What are Ringtones?
What is Ringtones?
Ringtones are melodic sounds a cellular or cell phone makes
when an incoming call or message arrives. Since cellular phones
are significantly more sophisticated than landline phones,
ringtones can be personalized to suit the owner's personal
taste. A variety of ringtones have appealed to consumers,
increasing handsets saleability.
Why use Ringtones
There are a number of reasons consumers use distinct ringtones.
1) Distinguish Callers - Advanced feature sets allow for
different sounds to signify different callers.
2) Identification - When you are in a meeting and a phone
rings you will know if its yours without having to look
3) Fun - Lets face, having a cell phone with personality and
character is appealing to general consumers
Types of Ringtones
There are typically two different types of ringtones: monophonic
ringtones and polyphonic ringtones.
Monophonic Ringtones
Monophonic tones are simple tunes, most commonly compatible
with today's cell phones. The majority of cell phones can
only make a single tone at a time. The monophonic ringtone
tune is comprised of a series of sequential tones at different
frequencies.
Polyphonic Ringtones
Polyphonic tones are played on cellular phones that have the
capability of playing up to 16 separate tones at once. The
combination of tones creates a harmonic melody. Polyphonic
ringtones are more musical than a monophonic ringtone. Newer
phones support polyphonic ringtones.
It is likely that future cell phones will be capable of producing
musical ringtones of CD quality.
Finding Ringtones & Ringtone Compatibility
There are a number of websites that offer ringtones, graphics
or even games to download onto your cell phone. The websites
vary in that some allow you to purchase specific ringtones
while others offer subscriptions that allow you to download
an unlimited number of ringtones. When you locate a ringtone
be sure to first ensure that it will work with your cellular
model phone and that the site is respectful of the artists
copyright. Like any original works, artists receive royalties
for ringtones, be sure that the website has the permission
to distribute the ringtone. Sites that we've found helpful
in finding ringtones and determining compatibility are:
Ringtones Central - http://www.ringtones-central.com
Free Ringtones Online - http://www.free-ringtones-online.com
Ringtone Composition
Frequently consumers will wish to compose personalized ringtones.
Occasionally, cell phones can be programmed with ringtones
by entering a series of buttons. Software is also available
that allow consumers to create their own melodic ringtones.
The software runs on a computer, and once the tune is perfected
it can be transferred to the phone via a data cable. Suggested
ringtone composition software can be found at:
Ringtone Software - http://www.ring-tone-software.com
About the Author -
NotePage, Inc. develops SMS, alphanumeric paging and wireless
messaging software solutions. http://www.notepage.net
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