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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 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, one of the exceptions being 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.
The vibrating alert is produced by a small electric motor connected to an eccentric (unbalanced) weight.
A vibrating alert is also helpful for those people who suffer from a hearing impediment. Although they cannot hear the ringing, they will still be alerted to SMS by the alert.
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".
See also: Phantom mobile device vibration
