Despite a sceptical greeting and a slow acceptance in the 80s, mobile phones have had one of the biggest changes on society of any recent gadget. Initially mocked as a status symbol for yuppies and city traders, mass production swiftly moved them from flashy status symbol, to must have gadget, to everyday appliance.

As mobile phones became smaller, less expensive, and easier to use, more and more people began to buy them. Even as they became every day items, carried with us as an essential along with our car keys and wallet, the tiny computers inside them become more and more advanced.

These massive increases in computing power allowed the manufacturers and carriers to start offering customisation options, allowing users to modify their own phones with clip on covers, wallpaper pictures to display on screen - and creating ringtones.

Initially only basic funny ring tones were offered, using a limited range of sounds to play the sort of tacky tune you’d expect to hear as hold music. Quickly, carriers soon realised how profitable funny ring tones were, and so started to add more complex music hardware to their mobiles.

Mobile phones can now play complete CD quality music and sound effects, and be configured to play a specific song for a group of people, as well as when recieving a text message or other alert. The once heavy and limited status symbols have now evolved into desirable hand held computers, combining PDA and mobile music system.