Or is this BS?
The guy in the cube next to me was just talking about this. His son has done this, and my co-worker cannot hear the ring tone.
I just did the hearing test. My God that’s a high tone! I have reasonably good hearing, but I can just barely hear it unless my ear is positioned just right next to the speaker. It’s very directional (to me). It’s almost like I feel it in my head rather than hear it. Weird!
NYT article: A Ring Tone Meant to Fall on Deaf Ears
Oww! Still, for me it’s probaly just my crappy speakers resonating at a lower frequency that my ancient ears can still detect.
Now I’m freaking out! I can hear it much better in my left ear than right ear. Is my right ear compromised? I do clean substantially more ear wax out of my right ear canal than left ear.
For once I don’t quite feel so old. I’m forty, but I could clearly hear it.
That’s annoying in the same way a TV left on but muted is annoying.
Couldn’t hear squat. My kitty did though, tried it several times under different curmstances.
Old Fart reporting.
I can hear it, but dang is that ANNOYING! I can’t imagine having a ringtone that sounds like that. =/
Heh. sends a high pitched signal to the other youngins
The old fogeys have discovered our secret signal. I repeat, the secret signal has been compromised. Activate the Messenger Ferrets
I can hear it, but not well enough to use it as any kind of alert. I wouldn’t notice it.
That’s a good point. If I heard it, I wouldn’ think it was a ringtone. On the other hand, the sample in the New York Times sounded continuously and a ringtone, presumably, wouldn’t.
But why don’t they just put their phones on vibrate instead?
Yay me! I’m nearly 39 and I can hear it quite distinctly. I’m pretty sure I’ve heard higher-pitched tones than that too.
I’m nearly 39 too, and I didn’t hear shit. Therefore I think the whole thing is a hoax. Or my sound card is not up to it. Or any excuse at all to try to pretend I’m not as old as I am.
Ok, I take everything back. I just clicked the sound link in this thread and heard it fine, so I don’t feel so old now. We’re talking about different things: this is the original ‘sound’ that started the whole brouhaha, and I can’t hear anything at all apart from background ambience. Others, younger than I, have reported hearing a ridiculously high-pitched pulsing over the top of it.
39 here, and OW!
It’s like a electrified pin jabbing me in the eardrums.
Nearly 42 years old, I heard both of them. The “real sound” is ridiculously high-pitched and it pulsed in & out. Both of them hurt my head more than actually caused a sound. Like Chris Reeves in Superman, with Lex Luthor’s dog whistle.
Yay BMax, you prompted me to turn the volume up way higher than before, and finally I heard it. This is about the 25th listen, too. I’m no longer middle aged! I rejoin the ranks of youth.
And it’s a very irritating noise, too.
40, and I can still hear it.
There was a story about it on the news this morning; some South Bay 7-11’s were using it to keep teenagers from loitering in front of the stores.