RingbackTones
Latest
Pre deets continue to trickle out; Office 2007 support in the mix
Still no word on pricing or a release date, but the kind chappie running Inside Sprint Now has posted up a little Pre FAQ to tide us over. If you're inclined to believe this information indeed comes from deep within Sprint customer service -- and we've no reason to not to -- you'll find some interesting factoids in the mix, including full support for Office 2007, ringback tones, and custom ringtones. There's also a promise of video recording support and wireless PictBridge printing sometime down the line. Great, great -- but we'd really rather learn all this stuff on our own after release, you know?[Via PalmInfoCenter]
Apple looks to OTA downloads for 3G iPhone, record labels look for cash
According to a churning rumor-mill, Apple desperately wants to make over-the-air downloads of iTunes content a reality on the 3G iPhone. Apparently, a record label executive "familiar with the discussions" states that the Cupertino gang is hoping for a "big launch in June" which includes OTA music downloads, ringtone sales, and ringback tones (the substitute music you hear instead of a ring when calling someone). There's only one problem: the labels want a higher premium for those services than a typical MP3 download. Of course, Apple's iTunes pricing has been a point of contention for some time, though its recent rule-bending for HBO could lead to upped charges for the new services. Something tells us Apple has the tenacity and bullheadedness to make this work -- let's just hope they can temper the labels' greed with the end user's economic realities.[Via AppleInsider]
Cingular offering "personalized" celebrity Answer Tones
How do you make an annoying service even more unbearable? In the case of Cingular's Answer Tones (better known as ringback tones), you give customers the option of torturing their callers with "personalized" celebrity greetings to go along with the current catalog of low-quality song snippets. The wireless services provider has just a launched a program called "Say My Name" that offers subscribers the dubious ability of having celebrities like Juvenile, Ice T, Jamie Kennedy, and a bunch that we never head of, repeat a $2 canned message -- complete with the owner's first name (if they're lucky enough to have one of the 40 or so names deemed popular enough for this promotion, that is) -- while they're digging around pockets and purses for their phones. Note to our friends: the first time we hear a "Wassup, this ya boy Juve the Great..." when we call one of you, you'll be immediately kicked out of the Circle of Trust.[Via Mobiledia]
