by: Emily Sims
There is nothing worse than being duped. Not only do you feel like an idiot, you are left to pay for an item or service you don?t want. The latest scam is the ringtone subscription service. Companies advertising free ringtone downloads, targeted at teenagers, have caught many users in expensive subscription ?clubs?. The con is simple: Aggressively market your product as ?free?, wait until a user enters their mobile number to access the ?free? download, then send the user 30 ringtones a month at a cost of 5 USD per ringtone. Premium SMS subscription services, like ringtone ?clubs? allow mobile phones to be used like credit cards.
Legality is addressed in the terms and conditions agreement, a small box on the subscription form that must be ticked before processing. Written in practically illegible 9pt sans serif text, terms and conditions usually pop up in a small window which must then be maximised. Typically, the word ?subscription? and service pricing appear only in the terms and conditions. For example:
By clicking the ?COMPLETE? button you agree to subscribe to Any Club's ringtone service. You will be sent your choice of ringtone FREE of charge as a bonus for joining Any Club. The service allows you to download up to 4 ringtones each week. The US$4.95 charge will be billed to your mobile bill twice per week. To stop this subscription service at any time, SMS ?STOP?, to short code 77777777. Your phone must be polyphonic compatible, be Internet-enabled and have text messaging capability. You must be the owner of this device and either be at least sixteen years old or have the permission of your parent or guardian. Artist names used for identification purposes only. Standard text messaging rates apply. For help contact customer service at 1-123-456-789.
This standard terms and conditions script can be found at any ringtone website purporting to provide free content. In practice, terms and conditions protect the ringtone supplier, once the box is checked the customer can be said to have recognised the stipulations of the agreement. Thus the blame is conveniently shifted from the ringtone supplier, to the customer. The customer, it is claimed, should have read the terms despite being (mis)led to the website on the pretense of free content.
Recently, thanks to a spate of consumer complaints, several ringtone providers have been forced to change their advertising policy. In the UK complaints of misleading advertising against ringtone company Jamster! have been upheld by the Advertising Standards Authority. In the US a lawsuit has been brought against Jamster!, accusing the ?Crazy Frog? proprietors of fraud, false advertising, unfair business practices. Legal action may result in greater transparency on behalf of operators like Jamster! However, consumers should recall the cliche ?there?s no such thing as a free lunch?, and be highly suspicious of any website offering free mobile content.
About The Author
Emily Sims is the authority on all things ringtones (ringtones.foovely.com). Her blog (blog.foovely.com) on the subject is a frightfully good read. She wonders whether downloading Last Christmas by Wham! (ringtones.foovely.com/christmas.html) is funny or not. She is leaning towards not.
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Ringtones are Red Hot
Ringtones are Red Hot
by: Amit Laufer
Ringtones are like hot cakes for the youngsters, the market is huge, estimated world wide sales of $ 2.5 Billion per year. The cost of a ringtone is ranging from $0.99 - $2.99. Survey shows that about 26% of cell phone owners downloaded at least once a ringtone. Many downloading more than one as you can customize and set the phone to play different ringtones per specific caller.
For instance if mom is calling the cell phone will play a certain ringtone and another one for dad and for your girl friend a different one so you don't have to guess who is calling you, it is totally personalized per caller.
There are four types of ringtones:
* Monophonic ringtones play a melody of a song one note at a time, with no harmonies.
* Polyphonic tones add harmonies to the song.
* Real-life ringtones include voices, quotes, or other strange, real sounds.
* Master tones are compressed clips...
Ringtones are Red Hot
Ringtones > Ringtones are Red Hot
The Sleek Motorola SLVR L7 Mobile Phone
The Sleek Motorola SLVR L7 Mobile Phone
by: HP Jeschke
The ultra-slim Motorola SLVR L7 is now available. The SLVR delivers superior functionality and offers the latest must-have features, including iTunes, in a Motorola one-of-a-kind iconic design. The SLVR is thinner than Motorola RAZR V3 and only slightly larger.
Redefining thin at less than half an inch and weighing only 3.5 ounces, SLVR?s design includes sleek metal housing, a vivid color display and precision cut keypad. Although extremely thin, SLVR is fat with multimedia features, including VGA camera, video capture and playback, and 512 megabytes of optional expandable memory.
The SLVR is ideal for experiencing the coolest downloadable content from ring tones, games, graphics and more. Additionally, SLVR delivers iTunes functionality, giving music lovers the ability to carry up to 7 hours of music or 100 of their favorite songs.
The keys are backlit in a bright blue, which...
The Sleek Motorola SLVR L7 Mobile Phone
Ringtones > The Sleek Motorola SLVR L7 Mobile Phone
Cellular Phone Rental You Can Get In Any Part Of The Globe
Cellular Phone Rental You Can Get In Any Part Of The Globe
by: John Rivers
Today, you can go to every corner of the world with a wireless phone that fits in your hand and works the minute you arrive overseas. Whether it is a business trip or a leisure travel, you are assured the best cellular phone rental for the amount of time you need.
Cellular phone rental is the cheapest way for a traveler to have the latest phone with the full assurance that it will work in the country of his destination.
Based on your requirement, you could have several types of cellular phone rental:
International cellular phone rental.
Before having an international cellular phone rental, you need to decide if you will have a cellular phone rental in the United States or rent it when you get to your destination country.
In addition, you should decide whether you want to have an online cellular phone rental, which offers great prices or have a...
Cellular Phone Rental You Can Get In Any Part Of The Globe
Ringtones > Cellular Phone Rental You Can Get In Any Part Of The Globe
The Future Of Mobile Phone Technology
The Future Of Mobile Phone Technology
by: Dave Lloyd
The past, present, and future of cell phones
Just in the last few years cell phones (usually called mobile phones outside the US) have become de facto standards for most of the population. What once used to be a luxury item for a select few that was carried around in a large leather bag and was the size of the brick, is no longer.
Technology has advanced the mobile phone industry to the point where the phone is a mere commodity for vendors, meaning that's not where they make the real money. It's in the service plans, which require 2 year commitments usually, where companies like Sprint, Nextel (now Sprint Nextel), AT&T (now Cingular), Cingular, Verizon, and T-Mobile make the revenues that enable the cycle of technology innovation and marketing to continue.
While the downsides of cell phones have focused primarily on the annoyance of public conversations and the small possibility...
The Future Of Mobile Phone Technology
Ringtones > The Future Of Mobile Phone Technology
Ringtones are Red Hot
Ringtones are Red Hot
by: Amit Laufer
Ringtones are like hot cakes for the youngsters, the market is huge, estimated world wide sales of $ 2.5 Billion per year. The cost of a ringtone is ranging from $0.99 - $2.99. Survey shows that about 26% of cell phone owners downloaded at least once a ringtone. Many downloading more than one as you can customize and set the phone to play different ringtones per specific caller.
For instance if mom is calling the cell phone will play a certain ringtone and another one for dad and for your girl friend a different one so you don't have to guess who is calling you, it is totally personalized per caller.
There are four types of ringtones:
* Monophonic ringtones play a melody of a song one note at a time, with no harmonies.
* Polyphonic tones add harmonies to the song.
* Real-life ringtones include voices, quotes, or other strange, real sounds.
* Master tones are compressed clips...
Ringtones are Red Hot
Ringtones > Ringtones are Red Hot
Mobile Reliant. Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Payphone!
Mobile Reliant. Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Payphone!
by: Emily Sims
I?m waiting for a friend to pick me up. There are nine people coming for dinner and I?m cooking. Our whole evening depends on my hasty retrieval from the train station, and I?ve forgotten my mobile phone. I was standing on the platform, fumbling for it in my bag, when I realised my phone was absent. I had told my friend that I?d call her when I arrived at the station. Unsettled, but not yet disturbed, I located the nearest payphone and picked up the receiver. It was then it dawned on me: I didn?t know the number. The number was in my mobile phone! So, now I am sitting outside the station wondering why I didn?t specify a time or place to be picked up. I watch other commuters rushing out of the station. I envy them their good memories and handheld gadgets. ?Hi, mate. Yeah I?m at the station. Where are you??, a man declares to the other half of the conversation, instantaneously...
Mobile Reliant. Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Payphone!
Ringtones > Mobile Reliant. Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Payphone!
Zermatt, the Eternal Alpine Snow, and a Peek at Switzerland
Zermatt, the Eternal Alpine Snow, and a Peek at Switzerland
by: Joy Cagil
Mont Blanc stands proud as the highest Alp. Yet one of the most photographically reproduced is Matterhorn with the village of Zermatt at its feet.
When I first saw Matterhorn from the ground up, I felt as if I was looking at a solidified ardent flame. A native who saw me look at it with awe said: ?You can climb it,? as if it were nothing. I laughed...not at him but at me. I wouldn?t...
Zermatt, the Eternal Alpine Snow, and a Peek at Switzerland Ringtones There's No Such Thing as a Free Ringtone!
Ringtones > Zermatt, the Eternal Alpine Snow, and a Peek at Switzerland
Low-Carb Pastry Pizzazz
Low-Carb Pastry Pizzazz
by: Jan Nicholas
This delicious treat adds only 1.9 grams of carb for a Superb Roll of any size. Just add a glaze to the rolls once they are baked. While the rolls are baking, make ? or ? of the below mentioned glaze. Apply the glaze thinly with a pastry brush to the tops of the hot rolls. It will set within minutes. The rolls will freeze well, even with the glaze. Thaw at room temperature or follow directions for heating in the oven....
Ringtones There's No Such Thing as a Free Ringtone!
Ringtones > Low-Carb Pastry Pizzazz
St. Patrick's Day Shamrocks Bring Luck O' The Irish To Flowers
St. Patrick's Day Shamrocks Bring Luck O' The Irish To Flowers
by: Wesley Berry
You probably recognize the shamrock as a symbol of St. Patrick's Day, so why not add a bit of that Irish luck to your St. Patrick's Day flowers? Believe it or not, many florists do keep a supply of shamrocks on hand to add to bouquets and arrangements ordered for St. Patrick's Day. Well, at least they carry something that passes for shamrocks... A closer look at the shamrock and the...
Ringtones There's No Such Thing as a Free Ringtone!
Ringtones > St. Patrick's Day Shamrocks Bring Luck O' The Irish To Flowers
Rubber Stamps ? Advice To Help Choose The Right Product For You
Rubber Stamps ? Advice To Help Choose The Right Product For You
by: Nicky Whatmore
Many of you may have used rubber stamps before either while crafting or in the office. Rubber
stamps are pieces of rubber that can be carved and molded into an image or pattern. The rubber
can be mounted onto a stable block and then the ink is coated onto the design and then pressed
onto some sort of fabric or paper so the colored image is transferred.
There...
Ringtones There's No Such Thing as a Free Ringtone! Rubber Stamps ? Advice To Help Choose The Right Product For You
Ringtones > Rubber Stamps ? Advice To Help Choose The Right Product For You
An Investing/Insurance Alternative
An Investing/Insurance Alternative
by: Jeff Lakie
Segregated funds are the insurance company's answer to mutual funds. There are many differences and similarities but if you are putting together a financial plan that includes insurance and investments, you'll probably want to consider a segregated fund.
Segregated funds are also called individual variable insurance contracts (IVIC's) and they'll be offered by a many insurance companies. Like mutual funds,...
Ringtones An Investing/Insurance Alternative There's No Such Thing as a Free Ringtone!
Ringtones > An Investing/Insurance Alternative