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
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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