As with all technology, telephones and mobile phones began life as pieces of equipment with purpose.
Nowadays, we use them in every day life, not just to communicate, but as accessories.
It won’t have escaped your notice that mobile phones are everywhere. And where there are mobile phones, there are sure to be ringtones, however dodgy they might be.
Ringtones began life as monophonic (mono) ringtones, which were a series of notes produced by the mobile phone to create sounds similar to music. This was great for new technology, as it allowed people to pick and choose their own unique ringtones. Some mobile phones even let you create your own.
This meant that phones were as personal as the clothes you wear.
Then the mobile world decided that one note at a time was unacceptable. People wanted polyphonic (poly) ringtones, a means of playing multiple notes at once. This meant that phones with poly ringtones could produce similar sounds to instruments that produce chords (multiple notes played at once).
The age of digital music has taken the world by storm. People are listening to music and MP3s on iPods, portable music players and more. Around the year 2001, phone companies decided it would be good to integrate MP3 player technology into mobile phones.
The outcome: real ringtones. Real ringtones are MP3 or other audio files that play a compressed version of the original. If you want an artist, such as the Sugarbabes, on your mobile, it’s simple to get. Just download from the Internet and set it as your ringtone.
Now mobile phones have inbuilt MP3 players and have the capability to play 3G videos. 3G videos are third generation videos used for mobile technology. They have developed from being just videos into 3G ringtones. Video ringtones are similar to real ringtones. They are compressed video that can be used as a ringtone on a mobile phone.