I’m still not entirely sure how to get ringtones for my UK iPhone - it’s not exactly made clear. Thankfully, cleverer people than me have figured out how to do it on the cheap.
Check out this post on ShinyShiny, which highlights a nifty application called iRinger (a PC application, I mean, it’s not an iPhone App). It lets you import your MP3s, choose a 30-second clip, and then transfer it to your iPhone.
They’ve used a montage of Crazy Frog on an iPhone to illustrate the story. But really, if you’re picking through tracks on the Frog’s album to create your own ringtone, you really need to take a long, hard look at yourself.
Ringtones tend to split a crowd. For some they are a wonderful hors d’oeuvre in the buffet of life, for others a horrible fly in the soup of urban existence.
If you insist on rockin’ a party every time your mum rings to tell you your tea is ready, why not step outside your musical comfort zone and check out Toneshared? Toneshared bills itself as “The world’s most interesting collection of mobile phone tones” and features downloads in MP3 format from a selection of alternative/electronica artists.
I recognised a few names (Atom Heart being probably the most famous) although the list does seem to be a bit heavy on the northern european ambient techno side. The quality is generally pretty good, though. Certainly it is a welcome break from Crazy Frog, that one that goes Diddle-oo-doo Diddle-oo-doo Diddle-oodoo-der and the latest R’n'B ‘flava’.
Best of all, you can afford to experiment - all the tones are downloadable for the low, low price of nothing at all. Now you have no excuse for not trying out a tone by the wonderfully named ‘Vulva String Orchestra’.
It is difficult, when writing for a tech blog, to avoid talking about Japan with a a mixture of astonishment and car-crash fascination.
This is not a fair representation of what is in fact a diverse and vibrant culture. Poking fun at unusual cultural quirks merely cheapens us all.
That said, come on now.. DOG RINGTONES?
Tokyo-based mobile content provider Dwango has announced a range of ringtones that are audible only to dogs.
Inu ni shika kikoenai chakushinon - “‘ringtones only dogs can hear” - will be downloadable to DoCoMo phones. That’s it. No mention of why you would want your dog - and only your dog - to know if your phone is ringing. Maybe something to do with those hearing dogs for the deaf. Maybe not.
Apple is letting Mac-heads create their own iPhone ringtones using the latest version of music software GarageBand (sorry PC users, it’s not available in a Windows-friendly flavour). It sounds easy: just fire the app up, edit some loops together, and then use the new ‘Send Ringtone to iTunes’ option. After that, the ringtone can just be transferred to your iPhone in the usual synching way.
It apparently takes around five minutes from start to finish. Assume longer for perfectionists, mind: if you’re Axl Rose, it’ll take 17 years, five guitarists, and several million dollars worth of studio time before you’re happy.
It’s great news for bedroom musicians, who can get an extra bit of promotion by using their own songs as their iPhone ringtones. Imagine if this went a step further though, and they could actually SELL their tones through iTunes via some kind of revenue-sharing deal with Apple. The news does open the way to that possibility, but don’t hold your breath.
(via PC World)
Mobile ringtones are about to get even more annoying now that mobile users can sing their own ringtones and then download them to their handsets, or download others’ if they really want to.
ReVoice Singtones let people record themselves singing to music tracks, and then re-tune and synchronise their singing to the music. Believe it or not, there’s apparently an online community where fans can record their own ringtones and share them with others.
The ringtones are recorded using free downloadable Singtone Studio software, where people can tweak their singing so they don’t sound like a tuneless foghorn. Users can then send their Singtones to both their own and their friends’ mobiles.
There’s even a phone-in Singtone Studio (Lite) service letting you record your singing from your mobile. That’s if you really want to sing into your mobile in public.
The Singtones Studio program can be downloaded here, or access via landline phones and mobiles. They are free to create, but cost £1.50 each to send to other people (or £5 for a bundle of four).
While Apple has yet to have pulled its finger out and launched its iPhone ringtone service, long-standing Mac software outfit Ambrosia has come up trumps with iToner. The iToner app offers a (very) simple drag ‘n’ drop interface for Mac users to add custom iPhone ringtones.
iToner costs $15 (£7.50) and, like Ambrosia’s other offerings, will nag the hell out of you if you keep using it without paying. Check it out by clicking here.
