web gadgets and gizmos

16.11.06

All You Wanted To Know About Ringtones

by: Peter Lenkefi

Ringtones are the sounds that mobile phone make to signal incoming calls or text messages. The essential characteristics of ringtones is that it can be customized to suit the individual’s taste and that feature could be said to influence consumers so much in the choice of phones.
Ringtones are popular for several reasons:
They can be assigned to specific numbers so you know who is calling by the sound
They help individuals in crowded settings to know their phone is the one ringing
And for the youth, it is a way of carrying their popular songs with them wherever they go to.
There are three kinds of ringtones in operation now.
Monophonic ringtones are basic sequential notes that makes a single tone at a time. In effect they are not musical as one note success the other like a piano composition.
Polyphonic ringtones can play i6 notes at a time and therefore highly musical. It can produce harmonic sounds and they are a regular feature of modern phones.
Digital samples use mp3 and wav files as ringtones; making them the most sophiscated as it means computer generated sounds can be used as ringtones.
Technically, a ringtone is a program that activates the phone’s speakers anytime it picks text messages or incoming call signals.
Ringtones are based on a programming language called Ringing Tone Text Transfer Language (RTTTL) which was developed by Nokia .
Ringtones are available in various forms. They can be hard-coded onto your phone from the factory. In that case, you only have to scroll the phone menu and pick the one you would like to use as your tone.
You can also download ringtones from the web. In this case, you can use a data cable and transfer the files to your phone and then use as ringtones. Ringtones on the web can also be downloaded onto phones through WAP services or SMS transfer. You can alternatively use the key press sequence offered by various sites. With this method, you only follow the steps on the web page to accomplish the composition.
Lately, you can compose your own tones by pressing the various keys on your keypad to mimic various notes. Generally, the alpa keys on the phone correspond to the tonic solfa and with a little ingenuity you can compose some primary tones.
If mobile phones have increased in popularity, ringtones have played a big role. As more and more ways to generate tones evolve, so will be the demand for them.

About The Author
Peter Lenkefi
For more more information about cell phone ringtones please visit
http://www.samsung-mobile-phones.net
plenkefi@yahoo.com.au
Cable vs. Satellite TV -- Which is Best?

by: Brian Stevens

The move is on. Last year millions of Americans switched from cable TV to satellite TV.
Why? When you compare satellite TV to cable TV you'll discover the main reasons are cost, picture quality, program choices, and customer satisfaction.
Let's check out the differences ...
Cable vs. Satellite TV Fees
Cable TV fees across the country average $39.99 per month. In our area the cost for cable TV is $37.30 a month for 64 channels, plus $10.95 a month to add digital channels. Installation in one room is $39.95, plus $9.95 for each additional room.
Satellite TV fees from Dish Network are $31.99 per month for 60 channels, while DirecTV charges $41.99 per month for 115 channels. Both satellite TV providers currently offer free satellite TV equipment and free installation in up to four rooms.
Cable vs. Satellite TV Programming
Cable TV in most areas offers almost as many channels as satellite TV, and is broadcast in analog (over-the-air) format. If you want to have digital picture and sound you'll have to pay an additional fee, usually $10 to $15 a month.
Satellite TV offers more channels than cable TV (more than 250 channels), and more HDTV (high definition TV) programming. All satellite TV channels are broadcast in digital format for the highest quality picture and sound.
Cable vs. Satellite TV Equipment
With cable you only need cable boxes that connect the incoming cable line to your televisions. There is usually no charge or rental fees for cable boxes, however, If you want a digital video recorder, you'll have to pay an extra fee.
With satellite TV you need a satellite TV dish and TV receivers. Both Dish Network and DirecTV offer that equipment, plus installation, for free. Dish Network will give you a DVR (digital video recording) receiver or an HDTV receiver at no charge, while DirecTV charges $49.99 for DVR receivers and $299 for HDTV receivers.
Cable and Satellite TV Reliability and Customer Satisfaction
Cable TV outages average 3% to 5% per year. J.D. Powers and Associates ranks cable companies as good to poor in customer satisfaction.
Satellite TV outages average about 1%. J.D. Power and Associates has ranked the two satellite TV providers -- Dish Network and DirecTV -- higher in customer satisfaction than any of the cable TV companies for the last five years
The Bottom Line
If you only watch a couple of shows a week, and you live in an area where you can't get over-the-air TV and cable TV costs less than $20 per month, then cable may be your best option.
If, on the other hand, you want the biggest variety of shows, movies, sports, and news for the least amount of money ... you want to watch your all your shows in digital video and sound ... and you want the option of watching them in HD format and recording them on a DVR receiver, then satellite TV is what you're looking for.

About The Author
Brian Stevens is a professional freelance writer and webmaster who has written extensively on free satellite TV systems. For more information on free satellite TV systems go to:
http://www.thesatellitetvguide.com