Vibrating alert
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A vibrating alert is on communications devices to notify the user of an incoming connection. They are particularly common on mobile phones and pagers and are usually used to supplement the ring tone.
Two primary uses of the vibrating alert are when a person cannot hear the ring tone (a noisy or environment or through hearing loss) or when they want a more discreet notification. However when the device is placed on a hard surface it can often be as loud, or louder than a ringtone.
Most phones are nowadays fitted with a vibrating alert however one exception is the Nokia 9500. Due to the large size of this phone a larger motor would be required to make the phone vibrate. The phone itself would absorb too much of the vibration and therefore the motor required to make it vibrate was too big and could damage the phone.
Vibramotor.jpg
The vibrating alert is produced by a small electric motor connected to an unbalanced weight.
Influence of modern culture
The song Vibrate, on the 2003 Want One album by Rufus Wainwright, is centred around vibrating alerts, including the repeated line "My phone's on vibrate for you".
Since the advent and popularity of vibration technology in mobile phones there have been some cases of them being used as a vibrator for sexual pleasure.Template:Tech-stub