Mods are changes (modifications) to your cell phone to personalize, make more useful or just set it apart from the rest of them. The simplest of mods are ring-tones and graphics and bling as well as skins, covers, snap on cases, that change the look and feel of the phone.

    For GSM phones (Rogers T-mobile, AT&T, etc. (Except Tracfones)) there are sim adapters, allowing you to use 2 numbers in your phone, altho its generally one at a time.

    Then theres mod packs or kits. As a rule these are firmware that changes how your phone works. See Firmware mods for more.


Bling:( rhinestones, fake or real.)

   The Dazzler of cell phone mods, not my thing, but I guess it adds interest or at least a gripping surface.  There seem to be 3 basic types of bling offered,  soft plastic, crystal and rhinestone. They come in self sticking kits for some phones, sheets, and in loose form, either self sticking or requiring glue. Theres a fair range of colors and a few shapes.

Flashers:

    Some phones have flashing lights, others do not. Kits for flashing keypads, antennas, battery's can be found for a number of phones, mostly older ones. For the most part these are easy to install and use, altho keypads may require a new housing.  On some phones like the Motorola Razr theres a firmware mod to allow flashing lights (and void any warranty.) These require a level of skill and can Brick (make useless, kill, screw up.) the phone if done wrong. I have seen offers for them from time to time. Often these are included in mod packs on websites, expect a dead phone if you don't know what your doing.

Snap on Cases.

     A snap on cover or case is a quick mod that gives your phone a new look with little risk. The downside is they may be a bit larger and stop the phone from fitting correctly in the case you use for protection. They offer some protection, but not as much as a good leather case.

Housings:

    A housing is part of the phone, typically a cover. They come in a rainbow of colors, and most are non standard, but close to the OEM fit. A new housing can dress an old phone up to look new, or cause you to toss it in the trash. It can be a fairly quick and easy job, or a very involved one. It all depends on how the phone is made, and the parts you are changing. Often enough you can get a simple housing kit and avoid the major risks, its best to ask questions about how easy that simple install really is. One thing I have noted is that its best to use the buttons that come with the phone, not those with the new housing, they feel has always been better when I did it that way.

Skins:

    Skins are stickers. They offer little protection from drops, and help with scratching, and give the phone a dressed up look. Most can be taken off and used again.
   
Ring tones and graphics.

    There are a number of people selling these, you may get them with the software or cable needed to transfer them. You can make or find your own. Not all phones support transfer of files through cable or bluetooth, most will accept a picture message and can use it as wallpaper.

Firmware mods:

Firmware is the Phones OS (Operating System), upgrading or changing it can do some very interesting things to the way your phone works, or turn it into a nice paperweight.

    Not every phone can be firmware moded, and if you do not take care doing it its a great way to brick a phone. Phones can be de-branded (Removing the limits, and logos of a company for example Cingular or Verizon. ) Features enabled, themes added. The entire look and feel of the phones software can be changed, you could give your T-Mobile Wing the look of an Iphone, or add Edge to your V3T.

   A number of people on eBay offer mods for different phone types, some will have you send the phone in, others sell you a kit. Ease of use and skills needed will very.

    As an example: I picked up a damaged Motorola V3 Dragon Tattoo phone and repaired it, then added
a mod pack that updated the software and gave it a dragon theme. I changed the theme around to what I liked, added new sounds and graphics.   Nobody will ever confuse this phone with theirs, it roars when someone calls, the lights flash, people notice it. Yeah I was that bored.

    Firmware can also be used to change the phone from one service to another, Say from Verizon to Sprint. T-Mobile to AT&T, make that Trackfone useful on other carriers, but as I say there are risks involved, flashing can fail, and should be dome by someone with the skills and tools.