By: Philip Nicosia

Remember the “ancient times”, when your cell phone had just two ring options: a shrill, electronic trill, or a scratchy melody (something incredibly dull, like Fur Elise) that came with the unit?

Those miserable days are over, thanks to the innovations introduced by a Finnish computer programmer named Vesa-Matti Paananen. When Nokia, the company he worked for, started experimenting with a nifty function called “smart messaging”, he was hit with a brilliant idea. If people could send text messages to each other, this same software could be used to deliver other types of rmation, such as the codes of songs. Paananen went straight to work, and came up with a program he dubbed “Harmonium”.

Harmonium was rough by today’s standards, but it set the foundation for the multi billion ringtone industry. It let people program musical sequences into their phones which they could forward to their friends. Users were no longer confined to the songs that were packaged into the units. The invention could’ve made him a billionaire, but Paananen also generously made Harmonium a freeware, ready to download from the Internet for free. Everyone could use it—and because of this, everyone did, and the phone ringtones started to proliferate.

Some phone ringtones were made by private individuals who just liked tinkering with the program or wanted to proudly share their creations with the rest of the world. Others collected these ringtones into one site (the pioneers of the multitude of ringtone providers you can now find on the web). Still others were companies that took Harmonium’s basic structure and put their engineers to work at developing it. They saw the potential in the software but wanted a richer, more realistic musical quality.

These companies were responsible for the leaps and jumps in ringtone technology. From the monophonic ringtones in Harmonium, they developed polyphonic ringtones, which synthesized various notes similar to those found in music boxes. The latest development is the true tone. These true tones are completely indistinguishable from the songs played on the radio, for the simple reason that they are actually recorded in a studio. Think of them as mini-music, a highly compressed excerpt from a full-length song.

Of course, these developments would not have been made possible without the improvements in the phone itself. The first units were large, clunky handsets with very little memory capacity. Songs were scratchy simply because there was very little room for complicated programs. (In fact, the first units could only hold a maximum of five or six ringtones.) Today’s phones are actually more powerful than the first computers. They can not only hold vast amounts of rmation—video footage, large photo files, and a hundred ringtones)—users can extend this capacity with a portable memory chip.

People have also become more tech-savvy in the last 15 years. It is not uncommon for teenagers to tinker with software that would’ve intimidated adults at the start of the computer age (this was the time when most people had grown up using typewriters). Many ringtone sites allow users to contribute their own creations, and these “musicians” are neither Nokia engineers nor computer geeks. They are regular people who have found a way to make music and deliver it to a worldwide audience, sans recording contract.

To think this all started with a big idea by a brilliant engineer with a big heart.

Thank you, Vesa-Matti Paananen.

Technorati Tags: technology
Technorati Tags: computers
Technorati Tags: software

By: Philip Nicosia

Ringtones are big business. The Yankee Group announced that over the last five years, these musical tones have sent people literally singing to the bank, with a total revenue of $2 billion since 2001, and $50 million in one year alone.

The figures show how popular ringtones have become among cell phone users, who download the files to personalize their caller functions. They can pick from millions of songs, from the latest hit R&B single, to quirky sounds like cows mooing, to the classical pieces of Ludwig van Beethoven. Technological development has also made the audio quality of the ringtones much more realistic. From the ear-piercing, tin-like sounds of the first downloadable tunes, today’s music pieces have a near-radio quality. You could dance to it, except you’d look pretty silly shaking your booty while taking a call.

Unfortunately, the realistic quality of the musical pieces have raised a few ethical issues, namely violation of copyright. Since the sound of the ringtones and the sound of the actual songs are so close, record companies are saying that they count as reproductions—and because of that, they should pay some kind of royalty to the labels and the singers.

In a celebrated case, rap artist Eminem filed injunctions against five ringtone companies, supposedly because they had used his songs without his prior consent.

Some would argue that the ringtones only use ten seconds, maximum, of the actual song. How long should a snippet be before it becomes copyright infringement? Nokia representative Matthew Courtney believes that it has nothing to do with length. “Every reproduction of a musical excerpt involves payment of copyright fees to the copyright owner,” he says.

There are some songs that fall beyond this rule, such as those that fall into public domain: classical pieces, national anthems, and yes, a cow mooing. (To date, there are no records of cows suing any major ringtone company.) Others still require the permission of the artists, and may even be subject to royalty fees.

Luckily most artists are not that inclined to sue, seeing the ringtones as a way of promoting their music, and perhaps a compliment to their own popularity. In a way, being immortalized in a ringtone has become a gauge of how one’s music has infiltrated public consciousness. Besides, nobody actually downloads a ringtone as a replacement for an actual record. A real fan would want more than a ten second recording out of a three minute song, although would probably use that snippet to announce to the world, “Hey, this tune rocks.”

However, trends do indicate that fans may actually be willing to pay for their polyphonic ringtones. Music label EMI representative Jay Samit estimates that the earnings form ringtones could contribute as much as 10% of the record industry’s total revenues. Apparently, the appeal of ringtones is that strong— people aren’t just downloading it because it’s free, but because it’s a valued feature.

Of course, many polyphonic ringtones still allow people to download the tunes for free, generating their revenue from ads instead. Others use a mixture of the two business models, offering some for free (or a weekly rotating list) while requiring a small download fee for “premium ringtones”.

Either way, lawsuits notwithstanding, the fact is that ringtones are here to stay.

By: Archie C. Artienda

Cell Phones are one of the most important devices for all of us nowadays not only for communication but for some are for collections. Some of the famous brands and styles of Nokia cell phones, Motorola, Sony Ericsson, Samsung, Panasonic, NEC, LG, Siemens, accessories, etc.

Cell phone accessories companies are doing exceedingly well as more and more people with Internet enabled handsets are downloading their favorite ring tones wallpapers etc. Cell phones which were only considered a highly convenient way of reaching people when on the move are today also considered as a fashion statement.

Reload:
The user obtains the phone, loaded with some amount of credit and then purchases a credit balance of calling minutes as and when he wants. It is a handy alternative for youngsters, travelers, students or people on the go! There is no need to wait for a monthly bill or fixed charges. Recharge your calling card for as much amount you want and when ever you want!

The Famous Phones like Motorola Razr V3:
Spec: The Motorola RAZR V3i is fully loaded - delivering the ultimate combination of design and technology. Beneath this sculpted metal exterior is a lean mean, globe-hopping machine. Modeled after the Motorola RAZR V3, the RAZR V3i has an updated and streamlined design, offering consumers a large internal color screen, quad-band technology and Bluetooth wireless technology. Now when consumers grab their mobile, they’re also grabbing a camera and MP3 player.

Physical Aspects
Physically, the V3i looks very much like the original V3. The color has been changed (at least initially) to a gun metal gray color, and the top half of the clamshell has a new brushed texture to it that gives it a unique look. Unlike the V3c, the V3i’s megapixel camera does not protrude at all from the top half of the folder. This leaves the dimensions at 98mm x 53mm x 14mm (3.9″ x 2.1″ x .6″), which is pretty much the same as the original RAZR V3. While we’re on the subject, the weight is also pretty much unchanged, at 97.1g (3.4oz).

The exterior of the V3i is mostly the same as on the V3, except that the shiny, glass-like surface that surrounds the external sub-display has grown in size and now includes the Motorola “M” logo, which glows blue at times. The same volume control and smart button are on the left side, and the voice dial button remains on the right. Apart from the color change, the back of the new device looks just like the old V3 in that it is home to little more than a Motorola logo, the battery cover, and an external antenna port. The miniUSB port on the bottom left of the device is unchanged and still deals with power, data, and audio issues - though now in stereo.

Technorati Tags: technology
Technorati Tags: cell phones

By: Philip Nicosia

So you’ve got a new phone, and now you’re ready to load it with a couple of ringtones that will truly make it yours. So you head for the web, where you know you’ll find millions of options. Maybe, you think, you’ll get a few Beatles songs, a classical waltz, Taylor Hicks’ latest single, and a quirky Star Wars message alert. Yeah, you think, this will be great—and, you hope, relatively straightforward.

So you run a Google search, and find yourself…overwhelmed. The options are so many, they’re actually confusing. Not only can you choose from several categories, but there seem to be various “ringtone variants” that apparently don’t work for all models. It can be both exciting and frustrating. Even if you pick a ringtone, how can you be sure that it’s in the appropriate format for your phone?

Like all growing technologies, ringtones have created their own terminologies. While downloading a ringtone is still very straightforward, you do need to know your way through the jargon. Otherwise, you’ll waste your time extracting a file that’s incompatible with your phone, and get your hopes up for nothing.

So here’s the Newbie’s Guide to Ringtones. You have several formats: monophonic, polyphonic, mp3, mastertones, megatones, and real sounds.

Monophonic ringtones, as the name implies, just places one (mono) note at a time. The music can sound a little flat and tinny, like a kid picking out a tune on a piano. Polyphonic ringtones play several notes simultaneously. The sound is richer, and more pleasing to the ear. There are two types of polyphonic ringtones: 16 tone and 40 tone. You have to check your cell phone model which type of polyphonic ringtone it can support.

Mp3 ringtones use actual excerpts from the song, and thus have some copyright issues. Not all phones support Mp3 formats, so you have to check your phone handbook. You will also need special software, which you can either download from the Internet. Some phones will also be bundled with a CD containing the needed program.

Mastertones are also called ringtone masters, true tones, real tones, music tones, real ringtones or musitones. They all mean one thing: excerpts from studio recordings.

Real sound ringtones use actual songs from everyday life. They’re not considered “music” but are nevertheless very popular especially among those who want something a little quirkier than the latest pop ballad. According to research done by Business Week magazine, jarring sounds like police sirens and cars rolling around the race track, and bodily functions like burping or farting, are some of the most frequently downloaded ringtones in the market.

Animal ringtones are actually a sub category of real sound ringtones, but because of their variety, deserve special mention. These include a male gorilla beating his chest, or even bird calls. Some organizations donate a percentage of the revenue from animal ringtones to Fauna and Flora International, a wildlife protection group.

Technorati Tags: software

By: Susan Chiang

Cell Phone Ringtones Bring Your Phone To Life

Cell phones have revolutionized the way people communicate. Within 20 years cell phones have moved from luxury devices to devices of necessity. Cell phone ringtones are one of the most popular accessories used in cell phones. The annual sales of cell phone ringtones reach approximately $3 billion.

Ringtones have changed the soundscape of modern communication. A ringtone is the sound made by a cell phone to indicate an incoming call. The cell phone makes the ringing sound in response to a special ringing radio frequency sent by the cellular service to indicate incoming calls. They were initially provided in cell phones so that the user could differentiate between its own cell phone rings from other cell phones’. However cell phone ringtones have become even more diversified leading to personalization of cell phones.

Presently many ringtones such as sing tones, voice tones, caller tunes, monophonic tones, polyphonic tones, true tones etc are available freely and on payment basis on the internet. From Britney Spears to Shakira, crying babies to diving fighter planes, all sorts of ringtones are available. Cell phone ringtones started out as simple rings and beeps, but present day ringtones are generally polyphonic. Polyphonic ringtones use two or more independent melodies playing synchronously. Current cellular phones can play four to forty tones and notes simultaneously. Polyphonic ringtones have literally silenced monophonic tones due to their superior and pleasant quality. They can play guitars, drums, pianos and other sound instruments.

Cell phones are available with preinstalled tones. If the user is not satisfied with them he can download ringtones from the internet or from other phones. The usual formats for ringtones are either MP3 or MIDI.

The latest cell phones can store quite a lot of ringtones. There are facilities available for storing different ringtones set for different people on the phone book. In addition, different ringtones for SMS (short messaging system), MMS (Multimedia messaging system) and voice calls can also be kept. Voice ringtones are a fad these days. Ringtone downloads of voices of famous people, movie stars and other popular voices like that of the Star Wars characters Yoda, Chewbacca, R2D2 etc are available. Yoda is particularly popular with the phrase “Answer the phone you must”.

Vibrational ringtones are used in noisy places, while traveling, by hearing impaired, places where silence is mandatory like movie theaters libraries, hospitals, meetings etc. With vibra ringtones the cell phone vibrates to get the attention of the user.

Cell phones have moved from being simple communication devices to a kind of adornment and fashion statement. Ringtones help make the cell phone appear more lively and attractive and thus reflect on the personality of the user.

Technorati Tags: cell phones