While cell phone commercials claim that people need the latest No. 1 hit blaring from their pencil-thin phones to be cool, many students prefer functionality rather than the ability to customize.

According to CTIA: the Wireless Association, 72 percent of the American population owns a cell phone. With that large a consumer base, it is no wonder the ring tone business is growing.

Michelle Gilbert, Verizon Wireless public relations manager, said via e-mail that the hottest trend in the business is downloading music. But following this trend comes at a cost.

Want to hear the latest release from the Pussycat Dolls every time someone calls? A single ring tone runs between $1–$2 if it is downloaded from AOL, one of many web sites that provides ring tones.

While the $2 price tag seems reasonable, wireless providers earned $500 million on ring tones alone last year, according to USA Today.

Tara Traycoff, Cingular spokesperson, said sales of ring tones have grown significantly in the past few years. But that increasing profit is not due to students like sophomore Jessica Mallory, who downloaded only one ring tone in the past year.

“You’ll like [the ring tone] for a couple of weeks, then you’ll get tired of it,” she said.

After becoming bored with a ring tone, a student will download another. And another. Eventually, it becomes a habit, spending too much money just to keep up with the newest songs, Mallory said.

Junior Patrick Blanford said he refuses to pay for ring tones. But he also does not take the trend lightly.

“I would record my own [ring tones] if they let me,” he said.

And cell phone savvy students will not just settle for a ring tone blaring the latest James Blunt tune. They want to make sure and entertain their callers, too.

Instead of old-fashioned rings people usually hear when they call their friends, ringback tones play songs while callers wait for an answer.

“According to industry measurement provider Telephia, ringback tones account for 11.5 percent of consumer spending on ring tones,” Gilbert said via e-mail.

Since ringback tones were released, the increase in sales has been almost 50 percent, she said.It does not seem like a too distant future in which all phones will feature music in lieu of traditional rings.

But for sophomore Allie Cox, there is only one criterion for a good cell phone.

“If it works, it’s fine,” she said.

Another aspect of customizing a cell phone is the phone itself. Cells fit neatly into the trend that requires students to personalize everything from shirts to shoes.

“Every wireless user has a unique style and many want their phones to make a statement for them,” Gilbert said.

An extreme example of the customization craze can be found at lci.webtron.net. A single snap-on faceplate completely covered in Swarovski crystals will cost a proud cell phone owner $139.95.

“There are a lot of ways you can customize your phone,” Traycoff said.

She has noticed most customers follow the trend of buying phones with a large variety of options, like Blackberries.

Although most students do not go to such lengths to personalize their cell phones, Mallory did admit she took into account whether or not her phone was cute.

Other students own attractive phones by accident. Blanford, who sports the ultra-sleek Razr, owns it for the sole reason that it came free with his plan.

“If it wasn’t free, I would have gotten something 20 bucks or cheaper,” Blanford said.

Freshman Rachel Neer’s phone also came with her plan.

“[The look] of the phone doesn’t bother me that much,” she said.

So while the rest of the nation spends money on pimping out phones with Jay-Z and 50 Cent, many students turn a blind eye to this customization trend.