A ringtone is, quite simply, the sound your phone makes in order to alert you of an incoming call. Back in the day, ringtones were humble, uninspired sounds: a bell, a buzz, a ring. Nowadays, ringtones are as varied as the people who use them.

There are three types of ringtones: monophonic, polyphonic and truetone. Monophonic ringtones are just a series of musical notes, played one at a time. Polyphonic ringtones consist of several musical notes played at once. In contrast, truetones are audio recordings – so they can accommodate just about any sound imaginable. The most common truetones are excerpts from songs, but they also consist of other types of recorded messages. Common truetone formats include MP3, WMA and AAC.

Purchasing ringtones and getting them onto your cellular phone is a relatively easy task. A number of web sites sell ringtones at around $2 to $3 a piece. If you crave a little more variety, some sites offer monthly subscriptions, allowing you to change your ringtone to suit your mood. Usually, the checkout process is as simple as providing your cell phone number, phone model and payment information. Just be wary of free ringtone offers, as you may unwittingly find yourself enrolled in a monthly service plan!

Ringtones are becoming increasingly popular, allowing people of all ages to express themselves through their choice in music. Some services, called ring tone makers, even let users create their own unique ringtones. Ringtones can also serve a practical purpose; for example, you can assign different ringtones to different phone numbers, or set up customized ringback tones to entertain your friends.

Bells and buzzers are so 1986. Bring your cell phone into the 21st century with a ringtone!