Mobile phones have come a long way in the past few years, making the jump from large bricks which could call, text and play the occasional game of Snake, to mini computers which can connect with friends and organise your work life. However, I still find myself obsessing over a feature which has been available since some of the earliest mobile phones were released, personalised ringtones.
I’ve always been a big fan of ringtones. One of the strongest memories I have of using my Nokia 3310 is spending my day browsing the internet, trying to find the codes to my favourite songs, so that I could ‘compose’ them in monotone through a combination of number presses. At the time, it seemed like the best thing ever, and looking back I slightly envy those days. Sure, phones have come a long way, but in terms of ringtones, it’s gone downhill.
Nowadays, the ability to play a real song as a ringtone is one of the things I hate about public travel. I’m usually tolerant of the most annoying people on a bus, even if they play their music loudly through their earphones. However, when Nicki Minaj’s latest attempt at music suddenly blasts from somebody’s pocket, I feel that I did well to not show my annoyance in public.
I appreciate that there are some people, probably the majority of adults, who prefer to have the default ringtones set in place by Apple, Samsung and Blackberry as their default notification. However, most of these tones are extremely unimaginative and the sheer quantity of these phones has led to a huge amount of people having the same tune. I’m sure you’ll have noticed by now that, in a public place when an iPhone ringtone goes off, at least 50% of the people in that room move their hands towards their pocket.
By now, I feel like I’ve made clear to you how much I dislike the current generation of ringtones, and can now tell you why all that has just changed.
I came across Cleartones while doing random Google searches earlier this week, and I’m extremely glad that I did. Cleartones, advertised as ‘minimalistic’, are simple ringtones and notifications which easily gain your attention when your phone has activity, without annoying people around you, or mistaking it for a phone belonging to somebody else.
The Organic pack is clearly the best set of tones available from Cleartone. Each pack was created in a professional studio using bells, chimes, woodblocks, vibraphone and marimbas to create sounds which could be described as ‘clear, elegant, simple, pleasant’.
50 Cleartones costs $10, and you can buy all 200 sounds for $30. To be completely honest, I was sceptical about paying for ringtones. I mean, I’ve made clear my hatred of current ringtones and notifications, but I’ve never really given any thought into buying them. However, Cleartones have helped me to enjoy the thing that I’ve hated for the past few years, but loved playing with on my very first Nokia. The pack of 200 tones means that you never get bored and can constantly change it up, as each sound is as elegant and beautiful as the last.
