Ring Tone Nation
By Connie Yan

The only thing more annoying than listening to someone gabbing on their cell phone is having to listen to their ring tone.


Along with the growing popularity of cell phones came the emergence of accessories, graphics and ring tones. A few years ago cell phones came equipped with a basic phone ring and if you were lucky the "Star Spangled Banner." Today, ring tones have become a multi-million dollar industry that has taken off among college students with an extra $3.


Cingular.com offers Johnny Cash, Nelly, the UConn Huskies fight song, Green Day and Howie Day to name a few. The tones vary with each phone, and average $3 each.


With the average cell phone service averaging $35 a month, a few extra dollars in a college student's budget may not be possible. Sam Pendergraph, a 4th-semester chemical engineering major, has the basic ring on his phone and thinks "it's silly to pay for them."


Although many students feel ring tones are too costly, some feel they are a "good way to express yourself," said Megan Stone, a 4th-semester individualized major.


Erin Andersen, a 4th-semester coaching administration major, said she tried illegitimately downloading Howie Day ring tones off the internet, to save money.


"In the end, I realized it's just a lot easier to pay for them," she said.


Jamster and dirty hippo are a few of the companies that have made an industry out of those willing to pay money for graphics, screen savers and ring tones over the internet.


Jamster is perhaps the most obnoxious of the companies. Its ads can be found anywhere from AIM pop-ups to commercials on TV.


"I'm so sick of ring tone commercials on TV," said Valerie Voorhees, a 6th-semester exercise science major.


Cell phone carriers such as Verizon and Cingular also sell ring tones and wallpapers to their customers.


Although there is a large variety of places one can buy ring tones from, Justin Clark, a 4th-semester political science major prefers Verizon.