Nearly every cell phone comes with the ability to change how it displays its menus, background graphics and sounds. These new sets of graphics and sounds are called "themes" or "skins," and can make the difference between a cell phone you dislike using and one you enjoy.
The Default Skin
Your cell phone will come with what's called the "default skin," which is the standard set of graphics and sounds. Typically, this will include the brand name of the phone or the cellular carrier, emblazoned upon the background of everything you do with your phone. Most people don't particularly enjoy such constant advertisement, so changing the background graphic (sometimes called the wallpaper) is a good reason to customize your skin.
Take note of what you like and dislike about your current skin, so you can choose which skin you'd like to use. Are the menus and displays in a color which contrasts well with the background? Is the wallpaper pleasant, or a distraction from making the phone useful? Does the screensaver provide you with useful information?
Before downloading new skins, try out the other skins which came with your phone. The menu option to do this is usually buried in a submenu under "Appearance" or "Settings." You may find that an alternative included skin is exactly what you want.
Purchasing New Skins
The easiest way to add new skins to your phone is to buy them from your carrier; typically, these are available in an in-phone online store, and cost only a few dollars. The advantages of using the carrier's store is that the download is provided over the air, and should automatically integrate with your existing list of skin options. The obvious disadvantage: purchased skins cost money, while free alternative skins are available for most phones over the Internet.
Downloading Third-Party Skins
The first step to downloading a free skin is knowing what model of phone you're using; most American cell phones are sold under a model name invented by the cellular provider, which may differ from the model name used by the manufacturer. Type the name of your phone into an Internet search engine; a mobile phone review site should tell you if your phone is rebranded, and what other phones are compatible.
A direct Internet search for "[your phone name] themes" will likely lead you to a site with available skins; alternately, try the excellent online discussions at Howard Forums for far more information on customizing your phone. Once you have found a provider site, download the themes you like, each of which will come in a single file. If you have a full Internet browser on your phone, you can try downloading these files directly; otherwise, download them onto your computer and use your synchronization software to move the files to your phone. The phone should recognize these new files and automatically list the new themes in your settings menu.
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