Way back in the late 90’s, we had that weird idea that people could personalise the sound their phone made when it rang. And so, perhaps the least expected billion dollar market emerged since err…sms a few years earlier.
So don’t scoff at background tones which are the happening trend in India, according to Mobile Entertainment magazine. Background tones are music that plays in the background while you are talking on the phone. Cellebrum, the tech providers, say that they have over 1 million subscribers in India, with 3 million downloads and the typical pattern is to change tones once or twice a month.
It’s not just about music though, with many downloads being religious chants or devotional messages.
And if you thought Crazy Frog was annoying, try having a conversation with someone who forces you to listen their brand of religious proselytizing. On the other hand, if we have any Jehovah’s Witnesses in the house, this sounds exactly like your kind of thing.
And even better news for MobHappy readers who can’t wait for this to come to Europe - you don’t have to, if you already have a Symbian phone. I see the nice fellas at All About Symbian will sell you a phone based app that does the same thing for $12.50. It’s a bargain if you ask me.
[tags] background tone, india, content, symbian, cellebrum [/tags]
Image from BBC.
Background Tones…
According to Mobile Entertainment magazine via MobHappy, background tones are music that plays in the background while you are talking on the phone.
Celebrum, the tech providers, say that they have over 1 million subscribers in India, with 3 million…
Quick overview of Background Tones…
Link: Background Tones at MobHappy. If you call my Blackberry handset, you still get the mission impossible theme tune playing while the phone is dialing. I haven’t worked out how to remove it, despite the £1.50 a month (or similar)…
[...] Background Tones at MobHappy: this is fantastic! Basically its tones that will be a backing soundtrack to your conversation. That’ll rule. I want to talk above the collective works of John Williams, and predicate the track choice by whom I’m talking to. When talking to my mom, it’ll be some schmaltz. With Amy? The soundtrack to Hook. FIgure that one out. [...]
I’m surprised nobody’s mentioned the obvious background tone application, namely background sounds to support an alibi (e.g. airport/train station announcements, busy streets, etc.) when the user is actually somewhere quite different…
[...] Apparently the latest rage in India is background tones. The moral equivalent of the desktop wallpaper on your PC, these are background sounds played while you’re having a telephone conversation with another person. They’re one of a whole class of new services which are implemented using media handling in the network. Other services like background tones might include: [...]
Music To Your Ears…
Mobhappy covers a new mobile self-expression trend in India - the background tones, which are music that plays in the background while you are talking on the phone. I think it’s a great idea since different conversations needs different background mus…
[...] MobHappy on Background Tones Tags: Background Tones, Just Another Mobile Monday [...]
Dear All…
The application is called “Call Cheater” and is available for free download at quite a few sites.
Thanks
Dear Friends,
The application is beautiful and does not require high end symbian phone!! All existing phones are treated equally, backend takes care of all that and people can simply have fun. Termed as Liars or Lovers service, this has taken the asian market by storm with phenomenal penetration. Ask for demo!!
Regards
Saket