I have a T-Mobile RAZR as my primary cell phone and after downloading three ringtones for $1.99 each, I thought to myself I could have purchased the same three songs on iTunes and several others for the same price. Another problem I faced was the fact that the songs I wanted weren't offered as ringtones.
That pissed me off.
So I started to put 2 + 2 together and figured out how to (with a BLUETOOTH enabled phone) create .mp3 ringtones for your cell phone for free.
Here's what you'll need:
- Computer with BLUETOOTH built in/ BLUETOOTH adapter (if not installed)
- BLUETOOTH enabled phone
- music editing software (I use Cool Edit Pro)
Step 1. Find a :30 second portion of the song you want (plus or minus :30 seconds, as long as it sounds like a natural entrance & exit to the song) and edit out the entire other portions of the song. All you are concerned about is just that :30 second blurp of music. Once you are satisfied with the sound of the soon-to-be ringtone, save your file.
Step 2. Locate your file using Windows Explorer (or whatever it would be under Mac, IM not a Mac person yet...) and right click the file and choose Send to BLUETOOTH Device.
Step 3. Turn on the BLUETOOTH feature on your cell phone.
Step 4. You should see a new screen pop up on your computer. This is the setup screen to bond your computer to your cell phone. It will ask you to search for the file you want to send, then it will start a search for your phone to bond with it. Use a simple 4 digit (don't use letters, too timely to input on a phone) code and hit enter. Your cell phone should ask for the passcode you just entered. Once verified, it will now ask if you would like to send the file you were originally sending.
Step 5. If everything verified and the file has been sent, your phone should automatically start playing the song. If it's to your satisfaction, save the song to the phone, renaming it whatever you want and you are done. If your phone says the file is unreadable, make sure when you saved the file on your computer you saved it as an .mp3.
FAQ's when sending items to your BLUETOOTH enabled phones:
Is there a charge to send from the computer to my cell phone?
-No. Bluetooth to Bluetooth connections are free, file transfers are free as well.
Will this void my warranty with my cell phone provider?
-Depends. Certain T-Mobile phones support .mp3 file formats, and most other cell phone companies who have cell phones with .mp3 support will recognize the files. Sprint will not void your warranty if you use an .mp3 as a ringtone (thank you to my friend working @ Sprint for verification). Saving them as .mp3 files will not void your warranty, but if the bitrate is too high for the phone to handle, your cell phone might crash/ stop responding when you try to play the song. I am able to get away with 128 kbps. on a :30 second file on my RAZR V3.
How do I convert a file I have to .mp3?
-The easiest way to do this is to download (if you don't already have it) iTunes. Once its set up, under the options menu you have the ability to save new files as either .mp3 or .aac file formats. While using iTunes, if the program has found the file, right click and convert the file.
What else can I send to my cell phone using BLUETOOTH?
-Photos can be sent to your phone using your BLUETOOTH connection. Repeat the same steps as above to send photos you have on your computer into your phone. If you have photos of friends, you can send them to the phone as picture caller ID's for free. If you need to resize the photos, use MSPaint to open the file, then go to IMAGE, then STRETCH/ SKEW and resize the image using the HORIZONTAL settings.
I don't have Cool Edit Pro. What else can I use?
-If you go to any computer software retailer, you could buy one of two editors (and these are my two top choices): Ringtone Maker and WavePad Audio Editing Software.
Break yourself free from the cell phone companies and their strangle hold on forcing you to buy $1.99 for :10 to :20 second ringtones.
4 comments:
Bluetooth adapter is something they should insert in motherboards... because even toasters will have bluetooth interface soon. As for mp3 I prefer to use this simple as ABC free service Make Own Ringtone . com
to get free ringtones you don't have to have bluetooth or any of that, just to let everyone know.
you can go to www.mobile17.com
and all you have to do is pick a song from your computer to download, pick what point in the song you want your ringtone to start at, and then click download. the down side of that is if you have the free version, it can take up to 2 hours depending on the number of users currently using it. but, i've been using it for almost 2 years and it's totally free and works with any network.
you should try it, but i don't know thats just my thought.
you can save a lot of space by compressing the mp3 file to 64kbps instead of 128kbps. they sound exactly the same on my cellphone (no drop in sound quality) and i save exactly half as much more space.
i've been making my own ringtones for free from Ventones.com
Ventones
they have a free uploader and a free ringtone maker, and with both, you can convert or upload a ringtone, and even change the format. You don't even need internet to receive the ringtone, in most cases they send it in a text message.
Post a Comment