B
Premium,MVM
join:2000-10-28
| SMS and "Ringtones" - A Civilization in Decline
My Subject line says it for me. The fact that people blithely and willingly pay such ridiculous markups for tiny chunks of WAV or MP3 files (usually for songs they already own) in super-secret Ringtone format for their free-with-2-year-commitment cell phones, and that they then pay dozens of extra dollars per month to text-chat with their friends instead of using the phone/Internet minutes they've already paid for... well let's just say it explains a lot of things. 
-- B
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In a realm outside causality and function |
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djrobx
join:2000-05-31
Valencia, CA | It's bottled water all over again - people are willing to pay up for convenience as long as you keep each individual hit low enough. It's a concept that's taken the music and movie industries (*IAA) way too long to figure out. |
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celeritypc
For Lucky Best Wash, Use Mr. Sparkle
Premium
join:2004-05-15
Caldwell, NJ
| reply to B
said by B  :My Subject line says it for me. The fact that people blithely and willingly pay such ridiculous markups for tiny chunks of WAV or MP3 files (usually for songs they already own) in super-secret Ringtone format for their free-with-2-year-commitment cell phones, and that they then pay dozens of extra dollars per month to text-chat with their friends instead of using the phone/Internet minutes they've already paid for... well let's just say it explains a lot of things. -- B You bring out one point in the overall problem--technology advances quicker than society can evolve to handle it. We have a huge problem of evolving rules to deal with things like cell phones in public, cameras on phones, etc. Too many times I have gone to a decent restaurant just to have someone at a nearby table talk on his or her cell phone at a volume like he/she was out in a construction site. Other times, people are so busy texting while walking (or driving) that they pay no attention to the people around them. Then, of course are those who talk on the phone while they are at the cashier and look at the cashier like they have three heads for disturbing their phone call. |
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B
Premium,MVM
join:2000-10-28
| Oh, I do all those things. 
I just don't want to get ripped off while doing them.
-- B
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In a realm outside causality and function |
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AZ_OGM
join:2007-01-12
Phoenix, AZ | reply to B
That's why my current and previous phone have had USB ports on them so I can connect them to my computer and download a personally edited mp3 as a ring tone. Same thing for wallpapers. |
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B
Premium,MVM
join:2000-10-28 | There are VERY few phones where it's not possible to do that with the right cable, or by sending yourself an e-mail message with MP3 attachment, etc.
-- B
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In a realm outside causality and function |
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Ulmo
join:2005-09-22
San Jose, CA
 ·Comcast
 ·SONIC.NET
| reply to B
I agree. But I showed my roommate how to get all those songs he owned into the super-secret ringtone format (granted it's easier on Sony Walkmans (phones by Erriccssonn)), and let's just say we have half a thousand ringtones that are the minority of space on all our phone sticks. |
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