Ringtones have been around for as long as mobile phones. At a functional level they help owners in distinguishing their phone from others’ when they begin to ring. Of late though, having ringtones is also a way of expressing one’s personality. Service providers and handsets also allow users to set different ringtones for different callers, so they are also ways associating to someone else.

Depending on the kind of handset one uses, one can have ringtones that are

1. Monophonic – which means only one note is played.

2. Polyphonic – Which means multiple notes are played together to create a melody.

3. True Type – Actually songs that can be set as ringtones. Mobile ringtones often come in-built with the handset.

Different handsets have different systems for encoding ringtones. The most common way of programming a mobile ringtone is via a language called Ring Tone Text Transfer Language. If the handset is so equipped, one can download ringtones or even transfer them from other phones or websites. Service providers also offer ringtones at a certain charge. They send ringtones onto your handset via SMS. Some phones also have the facility of recording a particular track or sound and then setting it as a ringtone.

Mobile ringtones are big business. Consider the number of mobile phone users. Almost all of them want new ringtones or keep changing their ringtones once in a while. Nokia sells about 160 million phones annually only in the US. Every phone has at least about 10 in-built ringtones. Ringtone makers charge about $2-3 per ringtone. When calculated, the figure is enormous, and this is only in the US. Apart from the revenues, mobile ringtones are also great marketing tools. Almost any popular song or movie is marketed via an ‘exclusive ringtone’ for consumers. It has become mandatory for a song or movie to have a ringtone so that it can target customers even on their mobile.

The importance of mobile ringtones comes not so much from its functionality. Its function after all is just to tell you that someone is calling. Even a beep would be more than enough. However, cell phones today are becoming indispensable. One might forget his/her keys or wallet and can still stay relaxed, but forgetting his/her cell phone is like pressing the panic button. With users relying and identifying so much with their cell phones, there is a desire to personalize them. Make it ‘theirs’. Give the phone their identity. Mobile ringtones make this possible. Hence they are such a craze.

At times though, mobile ringtones can be quite a turn off – Especially the really noisy ones. Ringtones going off at the most inappropriate places like hospitals, classrooms, theatres is also very irritating. Users at times tend to select the noisiest tones and keep them on full volume to attract attention and unwanted stares. Another annoyance is service providers constantly calling you to offer more ringtones than you need. Fun does not remain fun when others are inconvenienced by it. This is where ringtones cross the line. Otherwise they offer great fun to everyone – users, ringtone makers and service providers. More Ringtone Download Please visit http://www.musicsmania.com/



By: Christopher Tang

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Of many gadgets that have become immensely popular these days, the cell phone stands being one among the topmost. This is one gadget that almost everyone in the world are going in for and are regularly being upgraded to the latest models that are hitting the markets. As buying trendiest of cell phones is becoming the order of the day, many people are going in for various options such as downloading wallpapers, screensavers and ringtones to personalize their phones and provide it an extra touch.

There are many different type of ringtones ranging from monophonic to polyphonic ringtones and real ringtones, MP3 ringtones, etc. While many ringtones are not compatible on every phone that is available, monophonic ringtones are usually compatible for all phones although not many prefer to have these tones on their phones.

Polyphonic ringtones are the most preferred type of ringtones that are often downloaded off the internet. This is so because these include about anywhere between 4 to 40 tones being played at once to provide a good effect to the ringtone.

So, are ringtones free for download or is it necessary to buy ringtones?

Although some ringtones are available for free, it is often required to buy ringtones to be able to download them and use them on your cell phone. But, why is it essential to buy ringtones?

Ringtones are downloaded from ringtone providers who have to pay royalty to recording companies to be able to use the original music that is being played in the ringtone. Many also need to pay the service providers for enabling these ringtones to be played by users of the particular network.

But there are some options where you need not buy ringtones but it is available for free. These generally contain ringtones from original music for which the copyright period is over and is free for use. Also, it is sometimes possible to find the latest music ringtones when some bands provide these ringtones as a promotion for their latest albums. Also, some websites generate revenue through advertisements that enable them to provide free ringtones that actually helps in improving web traffic.

But, opting for free ringtones or going in for cheap ringtones is not a good choice always. The internet is a hub for many unscrupulous elements that misuse copyright laws and bring out pirated versions of ringtones that is actually illegal to use. There are also sites where downloading free ringtones can invite trouble in the form of adware or spyware that can cause many difficulties and lots of frustration.

An option used by many to avoid the necessity to buy ringtones is to use a converter that helps in converting audio files to a format that is compatible for use on the cell phone. Some people even use the composer option on their cell phone to create their own ringtones. People also use methods like infrared transfer and Bluetooth transfer of various types of ringtones to enable them to get the latest options without having to buy ringtones.

Although it is advisable to buy ringtones instead of going in for free ringtones that are available, it is best you carefully research and see if it is safe to try the free options or cheap ringtones as there might be some malicious intent behind providing such an option to you.



By: Dennis Eisenhower

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