Mobile Ringtones - Why We Cannot Ignore Them

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/