ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû1000¼¯ºÏ

Melody maker

9 October 1999

The annoying tunes played by mobile phones are about to get a whole lot
worse. Japanese company Capcom has developed a vending machine that can change
the melodies incorporated into a mobile’s memory. For many people, changing the
tune on an ordinary mobile is as difficult as changing the timer on a VCR. So
Capcom’s machine is fully automatic: you simply plug your phone into the vending
device and it will reprogram it with a new tune in 10 seconds. There are 500
different songs to choose from. Earplugs, anybody?

Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox. We'll also keep you up to date with New Scientist events and special offers.

Sign up
Piano Exit Overlay Banner Mobile Piano Exit Overlay Banner Desktop