There are many ways to personalize a cell phone, such as using unique themes, shells and ringtones. Ringtones have become very popular because people want to hear their favorite tunes every time their handsets ring. They also want to express themselves through music. Teenagers are particularly fond of ringtones because they want to differentiate themselves from their peers. Users may also use their favorite ringtones for the alarm and alert functions of their handsets.

There are three basic types of ringtones that are offered:

Monophonic ringtones: This type of ringtone is capable of playing only one sound at a time, which is why it was first used in previous generations of mobile phones.

Polyphonic ringtones: Polyphonic ringtones are capable of playing up to 40 notes at a time and sound similar to the actual songs they are mimicking.

Full music ringtones: Far more advanced than the monophonic or polyphonic ringtones. These are actual songs that are compressed in a format that can be played on mobile phones. Full music ringtones include vocals and all musical accompaniments.

Downloading new ringtones is fun, but there are hazards that mobile phone users should avoid. Many sites offer free cell phone ringtones to encourage customers to patronize their products. Some websites earn money by displaying ads to users who want free ringtone for your cell phone. Unfortunately, there are also dishonest sites that offer free cell phone ringtones obtain personal information from users or scam them into paying for their products.

The adage, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” can be applied to many websites that claim to offer free ringtone for your cell phone. Some of these websites, in fact, charge a monthly fee of $5 to $10 per month to customers who are initially lead to believe that the ringtones are free.

Downloading free cell phone ringtones from deceitful websites can also be dangerous. Customers sometimes discover that bugs, viruses, and spyware have accompanied their free ringtone downloads. There are also web sites that operate free ringtones scams that mislead people into giving up their credit card information. Some of these websites even have the ability to add charges to a customer's monthly service bill.

Free Cell Phone Ringtones Resources

There are, fortunately, reputable sites that have become popular with users who would like free ringtones.

Mobile9.com

This mobile phone portal offers free polyphonic and MP3 ringtones, themes, wall papers, and screen savers. Mobile9.com also publishes news on the mobile phone industry, a cell phone blog and mobile device database. Registration is not required to receive free ringtones and other mobile content from this site.

Mobiles24.com

This site allows subscribers to create, share and download free polyphonic and MP3 ringtones. Mobiles24.com also offers free themes, games, wall papers and transfers them via WAP or PC. Users can also get useful information from this site's mobile phone reviews and forum. Registration is required to download free ringtones and other mobile content from this site.

Zedge.net

This mobile phone site offers a wide selection of mobile phone content downloads. Users can choose from a catalog of 1.5 million free ringtones, videos, games, themes and other free mobile phone goodies. Zedge.net also allows subscribers to make their own mp3 ringtones, voicetones, backgrounds and themes and share them with the community. Registration is not required to download free ringtones and other mobile content from this site.

Ringaholic.com

This website is a portal for free mobile phone ringtones. Ringaholic.com is devoted to offering the latest and most popular ringtones. Users can find all genres of ringtones on this site form Bollywood tunes to the soundtracks of hit films. Registration is not required to download free ringtones and other mobile content from this site.

Myxer.com

This website has one of the largest sources of free mobile content. Myxer.com offers free ringtones, mobile games, wall papers and videos. This site also allows users to make their own mobile content. Users simply need to enter their phone number to send a ringtone to their handsets.

Coolfreeringtones.com

This website offers a large collection of monophonic and polyphonic free ringtone for your cell phone that can be downloaded to a PC or via WAP. Coolfreeringtones.com also has free screen savers and wallpapers. This site also allows users to make their own ringtones. Registration is not required to download free cell phone ringtones and other mobile content from this site.