Nokia
No matter how many custom ringtones and MP3 files we cram onto our hand-helds, one sound persists as the definitive cell phone ring -- the Nokia tone.
But for something that has become synonymous with modern telecom, the tune itself is quite ancient. It dates back to 1902 and was a snippet from a composition, Gran Vals, by Spanish classical guitarist Francisco Tarrega.
Hear Nokia's Gran Vals:
The company introduced it as one of 27 ringtones included with 1994's Nokia 2100 series. With Gran Vals used to score a TV commercial at the time, the company did its best to promote the piece as part of its brand identity. The monophonic ringtone became a global phenomena because of the tremendous success that phone had. Nokia's target for the model had been 400,000 units; more than 20 million were actually sold. Despite its origins, Nokia managed to trademark the stuck-in-your head tune. -- Written by Joe Mont in Boston.>To contact the writer of this article, click here: Joe Mont. >To follow the writer on Twitter, go to http://twitter.com/josephmont. >To submit a news tip, send an email to: tips@thestreet.com.
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