular phone ringtone is a sound file that is played by a cellular phone. The facility was originally provided so that people would be able to determine when their phone was ringing when in the company of other mobile phone owners.

Cellular phone ringtones are melodic sounds a cellular phone makes when an incoming call or message arrives. Since cellular phones are significantly more sophisticated than most landline phones, cellular phone ringtones can be personalized to suit the owner's personal taste. A variety of cellular phone ringtones has appealed to consumers, increasing handsets sell-ability.

Popularity of Cellular Phone Ringtones

Cellular phone ringtones, along with operator logos, have proven a popular method of personalizing phones newer phones include features to allow users to create their own cellular phone ringtones. Many people enjoy their personalization of the phones, but some find certain cellular phone ringtones annoying in public and in certain situations.

Many companies have set up businesses selling cellular phone ringtones, advertising them on television and web sites. One criticism of the industry is the subscription some companies lock customers into, requiring them to actively cancel their account or be charged for unwanted messages and cellular phone ringtones sent to them on a weekly basis.

The sale of cellular phone ringtones has also been a massive boost to the record industry, earning them extra revenues through royalties.

The newer phones equipped with Bluetooth or PC-link up however, allow users to transfer cellular phone ringtones created on a PC, to their phone, for free. The user could even record themselves or their own cellular phone ringtones and place them on the phone.

There are a number of reasons consumers use distinct cellular phone ringtones: Distinguish Callers - Advanced feature sets allow for different cellular phone ringtone sounds to signify different callers. Identification - When you are in a meeting and a phone rings you will know if its yours through your cellular phone ringtone Fun - Although some people find these cellular phone ringtones 'irritating', they have particular appeal among younger phone owners.

Cellular phone ringtone advertising campaigns have become hugely popular, though they have also attracted a great deal of criticism.

An alternative to a cellular phone ringtone is a vibrating alert. It is especially useful in noisy environments or in places where cellular phone ringtone noise would be disturbing to the hearing impaired

Types of Cellular Phone Ringtones

There are typically three different types of cellular phone ringtones: monophonic cellular phone ringtones, polyphonic cellular phone ringtones and music cellular phone ringtones.

Monophonic Cellular Phone Ringtones

Monophonic cellular phone ringtones are simple tunes, most commonly compatible with today's cell phones. The majority of cell phones can only make a single tone at a time. The monophonic cellular phone ringtone is comprised of a series of sequential tones at different frequencies.

Polyphonic Cellular Phone Ringtones

Polyphonic cellular phone ringtones are played on cellular phones that have the capability of playing up to 16 separate tones at once. The combination of cellular phone ringtones creates a harmonic melody. Polyphonic cellular phone ringtones are more musical than a monophonic cellular phone ringtone. Newer phones support polyphonic cellular phone ringtones.

Music Cellular Phone Ringtones

A new version of cellular phone ringtones, often called either music cellular phone ringtones, voice tones, realtones or true tones, now use actual pieces of music, along with all lyrics and the entire song backing music, including backing singers. They are usually contained in MP3, WMA,WAV, QCP, or AMR format that can be used as a cellular phone ringtone on many Series 60, Symbian or smartphones. Many cell phone manufacturers are including voice cellular phone ringtones on most of their newly released phones, including Motorola, Nokia and Sony Ericsson.

Finding Cellular Phone Ringtones & Cellular Phone Ringtone Compatibility

There are a number of websites that offer free cellular phone ringtones, graphics or even games to download onto your cell phone. The websites vary in that some allow you to purchase specific cellular phone ringtones while others offer subscriptions that allow you to download an unlimited number of cellular phone ringtones. When you locate a cellular phone ringtone be sure to first ensure that it will work with your cellular phone model and that the site is respectful of the artists copyright. Like any original work, artists receive royalties for cellular phone ringtones, be sure that the website has the permission to distribute the cellular phone ringtone.