Emotive's Push Ringer overrides ringtones; pranksters overjoyed

Forget personalized ringtones and ringbacks, the next tween obsession has arrived in the form of Push Ringer, which "enables a caller to push an outgoing ringtone to the receiving phone -- allowing the caller, not the called person -- to set the tone." We're assuming you're either elated or sighing mightily after reading that, but there's 7.7 million reasons why you wish you would've implemented it first. A group of deep-pocketed investors have sunk $7.7 million into Emotive Communications' flagship idea, which temporarily overrides the phone's preset ringer, and moreover, allows the recipient of the surprise sound-byte to "instantly buy a copy" if they so desire. Notably, this very service has already taken the VoIP world over, as Skype users are probably more familiar with the RingJacker concept. Now, who's down for inventing the Push Ringer Reverser to send a "you got punk'd" clip back at the egotistical sender?

[Via The Raw Feed]

[Tavis Veighey @ Apr 20th 2007 11:31PM]

They better have an option to dissable this feature!

The last thing that some teens need is some porno sounds to play out their cell because their lamer friend thinks it is funny to call them at work.

The person who is paying for the cell, and is paying for the service should be the ONLY ONE to determine what comes out of it!

When I first got a cell phone some people got upset when I did not answer it the MOMENT they called. It was as if they expected me to stop EVERYTHING going on in my world so I would answer my cell, JUST because I could carry it everywhere I was at. I informed them that as long as I am paying the bill, I will answer the phone WHENEVER I want to! And if I choose to IGNORE your call, that is MY RIGHT as the one who PAYS THE BILL!!!

[nojok3 @ Apr 21st 2007 9:45AM]

The first thing I thought about was someone using an orgasm from a porno and calling people up.

[Alex @ Apr 21st 2007 12:18AM]

This sucks. Hard.

[gopi @ Apr 21st 2007 12:53AM]

I love this idea!

I can't wait for version 2, which includes oh-so-helpful picture message pushing. I won't need to take pictures of everybody I know for my address book, they'll just come to my phone automagically from the caller!

Hmm, what are those really strange stretching noises coming from my phone? Let me look. Eww, looks like the goatse guy is calling me...

[Skon @ Apr 22nd 2007 8:51AM]

>>> picture message pushing. I won't need to take pictures of everybody I know for my address book, they'll just come to my phone automagically from the caller!

[Tim @ Apr 21st 2007 12:35AM]

"I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced."

[Nathan @ Apr 21st 2007 1:00AM]

First of all, I had this idea years ago, but I thought it was too stupid for anyone to want this feature.

And gopl: ew/haha

[Max @ Apr 21st 2007 1:01AM]

I want to know, who pays the data on the newly downloaded ringer?

I'd be super pissed if it cost me additional monies for some college buddy to have my phone play "my hump" every time he calls.

Beyond that, you can bet the transfer of the ring wouldn't be instantaneous, so if you're calling someone, do you have to wait two minutes from initiating the call before it even starts to ring? This concept seems riddled with problems...

[Max @ Apr 21st 2007 2:28PM]

I want to know who pays the data cost when the ringer downloads. I know I'd be super pissed if I had to pay additional $$ every time some girl I knew in college decides to drunk dial me, and wants me to hear "my hump" before I answer.

Also, it's not like the ringer will instantaneously download to the phone. So, what does the caller do for 2 minutes, waiting for the other party to download the ring? Seems like a lot of wasted minutes to me.

Even better, what happens if you try and push a ring, and the other person has their phone on vibrate? The concept seems to have some holes to work out...

[benjamin @ Apr 21st 2007 1:16AM]

not to forget all the missed phone calls...
unless your the sort of person that looks at your phone everytime you hear a noise that remotely resembles a ringtone,,
i normally have my phone on silent(vibrate), as not to annoy the entire world by sharing the most stupid latest tracks at the loudest possible setting

..but i wonder if the new i-phone has this feature,, or is it already outdated?

[Matt Carrell @ Apr 21st 2007 1:39AM]

I would not buy a phone that didn't allow me to turn off such a stupid, assanine idea! Isn't it bad enough we get banner ads on web pages? Now you want to advertise ring tones when we get calls? I THINK NOT!

[jptech @ Apr 21st 2007 1:53AM]

too bad they will get sued for that 7.7 million dollars when a user gets someone in trouble with this.

[Mark @ Apr 21st 2007 2:04AM]

Why do you think they've invested so much money into this thing? This is PUSH ADVERTISING, to the max. This isn't going to be accessible to pranksters. Its a marketing tool, pure 'n simple.

[Mike @ Apr 21st 2007 7:27AM]

LOL @ Max's double post
way to cover up ... from "some college buddy" to "every time some girl I knew in college decides to drunk dial me"

[Russ @ Apr 21st 2007 6:57AM]

the receiving phone would have to support it wouldn't it?

[Mike @ Apr 21st 2007 8:37AM]

"sighing mightily after reading that, but there ARE 7.7 million reasons why you wish you would've implemented it first."

-7.7 million implies that there is more than one reason, thus requiring the plural form: "there are," as opposed to "there's."

Grammar pwn3d

[Nate @ Apr 21st 2007 11:48AM]

Uhm, did _anyone_ read the article?

This is an opt-in service. If it could be done without any installed software, or end-user knowledge, there would be lawsuits all over the place. You have to agree to use it. And when you do so, any and all liability is off of the hands of the providers.

[t-bone @ Apr 21st 2007 1:18PM]

Thank you for pointing that out. I was about to be very pissed.

[Tavis Veighey @ Apr 21st 2007 2:23PM]

Yea, it starts as an Opt In... Then it becomes always there!

TXT messages used to me set-up so that you had to opt in to even recieve them. NOW you can recieve them even if you do not have them on your plan. And the carrior will NOT block them for you! So if you do not have the plan, and you get a TXT Message, YOU pay for it!!!

[ethana2 @ Apr 21st 2007 12:45PM]

"Matt Carrell @ Apr 21st 2007 1:39AM

I would not buy a phone that didn't allow me to turn off such a stupid, assanine idea! Isn't it bad enough we get banner ads on web pages? Now you want to advertise ring tones when we get calls? I THINK NOT!"

Adblock Plus for Firefox. Simple solution. And selling copies of ringtones is crap. If the sound clip is not in the public domain, I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT. And if it is, I, and only I, will determine when it is played. $7.7M wasted right there. Idiots. [e-mail]

[benjamin @ Apr 22nd 2007 6:12AM]

you pay to receive a TXT ??? & i thought it was bad enough when i was in canada & i had to have credit to Receive a txt,, & then payed for incoming calls ,, but to pay for rcving txt!!! thats daylight robbery! you cant control who txt's you, or for what reason,, (f**k phone companys, theyre all wankers!)

[Max @ Apr 21st 2007 2:58PM]

Son of a... I didn't think the first one went through, and then I didn't save what I had written.

Oy, too stupid for blogs. That's me.

[bobbbio @ Apr 21st 2007 5:08PM]

of course you could disable it. DUH! can you imagine how many people would freak if this was standard...

BUT, I think it's awesome if you're into it... I mean, you know exactly who's calling cause of their ringtone... I personally don't have the time to customize all my ringtones in my phone and this would just be a cool way around that... and the people with annoying rings... well, I'll just delete them from my phone cause who really wants to be friends with people with irritating ringtones? sheesh!

[Russ @ Apr 21st 2007 6:21PM]

maybe the first time someone tries to 'send' a ringtone, you'll get a message saying 'do you wish to install this emotive app?'. if this is the case - maybe not all phones will allow the software to modify the contact/ringtone database?

[benjamin @ Apr 22nd 2007 6:07AM]

maybe it will be standard issue on phones, & emotive will then sell you the download to block it,, woohoo, more money for your network provider(like they dont screw you enough), but has anyone thought of the upside,, you could record your own message, then ring your friends,, then they dont have to answer, therefore getting the message for free,, then you can reply the same way,, & long winded voicemail system,, but as long as you dont answer,, ITS FREE!! :) i like that

[steve campbel @ Apr 23rd 2007 9:56AM]

i use www.create-ringtone.com to create and send FREE custom ringtones, wallpaper, mp3 and video files to cell phones around the world

[skonofvulcan @ Apr 22nd 2007 8:54AM]

I'm glad to read you have to opt-in for this to happen. Other wise... can you imagine some totaly obscene and raunchy ringer coming in when... you forgot to turn off your cell for church? Or some inane bright cheary ringer when you as a surgeon have to break the news to the family that you botched the job and there loved one is dead. This has to be the stupidest, tackyist most anoyingly imaginable idea I've heard in a long time. There could be so many inappropreate and disasterous outcomes to using this system that it boggles the mind!