No cool ringtone, no style, says survey

So you're a boring old...

If you don't customise you mobile phone with an up-to-the-minute ring tone you're liable to be called "boring" by your friends.

So says an "independent survey" by mobile phone entertainment outfit WapOneline, which found that 15 per cent of those interviewed with a traditional "ring ring" ring-tone said that they had been accused of being "boring".

It seems being able to customise your phone - whether by downloading annoying new ring tones or by clipping on garish casings - says as much about you as the clothes you wear or your haircut.

Indeed, it seems this fashion fixation with the look and feel of a phone is so extreme it is now more important than actually being able to make a call on the move. Can you believe that?

Hang on though, it gets worse. The survey also found that seven out of ten people would rather lose their wallet than their mobile.

And nine out of ten people claim they are "addicted" to their mobile phone, claiming to suffer anxiety pangs if they go out without it.

Oh puh-lease. ®