The Evolution Of Cheap Ringtones
Sunday, September 28th, 2008Despite a sceptical greeting and a slow acceptance in the 80s, mobile phones have had one of the largest changes on society of any recent gadget. Initially shunned as a status symbol for yuppies and city traders, large scale production swiftly moved them from flashy status symbol, to must have toy, to everyday appliance.
As mobile phones became smaller, less expensive, and simpler to use, more and more people began to buy them. Even as they became every day objects, carried with us as an essential along with our car keys and handbag, the miniature computers inside them become more and more .
These huge increases in computing capability enabled the manufacturers and carriers to begin offering customisation options, allowing users to customise their own phones with clip on covers, wallpaper images to display on screen - and cheap ringtones.
Initially only basic downloadable polyphonic ringtones were offered, using a limited range of sounds to play the sort of tacky tune you’d expect to hear as hold music. However, manufacturers soon realised how profitable downloadable polyphonic ringtones were, and so started to add more complex sound hardware to their phones.
Mobile phones can now play complete CD quality tunes and sound effects, and be configured to play a specific sound for a group of people, as well as when recieving an SMS message or other alarm. The once heavy and limited status symbols have now evolved into essential hand held computers, combining PDA and portable music system.