ringtones

LetsTalk has launched a new service this morning called ToneMine that lets you build your own ringtones. The service uses a multitrack composer that lets you drag and drop short, prerecorded sound clips onto an editing canvas. There are eight themed "packs" to choose from ranging from hip-hop and salsa, all the way to heavy metal. You also get some shared sound clips that will show up no matter what pack you've chosen.

The eventual goal is a takeaway ringtone you'll be able to use on your phone. You can get it sent directly to your handset via your carrier (which is configured when you sign up for the service), or download it as an MP3 ringtone to transfer on your own. You can also share it with other ToneMine users in a massive pool. There you can preview other people's ringtones and go in to remix them if you'd like to change something. It also keeps track of how many times it's been listened to and downloaded by other users.

Despite the selection of eight packs, there's really not that much to play with, although the editor is quite snappy. As an occasional user of Apple's Garageband application, I felt like the one thing it's missing is the capability to extend a looping sound clip. Instead, you're often dragging more clips together as well as you can. The service is also missing some of the commercial tie-in you'll find on competitors like Razz and Ringblender--the latter of which actually lets you go in and remix bits of commercial songs. It also reminded me a little bit of MusicShake, which demoed at last month's TechCrunch40 conference, although with a little less extensibility.

On a side note, for any 24 fans, you can get that wonderful CTU office ringtone free of charge from the site. I've embedded it after the break.… Read more

Your boyfriend forget your 30th birthday?

Try sending some raging elephants his way.

Vringo, a video ringtone sharing company, announced Tuesday it's adding video clips from the Discovery Channel to its bevy of video ringtones offerings.

The 2- to 10-second Discovery Channel video clips run the gamut, of yes, raging elephants to bees to serene sunsets.

While the video clips are free, users have to be subscribers to Vringo on both the sending and receiving end to make use of the service. Users also need a compatible phone, such as one running on Symbian J2ME, or the Windows Mobile … Read more

It seems people are already thinking about dressing up their phones for the upcoming holiday season.

The theme song to Halloween is this week's Billboard No. 1 ringtone.

Whether your Halloween party theme is "bad high school prom" (like the one I got invited to) or just the regular "come as a freak," certainly it's fun to spice up your incoming calls with a unique seasonal ringtone.

But surely CNET's readers can get more original than the theme to Halloween.

Here are some ideas for fun and unique Halloween/autumn ringtones from the … Read more

Myxer introduced a new feature at DemoFall: a widget to instantly upload photos, videos or ringtones to mobile phones.

It's aimed at people who want to make money on things like wallpaper and ringtones but don't have the technical know-how or the resources to distribute it themselves. Mobilized by Myxer is a delivery platform that can push any content to any phone. They've promised to keep up on the constantly fluctuating mobile standards and phones that enter the market so you don't have to. The only requirements are that users own the content they want to … Read more

Hopefully, the start of the television season means the return of more interesting (and free) ringtones from network and show sites.

Yes, it's blatant advertising and probably an attempt to get your cell number and market research info. But, you can't deny it's also fun to have a Heroes ringtone on your little cell phone.

As for Billboard's top ringtones chart, it's the same top four favorites. Henry Mancini's "Pink Panther" theme ringtone is in No. 1, with Grupo Montez De Durango's "Adios Amor Te Vas" at No. 2, … Read more

Seriously. The Macalope's not starting a campaign or anything, but is this not the worst "feature" you've seen from Apple since the iTunes update that removed Internet streaming?

It's overpriced (the way it's implemented -- for iTunes-purchased tracks only -- it should be free), buggy and ultimately just another way to let the record companies screw you. And, frankly, no one wants to hear how clever you are in assigning Rick James' the Commodores' "She's A Brick House" to your wife's contact anyway.

Ringtones are to this decade as skins … Read more

A while back I wrote about the iPhone's limited ringtone selection and the phone's inability to relegate an unwanted call to a silent ringtone. In other words, when that pesky boss or ex calls you don't want to know they ever called. The silent ringtone becomes an exercise in call avoidance, a technique for diverting them to voicemail without them ever knowing what you're up to. Now that iPhone problem is, well, no longer a problem.

Hand in hand with the ability to have no ringtone for a specific caller would be the desire to assign … Read more

At a special event in San Francisco today, Apple's Steve Jobs announced that a new version of iTunes (download for Windows or Mac; CNET review) will allow users to create their own ringtones from more than 500,000 songs in the iTunes store. The ringtones will cost 99 cents, in addition to the price of the songs themselves. The custom ringtones can last up to 30 seconds and can be created from any section of a song.

The new version of iTunes, expected later tonight, will eventually add a bell icon next to songs in the iTunes store that … Read more

Everyone seems pretty sure Apple will have new iPods next week at a media event in San Francisco. Could iPhone ringtones also be on the menu?

The Los Angeles Times and The New York Post both reported Friday that Apple plans to let iPhone users purchase ringtones through the iTunes Store, in addition to unveiling new iPods next Wednesday. The ringtone deal would only apply to iPhone users, according to the Times, but the Post said iPhone users would also be able to make ringtones out of songs they've already purchased from the iTunes Store.

Ringtone deals are less … Read more