The Palm Pre’s ringtone has leaked. You can listen to it now, perhaps even assign it to your iPhone 3G if you’re feeling adventurous. → Read More
Wired.com has a list called Five Antisocial Gadgets That Should be Banned. While I don’t necessarily agree with the final two items – e-books and satellite navigation – I definitely agree with the first three: speakerphones, Bluetooth headsets, and custom ringtones. Custom ringtones, especially. Enough already. We get it. You like bad music. I’m all for melodic variations on the standard ring-ring sound, but let’s stop short of actual songs. It’ll never, ever happen, though, as long as there are A) kids in middle school and high school and B) wireless companies that care about turning a profit. A case could be made for the usefulness of speakerphones and Bluetooth headsets, I suppose, and it’s up to you if you want to appear to be talking to yourself like a schizophrenic and/or broadcast both sides of your conversation out loud in public. What about you, dear readers? What gadgets would you add to the list? → Read More
Society reaches a new low as the list of the top ten downloaded ringtones of 2007 on the AT&T network reads like a who’s who of smelly, no-talent ass-music. The only thing worse than this list is the fact that people paid $2.49 each to download these. This would be the iTunes playlist in the first ring of hell for me. 1. Shop Boyz – "Party Like a Rockstar" 2. Mims – "This Is Why I’m Hot" 3. Soulja Boy – "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" 4. Nickelback – "Rockstar" 5. Akon – "Don’t Matter" 6. T-Pain – "Buy You A Drank (Shawty Snappin)" 7. Hurricane Chris – "A Bay Bay" 8. Sean Kingston – "Beautiful Girls" 9. Huey – "Pop, Lock & Drop It" 10. Fergie – "Big Girls Don’t Cry" John Biggs said it best when he remarked, "70% of that list is some of the worst music ever," although I would change 70 to a much higher number. As always, I welcome your comments. ‘Party Like A Rockstar’ Top AT&T Ringtone For 2007 [Informationweek] → Read More
Now you can inflict your Evanescence remixes with everyone around you – all the time! The new GarageBand update allows you to export 40-second chunks of your songs as ringtones for your iPhone, so now you can share your latest opus with an unsuspecting crowd. It’s as simple as selecting a region, then going to “Share > Send Ringtone to iTunes,” sync and you’re done. My phone is currently set to an excerpt from John Cage’s “4’33″ and I highly recommend it. How to create custom ringtones in GarageBand 4.1.1 → Read More
Here’s a tip for bands that don’t make new music any more. If you’re offered to sell your songs as ringtones, do it. It’s one of the last places that most people are still actively (and even happily) overpaying for music. Dave Matthews Band has been crapping out live albums left and right but hasn’t released a new album in over two years and they’re worried about selling out to ringtones. Get over yourselves, just like everyone else got over you back when you slipped into irrelevancy five years ago. And Van Halen, on a reunion tour, decides to pad it a bit by finally selling some ringtones as they make one last push to round out that nest egg. Very wise, actually. I’m still cool with Van Halen — bonus points for longevity. Dave Matthews Band and Van Halen join ringtone rush [Reuters] → Read More
This week Nokia received a patent for more than just mere ringtones, but ringtones that can be modified with a secondary tone, or what they call “compound ring tones“. Oh yes, get all your friends to record singing to your favorite song as a way to know who’s calling. Details after the jump… → Read More
David at MobilityToday is selling a cool new app that appears to take advantage of the jailbreak hack to add new ringtones to your iPhone. Vista only, kids. Sucks to be a Mac user! Click through to MobilityToday to pick up a copy. via MobilityToday → Read More
While this functionality should soon be available in some sort of cool open source UI package, the folks at HacktheiPhone have broken down the process into 23 easy to follow steps that involve downloading the iPhone restore files, hacking the crap out of them, putting your own ringtone into a folder, and uploading it. I’m going to put on an MP3 of my mom telling me how good I am. And then I’m going to visit the iPhone instead of going to visit her at the retirement center. The iPhone understands me. How to add a custom ringtone (for intel Mac users only…for now) [HacktheiPhone] → Read More
If you’ve got $12 to blow and want to guarantee I never speak to you again, you might consider investing in a Magic Ringtone MP3 Ringer. Sure, ringtones are nothing new, but this horrid little device takes things a step further by providing ringtones for your landline phone. No, read that again. It typed it correctly. This USB-connected box stores a single MP3 ringtone. It’s then connected to your landline. When a call comes in, it plays “My Humps,” or anything by Keith Urban, or whatever else your poor judgment has allowed you to load up. If you think owning one of these is a good idea, I mean, then you probably have pretty crappy taste in music, too. I’m making an assumption there, but I’ve got a good feeling it’s right on target. → Read More
I can think of a few things I could spend $7.7 million on that would be less annoying and potentially misanthropic as Push Ringers. The idea isn’t new — some folks call them Ring Backs. When I call you, it plays the song I’ve picked. This is the worst thing ever. Sure, people like me would use it for good. I hope you like “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey. But I know that someone I know would pick that “My Humps” song, forcing me to keep my ringer on mute. There is no excuse for this type of behavior, friends. Emotive Communications has gotten a large investment to perfect the service, if that’s what you want to call it. It should work on all 3G, 4G, and VoiP phones, if the applicable providers choose to use the service, which we hope they do not. That means everyone, not just early adopting teens, can get in on the action. To the American cellphone and VoIP carriers: Listen to me. I am an expert. Do not allow this to fall into the wrong hands, for the love of all that is American and Holy and Sacred. That is all. Emotive announces “Push Ringer” [Mobile Tech News] → Read More
Your wireless provider wants you to buy ringtones. It wants you to buy wallpaper, Bejeweled and MP3 ringbacks (we hate that crap, really). It wants you to watch sports clips on a one-inch screen, and it wants you to pay for the privilege. You, as a country, as tech-savvy individuals, as consumers in the most important and influential economy on the planet, as those that know best and drool over new technology, you have collectively said, “STFU!” to your wireless providers. The problem is, they haven’t listened. → Read More
