RingTone

MeatballWiki | RecentChanges | Random Page | Indices | Categories

In a world populated by cell phones in every pocket, it has become necessary to differentiate phones by their RingTone. Originally, CellPhone manufacturers provided a multiple different ring types on the phone that the user can select from. As time progressed, however, users demanded the ability to configure the ring any way they wish. Enter the immense RingTone market. In Japan, 30-40 million people pay around $4 USD per month just for the privilege of downloading ring tones of the current hits of the day.

Most ring tones are simple tonal melodies. For Nokia, the common format is [RTTTL], which has been upgraded to [RTX] for their SMS enabled Smart Messaging Nokring (??) phones. Other phones have their own [means and methods].

Some phones will accept MIDI files, and others will accept MP3s. Now imagine the possibilities. A room full of geeks, each pawing for their pants when someone's phone speaks out, "thwap Message for you, sir!"

: I saw something on some channel or other saying that hip-hop and soul artists are beginning to not release songs until there's a ring-tone available for it. Personally, I'd probably go for fiddle tunes instead. --DaveJacoby

There are three main types of ringtones:

Monophonic

These were the earliest of ringtones , they were short tunes played with basic tones. An many early phones you could also program your own tone in.

Polyphonic

Polyphonic was the next progression in rongtones. With Polyphonic up to 128 individual notes with different instruments could be used. At this point mobile phone creators started working to improve phone speakers

Music ring tones

This is the latest version of ringtones often called either music ring tones, voice tones, mastertones, realtones, singtones or true tones. This uses actual pieces of real music usually contained on AAC, MP3, WMA, WAV, QCP, or AMR format. Many cell phone manufacturers are including voice ringtones on most of their newly released phones, including Motorola, Nokia and Sony Ericsson.

Many companies have been set up to provide ringtones such as [jamster], many of them provide free ringtones to intice new members in such as [Ringtoneza]. Some of these services have been heavily critized in the press as they lock members into subscriptions that are hard to get out of.

CategoryPervasiveComputing

RingTone

Discussion