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Up to now, music capability on cell phones has been mostly confined to ringtones. A few phones allow you to import music from a computer, but it hasn't been possible to download songs directly to a cell phone. Now Sprint Nextel, Verizon, and Amp'd, a new cell-phone provider, have introduced the first music-downloading services for cell phones.

But the services have drawbacks. Compared with music you buy online or "rip" from CDs, songs you buy from them are generally lower in sound quality, usually more expensive to buy, and less easy to move from device to device.

You'll probably need to upgrade both your cell phone and your plan to begin music downloads. Only a handful of new phones work with these services, and they're mostly pricey--$180 and up. Many MP3-player cell phones--such as the Motorola ROKR, Sony Walkman 800, and Motorola SLVR--won't work with the new services. If you don't already subscribe to the cell-phone providers' high-speed networks, you'll need to do so--which could add $15 to $25 to your monthly bill. (If you have a data plan, you can simply upgrade to the new service.)

Once you have a phone and a high-speed network connection, you simply pay for music on a per-song basis; there's no charge to browse the service, and the time you spend isn't charged as minutes to your plan. As with ringtones, your purchases are billed to your cell-service account. The libraries are organized much like those of computer-based music services such as iTunes or Rhapsody.