Customising your mobile phone

There are a lot of different models of mobile phone to choose between, but there are also a lot of other people using every model of phone.

Why?

Some people like to make their mobile phone a little different, and sometimes this can add significantly to its usefulness. For example, a different case helps you avoid picking up the wrong phone. A different ring tone tells you that it is your phone that is ringing. You may want to make your phone suit your needs more exactly, or to make a statement with the style of phone and ringtone you have.

What?

You can make your phone look different, by fitting different styles or colours of case or fascia. You can choose a different ring tone, install a special one, or even create one of your own. Some people, like to show customs graphics on the phone's display. Others choose flashing antennas. Some even go to the trouble of fitting different LEDs inside the phone so that it lights up in a different colour.

How?

This section is focussed on the technicalities of doing these things. For more general information about customising individual models of popular mobile phone, see the Customise page of the Buyers guide section.

Custom cases

You can buy protective covers for your mobile phone (see the Accessories page of the Buyers guide section), but that's not the sort of custom case we're talking about here. Some models of mobile phone have removable covers for fashion-conscious users. These have the advantage of making it easy to renew the appearance of a scuffed and generally tatty phone. See the MobileShop.com web site for details of accessories available for your mobile.

Other models can only be changed by removing the shell of the handset and fitting another. This is not warranty-friendly, and you'll need a Torx size 6 screwdriver, possibly from your local tool shop, or from somewhere like Maplin Electronics. Be aware that the case of a mobile phone often has a part to play in its operation: some models have metallic coatings inside them to improve RF performance. Others have internal antennas, and a metallic case will seriously degrade the RF performance.

Ring tones

Ring tones are usually selectable from a range of noises built into the handset, but some models can use ring tones you receive by SMS message, some can create or edit them using a PC and special software (for example LogoManager, described below) and with others you can enter them in using the phone's keypad. They are all entered in a sort of midi-like format, but to send them by SMS you need to use a SMS Centre that supports 8-bit headers and has the correct message type settings in place. There are web sites which will send you customised ring tones by SMS, but the charges seem rather high, normally paid for by dialling a premium rate telephone number.

Graphics

There are three main types of graphics: startup logos, which show on the phone when it is first switched on; operator logos, which are shown when there is no call in progress; and caller group graphics, which show on the display when someone in that caller group is ringing. There are programs designed to create and modify these graphics, but for Nokia phones, the market leader is LogoManager. You can download it from http://www.logomanager.co.uk and it is only £10 to register. As well as allowing you to manipulate graphics, it can also enable Network Monitor (Engineering Mode), which is described in the Engineering Mode : Nokia page of the How it Works section.

Flashing antennas

Flashing antennas work by turning some of the transmitter power into light, generally running a very bright led or a low-powered laser. It is not difficult to realise that this can only reduce the performance of the phone, but some people don't mind, as long as the phone looks distinctive. There is also some concern that these antennas can cause interference to other equipment, and so may be illegal. Fitting a flashing antenna is simply a matter of removing the original, and replacing it with the flashing version.

< previous • site map • ^ up • MobileShop.com, mobile phones online • home • glossary • next >