Signals your cell phone sends about you

Got a pink BlackBerry Pearl? Chances are, you're a busy, 30-something mother who wields the phone like an electronic Filofax. The Pearl's compact design, speedy access to e-mail, and electronic calendar and to-do list make it a perfect fit for on-the-go Gen X moms, says Jonathan Steuer, a vice president at cultural trends researcher Iconoculture. Verizon Wireless even promoted the pink Pearl as a Mother's Day gift this year.

In pictures: Signals your mobile phone sends about you

The Nokia N95, on the other hand, appeals to a group Steuer calls "mash creatives" -- young people looking to document and share their lives via technology. These power users employ phones like the N95 to create "mobile media productions," shooting, editing and uploading video to Web sites and blogs, direct from their handsets. (Just be cautious about heading to late-night parties with them, lest you wind up featured on YouTube.)

You may not spend much time thinking about what your phone says about you, but other people are picking up all the clues. Cellphones are increasingly the most personal gadget you've got. It's the only electronic device people keep with them 24/7, and that means they are speaking volumes about what their owners do and the choices they make.

Fourteen per cent of US households are now wireless-only, up from 8% in December 2005, according to industry group CTIA-The Wireless Association. That shift has transformed the role of cellphones from optional add-on to a primary form of connecting with others.

Market researchers, handset makers, retailers and mobile operators have long tried to guess which groups will be drawn to a particular phone or application. When selecting the phones it will carry, Verizon Wireless crafts profiles of likely buyers, taking into account people's age, gender, lifestyle and comfort level with technology, says Marketing Manager Karen Taylor. Verizon also measures each phone's fashion and function quotient --the two factors that drive most phone purchases, says Taylor.

Some patterns emerge. At Verizon, fashion hounds are likely to pick the Samsung Glyde or the LG Venus, two sleek slide phones with sophisticated touch screens. "They're new and different and offer a little bit of self-expression," says Taylor.

Motorola's Razr, though it has lost its lustre since its 2004 release, is also a kind of fashion phone, because it comes in a multitude of colors and can be easily customised.

BlackBerrys and other smart phones rule the functional side of the spectrum. Their productivity applications appeal to people searching for technological ways to organise and control their busy lives. (Smart phones also attract me-too buyers who want to be perceived as the kinds of busy executives who typically use the devices.)

Verizon's GzOne, a sturdy flip phone from UTStarcom, offers another kind of functionality: It's built to resist water, dust and shock. If you own one, you're sending the signal that you're an outdoorsy, athletic type. Have an LG Voyager?

The phone's large screen, full keyboard and high cost point to early adopters with voracious appetites for online surfing, texting and video watching. Though nearly a year has passed since the release of the iPhone, the handset still confers a cool, members-only type of status upon its owners, experts say.

Brand and style are only part of the pie. The way you use your phone is an equally important part of who you are and how you define yourself. InsightExpress, a Stamford-based research firm, organises phone owners into three groups based on usage trends: mobile pioneers, wannabes and traditionalists.

Pioneers make full use of the advanced features on their phones, ranging from e-mail to video to downloaded content. Most of them have sent a text message to someone sitting in the same room and e-mailed photos of products from their phones while shopping to elicit feedback from family and friends. Many do tasks on their phones that most people do on their computers (or not at all), such as updating their Facebook page remotely or blogging via mobile social software, like Twitter.

Pioneers are about six times more likely to own a smart phone such as a BlackBerry, an Apple iPhone or a Palm Treo than wannabes. Still more telling is how pioneers use their phones. They tend to take advantage of every feature a phone can offer, says Joy Liuzzo, director of mobile research at InsightExpress.

"Pioneers' phones are very ingrained in their lives," Liuzzo says.

Wannabes are dabblers -- enthusiastic about features like the mobile Web or entering mobile-based contests, but not regular/weekly users. Says Liuzzo, "Pioneers set usage trends; wannabes popularise them."

Those who want to simply talk on their phones -- and, occasionally, text -- are traditionalists. These no-frills users constituted about 60% of the respondents. Wannabes were another quarter. Only a brave 15% are pioneers.

Demographics shape each group. Most pioneers are between 18 and 35, and many are single men. Most wannabes, by contrast, are over 35. Two-thirds of traditionalists are over 35. That doesn't mean older people don't appreciate snazzy phones or applications. Teens often persuade their parents to adopt techie habits, such as texting or mobile social networking.

Cellphone accessories offer more clues about their owners. A bright-hued, protective silicon case telegraphs a responsible user with a streak of playfulness.

A photo-printed adhesive skin might suggest an artistic bent. Wallpaper images run the gamut from personal photos to motivational phrases. Charms of sports team pennants, cartoon characters or religious icons also let everyone else know a cellphone user's most cherished allegiances.

In pictures: Signals your mobile phone sends about you

Ringtones and ringback tunes (for incoming calls) shout out more characteristics. Do your callers hear Koji Kondo's "Super Mario Brothers Theme" or Henry Mancini's familiar Pink Panther ditty? Both of those songs have been near the very top of Billboard's top 10 ringtones for more than three years, so you're joining a pretty big circle of fans. And just remember, your phone will chirp out that message, dozens of times a day.

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