I'll be getting a new cell phone soon.  I'd love to get one capable of downloading custom ringtones (like the ones in a recent thread here).

What feature do I need to look for in a new phone to be able to do this?

Quoted: I'll be getting a new cell phone soon.  I'd love to get one capable of downloading custom ringtones (like the ones in a recent thread here). What feature do I need to look for in a new phone to be able to do this?

Polymorphic Ringtones are .mid sound files.  MP3 ringtones are mono mp3 files.  Then you just need a data cable and the phone software.

Quoted: Quoted: I'll be getting a new cell phone soon.  I'd love to get one capable of downloading custom ringtones (like the ones in a recent thread here). What feature do I need to look for in a new phone to be able to do this? Polymorphic Ringtones are .mid sound files.  MP3 ringtones are mono mp3 files.  Then you just need a data cable and the phone software.

Great!

Is the data cable easy/cheap to get?  And what sort of software.

Data cables are sometimes cheaper on eBay, but sometimes the software is just crap.  The exact cable and software depends on the phone.
Most of the time you can get a data cable and software at the same place you buy the phone.  I remember Sony Ericsson used to let you download all the software you need for free.  Motorola sells software for all it's phones for about $40.  There's also third party software you can get with cables at Best Buy or anywhere else that will cover just about any phone.  It's pricey but you can share with friends.

Quoted: Data cables are sometimes cheaper on eBay, but sometimes the software is just crap.  The exact cable and software depends on the phone. Most of the time you can get a data cable and software at the same place you buy the phone.  I remember Sony Ericsson used to let you download all the software you need for free.  Motorola sells software for all it's phones for about $40.  There's also third party software you can get with cables at Best Buy or anywhere else that will cover just about any phone.  It's pricey but you can share with friends.

Cool!  I had no idea.  I thought it was just some fancy option that I had to look for in a phone.