Ringtone ads are all over the web. This is to be expected, given the fact that cellphones are everywhere these days too. With such a ubiquitous piece of technology, people need to personalize their mobile phone as best they can. And of course, having a big set of ring tones is a great way to do this.

Furthermore ring tones are not even the only way to personalize a cellphone. People can get wallpapers, or images that serve the purpose of background images for the display on their phone. With newer cellphones having faster processors, cellphone games have also become a popular addition to many cellphone models. So, cellphones are no longer just about making phonecalls. These devices are now often used as an expression of the style and personality of the person that owns the cellphone.

Many companies have jumped into the ringtone business hoping to profit from this desire for user creativity. Even the carriers themselves are now selling ringtones to their subscribers. The carriers and many other firms use a fairly standard business model for providing these ringtones - the user must pay a fee of between one and three dollars per ringtone in order to purchase and download the ringtone.

But some company ads suggest you can get free ringtones. The ads tell potential customers to enter a cellular phone number and they will be able to download a bunch of free ringtones. Is this the real story? Well, sometimes yes and sometime no.

Look carefully at the small print. In most case, by entering the phone number you are also agreeing to pay for a ringtone subscription plan at around ten dollars per month. This subscription plan provides you with some number of credits to spend every month on ringtones and wallpapers. By signing up, you do indeed get some number of extra credits for some extra ringtones. So in some sense these are free ringtones, but you only get the free ones by paying for a somewhat costly monthly service.

So what are the alternatives? There are a few companies that provide software systems that let you to create your own ringtones from your own set of CDs or MP3 files. A package like this will also let you use your own digital pictures to create custom wallpapers for your phone. If you are computer savvy and are willing to spend some time doing this, then this can be a good choice.

But if this too much of your time, there are other services that provide unlimited ringtone downloads for a flat fee. Usually these services are much cheaper than those services that deceptively advertise free ringtones. So it usually is a good idea to research ringtone deals fairly extensively before jumping in.

For an original version of this and other articles related to this topic, see <---****HYPERLINK****--->"http://www.plutoserver1.com/cs/spin/?c=communication">cellphone articles.