it’s unix, not eunuchs

It was only 5 years ago when me and several of my friends at Sprint started playing with some new handsets we’d been given.  Of course we loaded them up with goofy ringers(this is before anyone was selling them, you just found them and downloaded them or made them with your own tools) and then we started making thumbnails of our co-workers and putting them in the phone memory.  So when the phone rang you’d see the picture of your bosses face and the Imperial March would begin to drone.  It was a good time, but it only took about 30 minutes before one of us piped up and said, “Why don’t we have the option to play video when the phone rings?”

Sure, it’s helpful to see the bosses face when he calls at 3AM because you’re on-call and you missed a phone call.  It sort of helps jolt you to attention.  But wouldn’t it be a lot more fun to have a video playing of them making goofy faces?  Or superimpose their image with a mushroom cloud, then godzilla, and then dollar signs?

Anyhow, I’m sure you all get the point.  It’s a real shame that it took an outsider to the phone industry, Apple, to bring this feature to the forefront. I’ve also been seeing a little bit more on the SMS ringers feature occasionally, so it’s nice to see American mobile carriers finally start selling some new phone features.  I’m not sure that they’ll sell more phones, but as the networks themselves continue to become less and less relevant, carrying the right feature set on your phones could be the thing that lures new people to your carrier and away from your competitors.  That and of course, the ever necessary, treat your customers well and they’ll make you money.