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NY Post: Apple to begin selling iPhone ringtones
The New York Post is reporting that Apple will shortly begin selling iPhone ringtones through the iTunes Store by allowing users to convert any iTunes song into a ringtone for an additional fee. Perhaps even more interesting is the claim that "Apple will also allow users to convert songs they have previously purchased through iTunes into a ringtone" and that users will be able to use any part of the song. From Apple's perspective this seems like an absolute no-brainer, with ringtones being a multi-billion dollar business worldwide. From a user perspective, however, the prospect of paying even more to turn I song I already bought into a ringtone is asinine, especially considering that there are free methods for getting ringtones on your iPhone. What do you think? What (if anything) would you be willing to pay to convert your iTunes purchases into iPhone ringtones? (The image shows a Ringtone tab in iTunes that engadget captured back in January at the iPhone's debut).
Motorola and ARIA release MOTOROKR Z6 DUO ARIA Edition
What's better than the music-centric MOTOROKR Z6 slider you ask? One that is brought to you in conjunction with the Australian Recording Industry Association -- think RIAA, but Australia's version -- of course. Released exclusively through Crazy John's on a minimum plan of AUD $35 over 24 months (that's AUD $840), this fella definitely doesn't come cheap. Included as pack-ins are the MOTOROKR S9 Bluetooth stereo headphones, a 1GB memory card, and a $25 ringtone and wallpaper pack. The impetus behind this partnership -- other than to collect info about all your stolen music and get you busted (wink, wink) -- is to give Z6 owners direct access to ARIA's music chart from their handset and hopefully give Moto's flagging sales performance a much needed boost. Nice handset, nice headset, but these two may make strange bedfellows -- at least in the public's eyes -- if the ARIA is as unpopular as the RIAA is over here.[Via mocoNews]
Song Sender sends iPhone tunes to email and ringtones
%Gallery-6205% Song Sender allows you to pick a song from your iPhone's song library and send it to a friend via email. If you'd like to use a song from your library as a ringtone, you can do that too. Install the package into your iPhone using your favorite installer application. When run, the software reads through your library, creating a scrolling list of your songs. Tap any song and you'll be prompted with three choices: play it, send it by email, or add it to your ringtones. It practically reaches Zune-levels of squirting functionality! Small print: Fair use only. This software is not intended for pirating purposes. Use your powers for good, not evil. Do not take internally. Software is not a substitute for advice provided by a doctor, lawyer, or the EFF. In case of rash, itching, or swelling seek medical attention immediately. This software was brought to you by the letters E. r. i. c. and a. Do not use SendSong to install iTMS-purchased tracks as ringtones.Update: Version that does not rely on whether you've installed /bin/cp is found here.
iPhone 101: Adding custom ringtones to contacts
Like many other cell phones, your iPhone allows you to assign individual ringtones to your contacts. This provides audio clues as to who is calling without having to look at the iPhone screen. To make this happen, tap the Edit button at the top right of any individual contact screen and scroll down until you see Assign Ringtone and tap it. Select a ringtone and tap Info to return to the Contact info screen.If you want to have a bit of fun and kick the trick up a notch, record individual messages by the people themselves. Use your favorite mp3 recording program at your computer and use a ringtone installer such as iFuntastic for the Mac or iPhoneRingtoneMaker for Windows to add the personal ringtone to your iPhone. "This is your mother, John. Pick the phone up Right Now." Hee!
iFuntastic 2 for iPhone makes custom ringtones, reordering apps a breeze
When Mat Lu first blogged iFuntastic last week, it was a fledgling app that primarily allowed you to install custom ringtones. A drawback, however, to this 1.0 version is that it broke iTunes' ability to auto-launch when you connect your phone; while you could still launch iTunes yourself (or simply leave it running) to sync, I can understand how this would still disappoint some would-be users. Fortunately, a shiny new iFuntastic 2 fixes that drawback and adds a number of slick new features to boot. At the top of my list: users are now able to rearrange the order of apps on the iPhone's home screen. This is particularly useful when using the iPhone one-handed, as some of those icons get difficult to reach with merely a thumb (or maybe I just have small geek hands; who knows). Another new novelty is the changing of the carrier logo to any picture you chose, as long as it fits within some specific dimensions. While I never used iFuntastic v1, I hear v2 has also updated support for ringtone audio formats, including .M4P, the protected audio format of iTunes Store songs. After tinkering with iFuntastic 2, adding a ringtone (Livin' on the Edge opening guitar riff FTW!) and rearranging my iPhone apps for easier one-handedness, I can definitely say I'll be donating for all the good work the crew is cranking out with this app. While there are still no guarantees when screwing around with things Apple hasn't officially opened up yet, remember that one click of iTunes' Restore button in the Devices > iPhone > Summary tab should get you right back to square one, restoring all your contacts, calendars and email accounts, as well as the media you've been synching.Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
iFuntastic 2.0 enables mortals to mod their iPhone
If you were enthralled by the sound of what the Dev Wiki crowd was cookin' up, yet you just couldn't understand the majority of what they were telling you, you're in luck. bitSplit, the man that brought you iFuntastic, has released version 2.0 of the software, which goes the extra mile and enables mere mortals (read: folks who aren't down with code speak) to "add ringtones, change the carrier logo, and reorder their iPhone applications." Best of all, this here software is completely free to use, but unless you've got an Intel-based Mac, you won't get very far. So go on, tag the read link and see what fun awaits you.[Thanks, Dustin]
Halo 3 site offers ringtone downloads
For all of you waiting to pick up your prepaid copies of Halo 3, the Microsoft Halo 3 site has a few mobile goodies to get at while you wait. Finish the Fight, Last Spartan, and the Halo theme can all be grabbed as ringtones for your MP3 playing handsets. Also up are a collection of pics and avatars and while not specifically for mobiles, a wee bit of Photoshoppery --or an online resize with Imageshack -- can correct that. So if you dig the game, dig ringtones, or just like new things, pop on over to the site to have a look-see.
Create iPhone ringtones from iTunes previews
Today's iPhone hack-du-jour uses iTunes preview files for ringtones. As you probably know, iTunes freely offers short audio samples of its entire library. You can easily download these samples from iTunes and install them onto your iPhone as custom ringtones. Since your iPhone is authorized to your account, you'll be able to play back these otherwise protected audio snippets as ringtones. Here are the steps to take to make this work for you: 1. Create a new playlist. Drag unpurchased songs from the iTunes store into your playlist. The songs will retain their "Add Song" buttons and their price within the playlist. 2. Export your playlist. Select the playlist in the sources column. Control-click/Right-click the playlist name and choose Export Song List from the pop-up menu. 3. Save the playlist as plain text. Select Plain Text from the Format pop-up and save the playlist file to your desktop. 4. Open the playlist file. It is a tab-delimited file of columns, so you can open it up in Excel (my preference, make sure to option-drag the text file onto the Excel icon) or a text editor like TextEdit. 5. Locate the file URLs. Each file URL appears in the final Location column for each line. Copy the URL. 6. Download the files. In Safari 3.0, open the Downloads window (Windows->Downloads). Paste the URL into the Download window and allow the file to transfer. Your computer must be authorized to your iTunes account. You may want to try playing back the file in QuickTime Player just to be sure it downloaded correctly. If you're not a Safari 3.0 user, use your favorite alternate such as curl, wget, or so forth. 7. Rename. Give the file a more meaningful name than, for example, "mzi.rwgtaash.aac.p.m4p". Retain the .m4p extension. 8. Upload to the iPhone. Use your favorite method (iphoneinterface, sshfs, sftp, whatever) to copy the file to /Library/Ringtones on your iPhone. 9. Select the ringtone. On the iPhone, navigate to Settings -> Sound > Ringtone and select the new file. The ringtone will play back as you select it. Please note that some newer releases (including Nicole Scherzinger's Whatever U Like--thanks Drunk Dwarf) do not work as ringtones. I'm not sure why. Congratulations, not only have you added a new 30-second custom ringtone to your iPhone, but iTunes usually picks the best 30 seconds of any song for its preview. Enjoy. GeekNote: If you've got curl installed on your iPhone, you can curl the URLs directly to /Library/Ringtones.
New chip curbs misplaced cellphone syndrome
Those who are contemplating some type of bizarre surgery to ensure your dear cellphone stays permanently attached to your person should probably hold off, as a couple of companies are teaming up to curb the oh-so-typical problem of misplacing one's handset. New Japan Radio Co. and Superwave Corporation have reportedly joined forces to "develop a chip that uses weak radio waves to communicate with mobile phones, paving the way for devices that tell users when a handset is misplaced." Supposedly, the chip would communicate with one's phone "every few seconds," and if you bolted from the subway sans your cellphone, a sound or vibration would apparently be there to alert you of your mistake. Hold tight folks, the firms have plans to distribute samples to manufacturers this October. [Warning: Read link requires subscription][Image courtesy of GLIRC]
iPhoneRIngToneMaker makes adding custom tones a breeze
We love ease of use and Apple is usually on top of that game, but on this outing they seem to have forgotten a few things. The creators of iPhoneRingToneMaker are trying to take some of the pain out of transferring tones to your beloved by presenting you with a GUI and working the magic backstage. The site's FAQ states that there is no danger to your handset and that they are not employing hacks, but are simply transferring the music to your handset -- we aren't sure how, isn't the iPhone locked up tight? The tool will let you transfer your favorite ringers or enable you to create your own from songs you already own in MP3, WAV, or OGG formats. The software -- Windows only -- will run you $10 but they also have a try before you buy package if you just want to test the waters. As with any tools like this, fiddle at your own risk.[Thanks, Chris W]
Palm releases Treo 750 alert sound bug fix
If you're a Treo 750 owner and have almost thrown your precious QWERTY-board out the window a few times due to missing alert sounds, take a deep breath. The fix for the Palm edition of the Treo 750 appears to address the issue of lost sound alerts that notify you of calls and other notifications. Yeah, we consider that a top-priority fix like you. The root cause was identified by Palm to be related to multiple hooks into the audio driver(s) of the device, causing it to stop completely. The update is detailed using the read link below if you need to restore that loss of sanity caused by a silent 750.[Via Pocket PC Thoughts]
Rogers Wireless banning MP3 ringtones on its handsets?
It's the situation most of us love to hate: we buy that new, shiny handset with full MP3 capability to supplant that fully-fledged, big-gig DAP only to find out that MP3 files -- as clips or songs -- can't be used as ringtones. Sure, there are sometimes workarounds and hacks, but should anyone really have to go through all that? Music-based handset crippling may be coming to Canada's Rogers Wireless, as word on the street is that phones sold by the carrier, like the Nokia 5300, won't allow non-DRMed MP3 files as ringtones. We find this ludicrous on music-centric handset, but reports are that the requirement was at the behest of the music industry (who else). If you're a Rogers subscriber and are locked out of using your own homebrew MP3 clips as ringtones, we'll take it that you're miffed, big time. We gotta go DRM those MP3 files of some barking dogs we have, so catch ya later.[Via mocoNews and BoingBoing]
iPhone Hacking: Messing with Ringtones, Graphics and more
This weekend, many instability issues associated with the iphoneinterface hacking tool (details to be found online at irc.osx86.hu #iphone) have been resolved. The big "your multigigabyte disk seems to disappear and be replaced by a few megabytes" bug has gone away and the software now supports both getfile and putfile (although, sadly, not removefile). This means that hackers have been able to unlock access to system files, retrieve them, alter them, and put them back. Read on for some of the biggest hacks developed over the weekend.
Video hints at customized iPhone ringtones
Chris Hughes -- the gent who brought us the RoombaWii -- is up to new shenanigans and this time with an iPhone. Apparently using a bit of software that is "... close to being releasable ..." he was able to add the "CTU" ringtone -- yeah, we know, poor choice -- to his iPhone. Of course, this would be dead-easy to dupe -- and we can't verify 100 percent either way -- but his honest demeanor, striking resemblance to Matt Damon, and previous tricks help us to at least hope that there is a shred of truth in this. Check the vid after the break.[Via Wirelessinfo.com]
QKphone 911 sports deafening ringtone speakers
If you think a 7.1 surround system on the rear of a smartphone is hot stuff, we've found a Taiwanese device that simply puts it to shame. Not much is known about the relatively stylish QKphone 911, but it does appear to sport Bluetooth, a touchscreen QVGA display, some form of "Windows Mobile," a built-in media player, and a piercing array of speakers (count 'em, five) on the rear. Of course, we're sure you're most interested in actually hearing what this bad boy can do, and while YouTube clips don't exactly replicate its power per se, it's certainly better than leaving it to your imagination, right? You know the drill, click on for the videoed demonstrations, but check those volume knobs beforehand![Via Technabob]
Nokia licenses Immersion's VibeTonz haptic goodness
Immersion hopes we're creatures of mobile haptics, as the company has licensed its VibeTonz whole-mobile haptic engagement software platform to Nokia. VibeTonz, already licensed to Samsung and included in the SCH-W559 from Verizon Wireless (and many more Samsung handsets), slaps multi-stage vibrating haptics into mobile games, ringtones, menu systems and more. Immersion calls it a "multisensory experience," which we find to be an accurate description. With Nokia onboard, we would not be surprised to see the cellphone sales leader start touting VibeTonz as a "must have" feature in its newer handset models. After all, no retrofit is needed -- VibeTonz is basically software control over vibrating motors only (no extra hardware required).[via MobileTechNews]
Add New Ring Tone image file in iTunes 7.3
A nosy -- but helpfully so -- reader scrounged around the iTunes package files and discovered an image in the Help directory (/Contents/Resources/English.lproj/iTunes Help/gfx/) called "ringtone.gif." The image is a plus sign next to a bell -- add a ringtone, anybody? This helps confirm disputed reports that you can actually add custom ring tones to your iPhone.For the record, this doesn't mean the feature actually exists (yet) in iTunes -- just that it's likely, if not now, then in a future update. Guess we won't know 'til 6ish tonight.Thanks Judson!
What happened to the iPhone's Ringtones tab?
See that picture on the right? It comes straight from the iPhone's Q&A page. Go ahead, count the iTunes tabs... we'll wait. Right, 8 tabs. Up until now, Apple's only been showing the iPhone's iTunes sync with 6 tabs: Summary, Info, Music, Photos, Podcasts, and Video. So what can we expect on the other two (assuming this isn't another graphics screw-up)? Well, MacRumors is speculating Ringtones on one of them, and we think they're right. After all, we photographed a Ringtones tab during the iPhone's MacWorld debut. They're reporting that the unreleased iTunes version 7.3 -- listed as a requirement on the iPhone specs page -- will introduce a steep, $0.99 ringtones service to create your own 30 second ringtone from available iTunes (store) tracks. No word on whether it will work with tracks you already own. Whatever the case, Apple certainly seems poised to make good on their promise to "surprise and delight" iPhone owners with software updates. $0.99, though? If true, well, it would definitely be surprising since that's the cost to purchase a full single. Now, what could that other tab be for?Update: And sure enough, Apple's dropped the image back down to six tabs. (Shown above.) Why fight it, Cupertino? You know we're all watching. Thanks, Duvi.
Cellphone moos, Indian leopards fooled
Got leopards? Officials in western India have discovered a novel approach to capturing wayward individuals without having to resort to live bait or potentially dangerous pit traps. The angle is pretty clever, pile some critter sounds on a mobile -- cows and goats are favorites -- plug it into some speakers in a cage and let it rip. This technique has apparently worked a handful of times so far, with the captured cats then safely delivered to a new home in the woods. We're hoping nobody gets silly and test drives Emotive's push ringer on some unsuspecting sap while on safari.
Feeling Cingular, tired of the "tic tic tic" of GSM interference
GSM radio interference is sadly the cost of admission -- a price we pay, but wish we didn't have to -- to the GSM club. One Cingular subscriber suffered a blown speaker from the interference and without recourse for the damage has started a site to talk about it. We've never heard of any property damage from a blast of RFi (Radio Frequency interference) when held too close to a speaker, radio, or other equipment, rather it is like a warning that a call or message is coming in. We were debating if this effect was as strong on a GSM 1900 network, so if you have any thoughts, chime in. The feelingcingular.com site has a nice ringtone to download, featuring, you guessed it, RFi noise as the tone. So if you are a CDMA subscriber (Sprint, Verizon, and such) and wonder what all the fuss is about, grab at it and enjoy.[Thanks, Justin]
