Matthew Yapchaian | Phone Ring
Phone Ring is a dynamic organic ringtone composed of audio sampled from the most recent incoming calls' callers. The number of samples compiled together is determined by the user.
Current Information
11.19.06
This is the current Phone Ring video prototype.
Design: Video Prototype
The user's phone samples a fraction of a second of audio from each incoming call and stores the sample in an array with an index of 6-10 samples (defined by the user). The ringtone is a linear montage of each sample played sequentially. When a new sample is added to a full array the oldest sample is deleated.
Located in the screen's lower left corner, a large image signals the current incoming caller. Immediatly to the right of the current caller is an array of portraits indicating the 6 most recent callers (left to right). Upon the completion of the call, the current caller will enter the ring array on the far left advancing each caller 1 index in the array. The caller at the end of the array (index 5) will be deleted.
Phone Ring is an ephemeral dynamic ringtone that is user-specific changing with each incoming call.
The Phone Ring scenario presented in the video is: Eric lost on a walk and running late picking up a co-worker for a meeting.
Project History
I assigned the original Batman theme ringtone to a single contact (Manish) in my list who is a Batman fanatic. While shopping at a local mall I heard the Batman ringtone cut through the nasty bickering of a random customer to my right and immediately reached for my phone eager to speak with my friend.
Manish was attending med school at Dartmouth in Hanover, NH; his schedule and the mountains' interference with phone connections limited the available time we had to talk.
When I opened my phone I was surprised by the absence of an incoming call while still hearing the Batman ring. Within a few seconds Batman's theme was interrupted with by a snarly What do you want? from the bickering woman to my right.
Later that evening, I received a call from Manish, the midi Batman theme recalled images of a miserable shopper rather than my friend. After receiving additional calls from Manish I realized the ringtone lost its original context as unique identifier. I removed the ringtone assignment and began searching for an alternative solution for a dynamic, personal, and organic ringtone.