Mobile accessories

One word: accessorise. The beauty of mobile phones is that you can customise and adapt them with accessories that can be both useful and fun. Just be sure any accessories you buy are made for your specific handset.

Some phones allow you to swap covers, giving your handset a quick face lift. These typically cost between £10 and £20. Belt clips and leather cases protect your phone from scratches while adding a touch of style. Expect to pay anywhere between £5 and £20 for these products.

A hands free headset is essential when driving:

• actually using the handset is illegal and carries a £30 fixed penalty, which can rise to £1,000 if you’re taken to court
• a hands free set, as well as being safer, can increase your comfort level when you're speaking for long periods

With hands free you get a headset with a boom-style microphone that rests close to your mouth or an earbud-style unit that places the microphone either on the cord or above the earpiece itself. A variety of wireless Bluetooth headsets also are available.

From a voice-activated handset with a plug-in earpiece to fully installed, state of the art car kits that connect to your stereo speakers, the choice of how you talk on your journeys is up to you - just make sure you’re hands free if you’re planning on using your mobile when you’re driving. Find out more about mobile car kits.

Wallpapers, whether cartoon characters or thematic backgrounds, give your phone a distinctive look. Some phones even allow you to link pictures with your contacts to create a photographical caller ID.

If you have a camera phone you can set your own wallpaper from your very own photographs for that extra personal touch. Some network operators let you manage photos online, where you may also be able to upload images from your computer to the web, then download them to your mobile.

Having a distinctive ringtone can help separate your mobile from the crowd when you're receiving a call, whether it's the latest single from your favourite artist or a TV theme tune. You can also assign specific ring tones to different people in your phone book so that you know who's calling you without even having to look at the phone. Ringtones which can be monophonic or high quality polyphonic, typically cost around £2.