Cell phone users are taking advantage of free ringtones to add a little personality and pizzazz to the mundane task of answering the telephone. These customizable choices allow the consumer to assign different rings for each frequent incoming call source. The number of web sites that offer free ringtone downloads are growing on a daily basis. Boasting anything from a few bars from a popular song to the sound of a laughing baby, these tones have proven to be as individual as the users who download them. Beginning as a way to distinguish one office worker’s incoming calls from another, the market for both purchased and complimentary ring tones is huge and continuing to grow. In addition, many web sites that offer these downloads also offer such cellular telephone uploads as wallpaper, video games, and visual themes. Consumers can even use these sites to create their own individually designed wallpapers, ringtones and images.
Older cellular telephones did not offer much in the way of ring tone creativity. An incoming call was signaled by an electronic quaver or could be programmed to play excerpts from any of a number of songs employing that same ubiquitous quaver. The results were far from melodic. Newer, more versatile mobile phones came with the technology to sound off using any number of ring tone sources. The software that makes this musical versatility possible had its roots in a simple business dilemma. When telephones would ring in large office buildings filled with individual cubicles, it was difficult to determine just whose phone was ringing. The idea of creating unique ring tones was originally a simple matter of helping office workers recognize phones belonging to them. That simple breakthrough led to today’s exploding ringtone industry. Current popular music artists can now measure success as much by how many ring tones they sell as by how many CDs are purchased. The added availability of free cell phone ringtones has fueled this industry even more. These ring tones can be modified so that incoming calls from different callers can easily be distinguised.
Phone personalization is now a major industry that is over a decade old and was originated by a media company in Finland. While many cellular telephone owners are willing to pay for these tones, web sites that offer free ringtone downloads are growing in popularity. Almost any genre of tune from any muscle era is currently available in ring tone from the heavy metal of the 1970′s to classical music to national anthems. Today, this multi-billion dollar industry has become a world wide phenomenon. Private users are not the only ones jumping on this bandwagon. Returning to the roots of this innovation, these customizable tones are now being used by professional and commercial and concerns as well. While there are a number of sources for free cell phone ringtones, there are also many sites that offer popular ring tones at a price. Most of these tones sell for only a few dollars each, but considering that most cellular phones can be programmed to store an almost unlimited number of different tones, the cost of this unique customization could begin to multiply rather quickly.
Since there is so much money changing hands in this rapidly snowballing business, why are there still web sites that offer free ringtone downloads? As with all commercial web sites, the more traffic that is generated, the more a site can charge for advertising. The traffic that is generated by a web browser that is in the market for these free ring tones can go a long way in keeping a fledgling site afloat. One problem that has arisen from the popularity of this trend is the increasing number of malicious web sites that offer complimentary ring tones. If a particular site seems overloaded with pop up ads it would be wise to quickly terminate the visit. These malicious sites could infect a user’s computer with spy ware, or could cause the computer to crash or to freeze, or even download a virus. When searching for free cell phone ringtones, as with all Internet browsing, the appropriate protection and security software should be installed before running the risk of coming into contact with a malicious web site.
A wide variety of free ringtone downloads are not the only features that are offered by these web sites. Consumers can also upload personal music files and create ring tones using these sites and then upload them to their phone. Video clips are also available on many of these web sites, or a user can upload personal video clip to be shared with other users. In fact, these mobile phone sites often function as a social network as well, complete with user profiles and photos. Wallpaper files can be downloaded, created or shared as well. If a consumer is interested in a tone that incorporates speech, this can be created at these sites as well. Another feature of these sites might be the ability to create a theme that can be incorporated into the phone’s ringtones, menu icons, and background. Free video game downloads that can be used on cellular telephones may be available as well. As communication technology continues to evolve, the market for cell phone accessories and downloads should continue to expand. Finding a good Internet source of free cell phone ringtones can help the consumer add a bit of creativity and individuality to everyday life.
For more information: http://www.freepolytones.org