[Brian_K_White]

It's good to have a few to differentiate the different sources, call, txt, signal, random app, etc.

Plus different people hear different tones differently,

and different tones or patterns are better in different environments. An otherwise ideal sound might be very difficult to hear in someone's work environment, and some other sound that is functionally equivalent but just at a different pitch or with a different speed of repeating pattern or pulse would stand out much better.

There's lots of reasons for a wide variety that are hard practical functional and not expressing individual style.

A long time ago on a Treo my favorite was a bird chirp, because it was a natural sound that carried (for the same reason it carries for actual birds) but mostly because it clearly contrasts from all the artificial sounds I was surrounded by. It's nothing like any other beeper from a microwave or dead battery or open fridge or anyone else's phone for that matter.

[francescobonomi]

That makes a lot of sense. 101 for example will hardly be heard in a crowded place.

I think these ringtones (especially 101 and 102) are more for people who almost always have their phone on silent and when they decide to turn on their ringtone they still want something very subtle