I remember there was a shitty website where you could buy credits to spend on banners and ringtones, but their website was utter trash that you could modify it and get them for free, so just got them all to fuck around with.
Or have them (or operator logos, which were effectively wallpapers) sent over RTTTL texts. With WAP, actual wallpapers, screensavers, polyphonic ringtones, games etc. became available too.
iirc on the 3310 you needed Nokia’s logo manager software
The one I really enjoyed was the 8110? I think. The one that was in the matrix with the slider. That one was a ton of fun to customize, different rings depending on the group (family, friends, etc)
That shows a picture of a browser with a million search bars installed. This feels like it was more of a thing between 1998 and 2002. I’d say that wasn’t early Internet, it was when it started to become mainstream.
I started on the internet in 1995 (demon Internet in the UK TAM account using slip) and the Web then was actually a very small part of what I did online. Yep the websites that were around rarely had ads. If they did they were part of a garish geocities page most likely.
But I was more often on usenet (yes kids before it was used for paid piracy we did actually use it for it’s original intent) and IRC (remembering the efnet/ircnet split). The Internet browser was just another app you used online.
Actually, Nokia’s first Java phone, 3410 (the one on the right except with a different key layout) featured a store with downloadable games, ringtones, screensavers, picture messages etc. Czech provider Eurotel distributed the first 3D Java game Munkiki’s Castles as a loss leader, and Space Impact came preinstalled but was very short unless you paid for downloadable missions.
I used to work for a J2ME mobile games developer. Fun times but it was wild west. They didn’t properly standardize the API so each mobile phone had its own glitches, incompatibilities and extra APIs and the emulatos were not very accurate either. That meant we basically had to have pretty much all phones there to test the games.
It was so sad you could not watch a 30 seconds ad to revive back then. No cosmetics to buy, nothing. Just an ugly snake running around.
/s
What are you talking about? Ringtones were the original paid cosmetics!
Ringtones and these Logo banners!
I remember there was a shitty website where you could buy credits to spend on banners and ringtones, but their website was utter trash that you could modify it and get them for free, so just got them all to fuck around with.
Millennial WAP
Could you get ringtones on Nokia 3210/3310 ?
Yes. You could pay some geek to type it in during recess.
https://zserge.com/nokia-composer/#eyJicG0iOiIxMjAiLCJzb25nIjoiMTZlMiAxNmQyIDgjZiA4I2cgMTYjYzIgMTZiIDhkIDhlIDE2YiAxNmEgOCNjIDhlIDJhIDItIn0
Or have them (or operator logos, which were effectively wallpapers) sent over RTTTL texts. With WAP, actual wallpapers, screensavers, polyphonic ringtones, games etc. became available too.
That was a little later than 3210/3310.
RTTTL and logos over SMS were available on the 3310. WAP came 1 year later, and the 3410 already had downloadable games.
iirc on the 3310 you needed Nokia’s logo manager software
The one I really enjoyed was the 8110? I think. The one that was in the matrix with the slider. That one was a ton of fun to customize, different rings depending on the group (family, friends, etc)
Oh, I had forgotten about about that feature. I was like 4yo back then.
Excellent point about ads. Yes I still remember when every internet site DID NOT have advertising
Back then, websites didn’t need to show ads. They just distributed adware. Those days are long gone…
That shows a picture of a browser with a million search bars installed. This feels like it was more of a thing between 1998 and 2002. I’d say that wasn’t early Internet, it was when it started to become mainstream.
There was a time when websites had hours.
I started on the internet in 1995 (demon Internet in the UK TAM account using slip) and the Web then was actually a very small part of what I did online. Yep the websites that were around rarely had ads. If they did they were part of a garish geocities page most likely.
But I was more often on usenet (yes kids before it was used for paid piracy we did actually use it for it’s original intent) and IRC (remembering the efnet/ircnet split). The Internet browser was just another app you used online.
If you want free games with minimal functionality there is always f-droid.
Actually, Nokia’s first Java phone, 3410 (the one on the right except with a different key layout) featured a store with downloadable games, ringtones, screensavers, picture messages etc. Czech provider Eurotel distributed the first 3D Java game Munkiki’s Castles as a loss leader, and Space Impact came preinstalled but was very short unless you paid for downloadable missions.
I used to work for a J2ME mobile games developer. Fun times but it was wild west. They didn’t properly standardize the API so each mobile phone had its own glitches, incompatibilities and extra APIs and the emulatos were not very accurate either. That meant we basically had to have pretty much all phones there to test the games.
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