Verizon Ringtones

Got a Verizon cellphone? Fill that sucker up for less than 2 bucks a month - download unlimited ringtone and polytone ringtones as well as cellphone wallpapers on the cheap!

Founded from a 52 billion dollar merger between Bell Atlantic and  GTE in 2000, Verizon is now the second largest wireless  telecommunications network in the US, with around 54.8 million  customers and a very large service area. The phones in Verizon  Wireless plans typically have the standard features of most cell  phones, including a large number of ring tone options to fit the  needs of almost any of their large number of mobile phone subscribers.

Verizon has a service called “Get it Now,” which allows subscribers  to download all sorts of content for their phone directly. It  requires a “Get It Now”-enabled cell phone and the activation of a  monthly plan. It is then possible to search through Verizon’s  download list and buy games, applications, and ring tones.

Verizon ringtone phones are known as VZW Tones and can be added  to a subscriber’s cell phone using the “Get it Now” function or by  buying the tone on the Verizon Wireless website. There are also  several other ring tone providers that can be used through a mobile  phone, though minutes are used up while browsing these other selections.
 
Pricing for ring tone downloads vary. For those with prepaid mobile  phones (those without a monthly calling plan), prices are $3.49 for a  single download, $6.49 for a two ring tone bundle, and $11.99 for a  four ring tone bundle. For monthly subscribers, the options are $2.99 for one download, with a two-tone bundle costing $5.49 and four tone  downloads for $9.99.

The number of phones that are “Get It Now” enabled is fairly short,  with many more being added every so often. The list includes a  handful of LG phones, and a smattering of Samsung, Motorola,  Audiovox, and VZW handsets. For those with Kyosera, Nokia, and other  phone models of those listed previously that are not compatible, it  is still possible to find ring tones using one of the alternative  ring tone providers that house specifically Verizon-compatible tones.

The list of tones available through Verizon Wireless’s “Get It Now”  application is a long one, including many genres of music — rock,  pop, hip-hop, Latin, country, and many others — as well as  television and movie clips, sound effects, and ring tones of people  talking. There are also special seasonal and holiday ring tones and  other variously themed tones.

Verizon Wireless has come to some controversy lately over the compatibility of their phones with mp3 files, a commonly used music  file. Phones that were made by the manufacturer to be mp3-enabled  later had the feature disabled by Verizon, but were still sold with  the same user guide, which claimed the ability to play mp3 files. A class action lawsuit was filed in 2005, as many people were unhappy  with the false advertising. The lawsuit was settled in March of 2006,  nearly a year and a half after it had been started.

It is still possible to listen to music on one’s Verizon mobile  phone, provided it is V-Cast enabled. This application, however,  removes any trace of mp3 playability from the phone and puts in its  place the ability to play DRM-protected WMA files. DRM stands for  digital rights management, which means that when someone downloads a  DRM-protected file, they are the only ones allowed to use it.

The problem with this is that DRM-protected WMA files are much less  common than mp3 files, and mp3 files are generally not protected by  DRM and can be used more freely. It also means that people are now  unable to play songs on their phone that they have bought on CDs and  transferred to their computer. In order to play these songs, Verizon  Wireless subscribers must pay for them more than once. If something happens and the music on a phone is deleted, the customer  must once again download the songs, which means they will be paying  for the ring tones yet again.

The relevancy in this issue is this: not only can people not listen  to their music in the files they most likely have on hand, but none  of the music downloadable through V-Cast can in turn be used as a  ring tone. Which means any song someone might like and want to be  their incoming call alert, they would then be required to pay for it again, but it would be a significantly shorter clip for a slightly discounted price.

Despite the hoops Verizon subscribers are occasionally required to  jump through, it is possible to find quality ring tones for their cell phones. It may require looking around the internet, searching  for a good deal, but they are out there, and they are ready to be  downloaded and placed into the right phones.