The first form of ringtones to be incorporated in a cell phone was the monophonic tones, which, as the name implies, could play only one sound at a given time. The tones rang as a series of beeps with differing frequencies. The ringtone format that followed, the polyphonic tones were a vast improvement over the initial monophonic melodies. The ringtones exuded sounds at almost music quality due to its ability to play some sixteen sounds at the same time. The real tones which followed this were mostly composed in MP3 format resulting in music tracks and other recordings taking up the position of ringtones.
The purpose of ringtones have changed from that of a strictly utilitarian entity to being a means of enjoyment, self gratification and showing off, in addition to the basic duty of alerting the owner when a call comes in. People have understood that having unique sounding and latest trendy music as caller tones of their hand sets will help them stand out among the crowd. One can even recognize his or her own cell phone ringing in a crowded place where a lot of mobile phones belonging to other people are also ringing.
Along with the masses who understood the utility of the latest caller tones, industry watchers also sensed a great opportunity in its business.
The first commercial melody was introduced in the market in 1998 by a Finland based mobile phone operator. Till that time, melodies already fed into the cell phones by the manufacturer were the only ones people had heard of. The tone, made in the RTTTL (Ring Tone Text Transfer Language) format could be downloaded from the Internet and could later be transferred to the cell phone by way of either infrared, Bluetooth or SMS.
The Monophonic tones, which were actually a further development on the RTTTL format, came along shortly. A utilitarian melody comprising of several beeps, they sounded monotonous and boring for continuous hearing.
The polyphonic melodies, which came along later were a vast improvement over the monophonic tones. Sounds generated by musical instruments were arranged in such a way that the melodies sounded more like real music. This kind of ringtones is found in even the latest cell phone models available in the market.
However, the biggest evolution the melody field saw was the addition of real music as ringtones. Most modern day hand sets incorporate the latest technologies in sound technology, resulting in cell phones acquiring the capability to play any recordings in the universe. These tones, named real tones, are sometimes referred to as true tones or the master tones due to their superior quality.
This revolution resulted in people's interest in ringtones sky rocketing in a short time span. The young and the old enthusiasts alike, sit with eyes glued to their computer screen, searching for the latest tones over the internet. This interest in turn fed the ringtone industry greatly and presently, the sales volumes achieved by the industry is standing neck to neck to even the hand set business.
Innovative additions to the MP3 files came along shortly, trying to capture the imagination of the masses. The video ring tones and the name tones are the latest additions in the arena of melodies. As companies vie with each other for a piece of the cake, more and more innovations are likely to come out resulting in the customer getting even wider choices.
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