Cell phones have changed the world. A person can remain in touch with people around the globe thanks to cell phone technology. Even though cell phone technology is just a few years old, cell phones have penetrated all corners of the world.

Cell phones are now available in thousands of models. Cell phone battery is one of the most important cell phone accessories. The cell phone battery life is one of the key factors users look at when purchasing a new cell phone.

A battery consists of a cathode, an anode and an electrolyte. The cathode is a metal oxide strip, the anode a metal strip that has a tendency to oxidize, and the electrolyte a conducting medium in which the anode and cathode are kept. When the anode and cathode are connected, the anode draws oxygen atoms thus generating electricity. Various types of batteries are available like alkaline batteries, lead acid batteries, lithium/manganese dioxide batteries, nickel metal hydride batteries (NiMH), Nickel cadmium (NiCd) batteries, lithium ion batteries etc. For cell phones lithium ion (Li-Ion) batteries are predominantly used.

Lithium ion cell phone batteries are rechargeable batteries. They are much lighter than other batteries because they carry extremely high-density charges and are easier to store than NiMH batteries. They do not suffer from memory effect. Sony Corporation first introduced lithium ion batteries in 1991.

Memory effect is a strange phenomenon - if a battery (usually nickel batteries) is repeatedly charged at partial discharge, the battery “forgets” that it has the capacity to discharge fully. Gradually the battery loses all capacity to fully recharge and has to be discarded. Li-Ion batteries also have a low self-discharge rate of approximately 5% compared to other batteries that are generally around 20-30%. However if mistreated Li-Ion batteries can be dangerous and have very short lives.

Some guidelines that can increase cell phone battery life are:
* Never discharge Li-Ion battery fully, recharge it at 40% capacity.
* Never store batteries above 60 degree Celsius.
* Do not keep batteries in moist places.
* Do not dispose off batteries in fire. They may catch fire or explode.
* Store in a cool places, this will increase their life considerably.

One of the disadvantages of Li-Ion cell phone batteries is that they have a fixed shelf life of approximately 5 years. The capacity of the battery reduces about 20% every year. Hence it is a good idea to check the manufacture date on cell phone batteries before purchasing. Generally in cell phones, the batteries cannot be interchanged and cell phone batteries are model specific.

It’s no secret that mobile phones can do more and more things besides making phone calls and playing those cutesy but increasingly annoying ring tones.

New and rapidly expanding cellular communications technology, combined with design advances, have turned some mobile phones into mini-computers capable of pretty amazing feats.
As a shopping guide, or to help you use what you may already have, here’s my list of 10 cool things you can do on your cell phone:

1 ID that song: Ever been driving around and heard a song on the radio and wonder who it’s by and what its title is? Cingular, Verizon Wireless and other providers have special song ID features. You dial a code number, hold the phone to the speaker for a few seconds and within moments you’ll see the artist, title and album appear.

2 Have your phone wake you with music: Forget buzzes and beeps. With the new Chocolate phone by LG, you can set your music as an alarm. The Chocolate also features a customizable audio equalizer, so when you’re listening to rock music you can set a rock audio effect.

3 Text message a landline phone: Several companies now offer text to landline messaging. From your cell phone, you can send a text message to any landline phone just as you are used to doing with mobile. Some companies charge the sender 25 cents per message but this is a very cool feature. Your text message is converted into a recorded voice message that is played back for the recipient, who can reply to your cell from the landline.

4 Scan in a business card: On certain phone models like the LG VX9800, you can take a picture of a business card and have the contents transferred to your phone’s address book.

5 Have your text messages read back to you: Several wireless phones have a text-to-speech feature that will read text messages to you. There is also a $28 application called Vemail Voice Email 2.0 (http://www.nch.com.au/vemail/index.html) that enables you to read e-mail and easily reply by speaking.

6 Hear turn-by-turn directions: Verizon Wireless offers something called VZ Navigator that turns your cell phone into a navigation assistant. Lots of providers have add-on devices that do this but this is all self-contained on eight of Verizon’s most popular phones. Type in an address and it gives you audible instructions on how to get there. It also has a database that helps find ATMs, gas stations, restaurants, grocery stores, banks and more. It costs $9.95 a month or $2.99 if you only need it for a day.

7 Print pictures: As cameras in cell phones get better and better, this feature really helps. Some phones like the Samsung SCH-a990 let you print photos directly from your phone to a Bluetooth-enabled printer.

8 Watch a movie: This may be the coolest trick of them all. Using a $27.95 application called DVD to Pocket PC (http://www.makayama.com/dvdtopocketpc.html) you can copy full-length movies from a DVD onto a memory card on your phone. The quality is really quite good. A 1GB memory card can hold a dozen or so movies.

9 Multitask during meetings: Both the new Palm Treo 700w and 700p smartphones have a nifty feature that lets you ignore a call and quickly compose a text message such as “Busy in a meeting” or “Can’t talk right now” by selecting the “Ignore with text” option from the incoming call screen.

10 Don’t be in the dark: Use your cell phone as a flashlight. Turn on the screen to give you enough illumination to put your key in a lock. Some phones like the Audiovox CDM 8940 have a camera flash that can be turned on as a steady light for 10, 15 or 30 seconds.

When the first cell phones rolled into the market in the 1990’s, nobody ever expected that those clunky black boxes with their electronic shrills would develop into sleek, powerful machines that could (aside from sending and receiving calls) take a picture, make a video, and sing.

Yes, sing. Today’s ringtones have the audio quality equal to the sounds we hear in real life. Say goodbye to the monophonic ringtones and its R2D2-like beeps and whistles. And even the polyphonic ringtones sound too sharp for our tastes, more like a music box than, well, music. Now, the standard for ringtones is real tones—as melodic and realistic as the songs on the radio (or the sounds of the farm, depending on which real tone you want).

Real tones are also called true tones, voice tones and name tones. But, to borrow a phrase from Shakespeare, “A tone by any other name would sound as sweet.” The popularity of real tones has reached a point that it’s actually formed a large chunk of the profits of the cell phone industry.

While there are many sites that provide real tones for free (preferring to get their earnings from clicks, ads or links) many mobile phone users actually don’t mind paying good money for a song that they like.

Just look at the industry reports. A staggering 60% of the total revenues from the mobile phone ringtone industry are from real tones. They are clearly outselling monophonic ringtones and polyphonic ringtones, which only from 33% of the revenues combined. The remaining seven percent of the total revenues were generated from the download of callback tones.

That means over half of the millions of cell phone users are “keeping it real”. People are addicted to real tones, and will continue downloading tones even if their phones already packed with a list of songs that would make a DJ proud. In fact, even if cell phones are already programmed with its own generic set of ringtones, most prefer to replace them with real tones that they love. It’s part of the whole appeal of being able to personalize your phone.

There are hundreds of thousands of real tones available on the web. The most popular are from the songs of pop artists like Gwen Stefani, Destiny’s Child. Of course, it all depends on who’s leading the pop charts. Gwen Stefani’s Hollaback Girl, Cater 2 U by Destiny’s Child, and We Belong Together by Mariah Carey were all big hits in 2005, so it’s not surprising that people want to play them on their phones.

Next to pop, the most popular real tones are from Rap, Hip Hop and Punk.All in all, about 76% of real tone revenues are from actual songs. Studies show that there’s a relationship between the songs that are downloaded for iPods and the songs downloaded for real tones. Generally, a music fan will want to have both on his gadgets—one to listen to, and an excerpt to play on the phone.

However, there are other types of real tones as well. Around 11% of the revenues in real tones were actually voice tones: celebrities saying hi, excerpts from movies.

So you’ve got a new phone, and now you’re ready to load it with a couple of ringtones that will truly make it yours. So you head for the web, where you know you’ll find millions of options. Maybe, you think, you’ll get a few Beatles songs, a classical waltz, Taylor Hicks’ latest single, and a quirky Star Wars message alert. Yeah, you think, this will be great—and, you hope, relatively straightforward.

So you run a Google search, and find yourself…overwhelmed. The options are so many, they’re actually confusing. Not only can you choose from several categories, but there seem to be various “ringtone variants” that apparently don’t work for all models. It can be both exciting and frustrating. Even if you pick a ringtone, how can you be sure that it’s in the appropriate format for your phone?

Like all growing technologies, ringtones have created their own terminologies. While downloading a ringtone is still very straightforward, you do need to know your way through the jargon. Otherwise, you’ll waste your time extracting a file that’s incompatible with your phone, and get your hopes up for nothing.

So here’s the Newbie’s Guide to Ringtones. You have several formats: monophonic, polyphonic, mp3, mastertones, megatones, and real sounds.

Monophonic ringtones, as the name implies, just places one (mono) note at a time. The music can sound a little flat and tinny, like a kid picking out a tune on a piano. Polyphonic ringtones play several notes simultaneously. The sound is richer, and more pleasing to the ear. There are two types of polyphonic ringtones: 16 tone and 40 tone. You have to check your cell phone model which type of polyphonic ringtone it can support.

Mp3 ringtones use actual excerpts from the song, and thus have some copyright issues. Not all phones support Mp3 formats, so you have to check your phone handbook. You will also need special software, which you can either download from the Internet. Some phones will also be bundled with a CD containing the needed program.

Mastertones are also called ringtone masters, true tones, real tones, music tones, real ringtones or musitones. They all mean one thing: excerpts from studio recordings.

Real sound ringtones use actual songs from everyday life. They’re not considered “music” but are nevertheless very popular especially among those who want something a little quirkier than the latest pop ballad. According to research done by Business Week magazine, jarring sounds like police sirens and cars rolling around the race track, and bodily functions like burping or farting, are some of the most frequently downloaded ringtones in the market.

Animal ringtones are actually a sub category of real sound ringtones, but because of their variety, deserve special mention. These include a male gorilla beating his chest, or even bird calls. Some organizations donate a percentage of the revenue from animal ringtones to Fauna and Flora International, a wildlife protection group.

A kitten licking the window of your phone. A dancing hula girl waves “hello” each time you make a call. Animated screensavers can make a big difference in personalizing a phone—turning the dull greenish background of your mini-monitor into a tiny stage where favorite figures can “perform”.

Unfortunately, wanting a screen saver and actually figuring out how to download one are two different things. Some mobile phone users complain that the hours they spent looking for the perfect animated screen saver were pretty much wasted when they couldn’t get the file to work on their phone. What’s the deal?

The first thing you need to do is to check your WAP settings. Your phone has to configured to receive rmation from the mobile internet. Usually you’ll find the instructions in your phone’s User Manual, or you can go to the website of your cell phone manufacturer and find their directions there. If all else fails, find the resident geek in your office or house and have him do it for you.

Now that you’re WAP ready, go to the website (there are hundreds, even thousands, to choose from) that offers animated screen savers. Select the one you want to download. Depending on the website, you’ll be told to input the model of your phone, your number—well, you know the drill. Just do what they tell you, but read the fine print as well, like privacy agreements and whether or not the song you like is actually in a format that’s compatible with your phone unit.

Then, press download. Some websites, alternatively, will tell you to send an SMS containing the item code to the number displayed for your mobile operator. You’ll receive confirmation that the transaction has been completed. Wait for your phone to beep. You’ll get the display “ Service Settings Received”. Retrieve it, and then download. The item is on your phone now. (To know where to look for it, consult your User Manual or the rmation on your provider’s website).

What if the wallpaper doesn’t work? Be sure that it’s in the right format. Static wallpapers are usually jpeg files, 176×220, and 72dpi (dots per inch). Animated screensavers have to be an animated gif. You can save these on your computer, relocate them onto your transflash card (accessing your pictures folder). Reinsert your card back and go to the folder. Then switch storage device, and apply as wallpaper.

Screensavers will be activated if you leave your phone open for an amount of time. Check your phone to change how many minutes (typical time is 1 to 2) before it kicks in.

Now many people get confused by the difference between a wallpaper and a theme. A wallpaper or animated screensaver is just the image that appears on the front screen when your phone is on but not in use. It does not affect your phone’s fonts, colors, or all the other visuals on your phone (such as main menu or My Favorites). Themes, however, are a full package of related visuals. Download a theme, and you will get not only a wallpaper but a fully coordinated set of pictures and visual settings.

If you’re a couch potato that needs your sitcom fix every day, then why not download a TV-themed ringtone?

There are thousands of ringtone sites that take their cue from the most popular shows on television. Do a google search on “OC ringtone” and you’ll get hundreds—not just the theme songs, mind you, but callbacks—and in all the possible ringtone formats as well. Polyphonics, MP3’s, you name it. Try “Grey’s Anatomy” and you’ll get similar results, as well as old favorites like “Golden Girls”, “X Files”, and even “The Brady Bunch”.

What does this say? That ringtones have become as deeply-ingrained in our pop culture as the television medium itself. You don’t get that many websites without a market that’s eager to download that kind of service, even when it’s not free (although many do give some tones away, relying on ads to generate website income). If you’ve got the term “Coach Potato”, in a few years they’ll have to think of a monicker for a Ringtone Collector—people who not only download several ringtones, but regularly change them. In fact, some of them take advantage of their cell phone’s ability to customize ringtones per caller. Yes, you can assign the “X-Files” theme to your crazy boss (you’ve always thought there was something decidedly surreal about him), and be singing Friends’ chorus “I’ll be there for you…” whenever your pal makes a call.

In fact, ringtones have become some measure of a show’s fan appeal. Take the show American Idol, one of the biggest shows on the air today. Hicks’ “Do I Make You Proud” was one of the highest-downloaded ringtones for a while, proving that yes, this man’s got the fans tapping their feet to his music (even when they’re just answering a call). Put your phone and vibrate function and you’ve got his whole “dance moves” as well. Too bad Project Runway doesn’t have any songs you can translate into a ringtone—alas, some shows just weren’t meant to be cellphone-friendly.

In terms of pop culture, “X-files” remains to be one of the most popular, years after it aired its last episode. That’s got to be a sign of the show’s effect on pop culture, and how years from now, our generation will be talking wistfully about Mulder and Scully the way our parents reminisced over “I Love Lucy”.

Not that the old shows have been left out. Granted, “The Brady Bunch” took their last bow years before the cell phone was invented, but you can still download the ringtones of the show’s theme. You’ll also find “Cheers”, “Friends”, “Mash”, talkbacks from “Seinfeld” and “Frasier”, and even “Love Boat” and “Hawaii Five-O”. Daytime soaps also make the cut: “General Hospital”, anyone?

This points to one thing: ringtones are no longer just ways to add personality to our phone. In a way, they’ve become a way of documenting (pun intended) “the sounds of our times”—what we watch, what we love, and the TV characters we’ve most identified with.

Feeling patriotic? Download your country’s National Anthem into your phone and announce your pride every time somebody calls.

There’s a growing trend towards ethnic pride, triggered somewhat by the fact that the world has become one big global village. Everything is starting to look homogenous—cities start to look the same, and it’s not unusual to find a mini-United Nations crowded into a subway. It’s all great to be part of one big world, but at some point, people start looking for their roots.

The trend can be seen in the popularity of cultural awareness clubs and classes in universities, as second-generation immigrants actively search for their sense of history. Others are taking tours of their “homeland”, visiting ancestors’ home towns and retracing family trees. Even the scrapbooking craze, the biggest hobby to sweep across Northern America, is a reflection of people’s desire to capture and preserve something unique about their history.

National anthem ringtones is part of this worldwide trend towards going back to one’s roots. It is a way of saying, “This is who I am. This is where I’m from. This is what I stand for, and what I believe in.” For those whose countries are torn by civil war or political conflict, it is a way of reaffirming their hope that the values that their people stand for will somehow survive the war that is ravaging their land. Others like playing it when country pride is at its peak—during world sports events like the Olympics or World Cup.

While national anthem ringtones may not have the foot-tapping, booty-swayin’ effect of the latest R&B hits, they do have their own unique and special effect on all who hear it. Those who recognize it—perhaps being from that country themselves—will smile. Those who don’t will probably be prompted to ask what it is. Then it becomes an opportunity to share your pride, and talk about your country. Then it becomes a bridge towards understanding and respect, as well as a healthy curiosity for cultures outside of their own—and isn’t that what a global village is really about?

Most of the national anthems have already been converted into ring tones. Some are available in polyphonic form, others are already available as true tones. While it’s not the same as actually hearing it played on your own soil, it is a way of bringing a bit of your country with you every where you go.

R&B ringtones continue to be some of the most popular and most downloaded ring tones in the market. They consistently top the ringtone charts and message boards are often clogged with requests for R&B songs. What is the cause of R&B’s appeal?

Short for rhythm and blues, the term was first used by Billboard magazine’s Jerry Wexler to describe the unique sound performed by African American artists of that time. This combination of jazz, gospel and blues was characterized by a catchy back beat. Today, the term has also expanded to include soul and funk, and other songs that were inspired by African-American pop that replaced disco as the “sound” of the 80’s.

R&B typically has a background of guitar, bass, saxophone, drums or keyboard. It includes doo wop, which was a precursor to rock and roll, and hard bop. Jazz and R&B are so closely intertwined that many artists did both, swinging between the two genres.

The first well known R&B artists were Jay McShann’s, Tiny Bradshaw’s, Johnny Otis, Count Basie and. Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson (he was the best example of one-man fusion, who was both a skilled bebop saxophonist and blues shouter). R&B later developed regional variations, such as the New Orleans sound. Great artists included Great Fats Domino, Clarence “Frogman” Henry, Frankie Ford, Irma Thomas, The Neville Brothers, and Dr. John.

But it was in the 80’s, with James Brown’s soul music and the psychedelic innovations of Sly & the Family Stone that R&B began to develop its “modern” sound and fully infiltrated mainstream music.

R&B is sometimes called urban contemporary or urban pop. It’s known by its sophisticated electronic productions, with cathy drum beat and very smooth vocals. Luther Vandross, Prince, Michael Jackson made R&B very popular, along with female singers like Whitney Houston and Janet Jackson. Tina Turner made a comeback, while New Kids on the Block and The Backstreet Boys sent millions of girls screaming. Keith Sweat, BellBivdeVoe and Boyz II Men all brought their own innovations, as well as R&B balladeers like Babyface and Brian McKnight.

In the 90’s R&B took an edgier tone with alternative rock, adult contemporary, and gangsta rap. Mary J. Blige. Blige. R. Kelly, Montell Jordan, Brandy, and Aaliyah introduced slang and attitude to the R&B scene, and their influence can be seen in the works of Jaheim, Ashanti, Amerie, and Keyshia Cole. Lauryn Hill, and Maxwell hve also tried to combine R&B with other genres.

With so many R&B songs, in distinct styles and with their own particular appeal, it’s not surprising that R&B is so popular. There is R&B ringtone for everyone. Ring it on!

Silent ringtones seem to be self contradictory. Why would you want to keep your ringtone silent? After all, the whole point of ringtones is to have an original, interesting and fun music excerpt that personalizes your phone. By turning it off, or making it otherwise inaudible to other people, you might as well not have downloaded one at all, right? There’s no sound to show off, no song that will make you smile or get your foot tappin’ to the music each time someone makes a call.

But there is a real purpose served by silent ringtones. As anyone will tell you, phone etiquette demands that people turn off their phones during certain occasions because the music will be distracting. For example, most schools nowadays ban the use of mobile phones in classrooms.

It should be remembered that there is no such thing as a silent ringtone. If a ringtone makes no noise then you would not be able to hear it. A silent ringtone emits a high frequency sound that most people over the age of 25 can’t hear so a pupil in a classroom can be confident that even if their phone rings while they are in class the chances are although they can hear it ringing the teacher will not be able to. Hence the term “silent ringtone”.

So that is the purpose of silent ringtones. While it may not suit the typical belief that you should announce your personality in a fun and loud ringtone, it does prove useful in certain situations.