A ringtone is the distinctive sound produced by a cell phone to signify an incoming message or phone call. Not really a
tonos de llamada like a musical ring, nor an actual tone at all, the word is now commonly used to describe user-generated sounds typically used on cell phones. In simpler terms, ringtones are just short musical sequences that are pre-loaded into a cellular phone when it is purchased. It takes the user, or Phone Carrier, a few seconds to insert the sequence in the phone memory and then the ringing of the phone can be heard. Sometimes there are more than one ringtone that can be used, one for regular calls and another for SMS (Subscriber Identity Module) messages.
There are many free ringtones that are available for downloading on the Internet. One of the most popular free ringtones, "Yahoo MySpace Music", allows a user to preview the song and even sing along. Other examples of free or nearly free ringtones include songs, nature sounds, and audio from popular TV shows. However, there are some ringtones that cost money. Some free ringtones are available for free with the agreement of the user and others are available without any charges.