There are still plenty of phones with monophonic ring tones. But the trend is swinging toward phones with advanced ring tones. One of my coworkers, for example, has a phone that plays a popular song, and it sounds almost exactly like the original. That's because his phone supports polyphonic ring tones --ring tones that emulate multiple instruments, even drums, at the same time.

If your phone supports polyphonic ring tones, why not try your hand at creating your own? I've found two programs that will do just that. They're both skyrocketing up our download charts.

Mobile Music Polyphonic lets you convert popular sound formats--even MP3s--into ring tones for your phone. You'll need to read the help file carefully for this one, though, because the interface is not as easy as it is pretty. (Shareware/Windows) http://downloads-zdnet.com.com/3000-2170-10294231.html

Polyphonic Ringtone Wizard lets you create and send new polyphonic ring tones to almost any mobile phone. In addition, you can use this app to add games, pictures, and other programs to your phone easily. (Shareware/Windows) http://downloads-zdnet.com.com/3000-2169-10294812.html