Good Bye to the Ear-Splitting rrriiing

by SHWETA KAMAT
Posted on 2008-11-05
My friend Namrata has a dog that barks loudly. But do you know that I don’t even have to knock at her door to get the dog barking. Every time I call her cell phone, I get to hear the non-stop bow-wow until she receives my call.
Namrata has kept this caller tone on purpose even though it has landed her in embarrassing situations. “Once my boss called up for an urgent message and was furious when he had to listen to the incessant barking!” she says. But, Namrata continues, “I am not going to change it. It’s fun!” she giggles.
While some diehard movie buffs keep changing their tones with the latest chartbusters, others prefer filmi dialogues of their favourite stars. So don’t be surprised if you get a reply by Amitabh Bacchan or Shah Rukh Khan the next time you call your friend No more of the ear-piercing rrriiing... tones! Making her or him listen to your favourite song, wacky sounds or a filmy dialogue while waiting for you to pick the call is an upcoming trend among the youth
“It’s a lovely idea to entertain someone. I have kept a dialer tone that says ‘I love you ki..ki..ran’,” says Kevin D,Costa, a college goer who loves trying out crazy dialler tones on his cell phone.
Welcome to the queer world of CRB (caller ring back) tones or ‘Hello tunes’ or Dialler Tones, as each mobile service would like to call it.
A mobile dealer from the city says, “Innovative ring tones are becoming the latest craze in the mobile ring tone market to alert the subscriber of an incoming call instead of the traditional ring tone or a musical tone.”
While another trader from Taleigao says that usually, it is more of the desire for self pleasure rather than anything else that make people run after the latest and the choicest melodies for their cell phones.
These tones are available in most regional languages. The tone could be music clips, sound effects, the voice of a celebrity, jokes or even your own voice.
“There are religious video ring tones for the spiritually inclined as well,” the dealer from Taleigao adds.
While most people enjoy and make use of this new facility, there are, however, quite a few who get annoyed on being forced to listen to a lengthy song or a silly dialogue.
“I like this idea of peppy dialogues instead of music, but if the person at the other end doesn’t pick up the call on time, it can be pretty irritating to hear the same dialogue over and over again,” says Madhav Naik, a college student.
So, the next time you have to make a call, don’t hesitate, for all you know, it could be one of the melodies you love or your favourite movie dialogue. And with cellular services competing with each other, you may get to hear even more wacky tones to lighten up your mood!