ringtones

Vringo's video-ringtone service has been on our radar for well over a year, and the company's fun and unusual product is just getting better and better. The release of Vringo Mobile Application 2.0, with its full-featured client for Java phones, makes up for the slight disappointment of the online video-ringtone-creation studio.

Vringo capitalizes on the fever of personalized media by letting you create a video ringtone that others see when you call them--so long as they're Vringo users, too*. When another Vringo user calls you, you'll see the ringtone they selected for themselves.

Giving people … Read more

Video ringtone company Vringo has launched Vringo Studio, which gives user the capability to create their own video calling cards. Previously, users could only select from a pre-built library of videos on the site. With the new Vringo Studio, users can search for any video on YouTube, select a portion of it up to 30 seconds long, and send it to their phone, where it can become their outbound ringtone for other Vringo users.

The Vringo.com main site also supports the creation of custom video ringtones, and from sources other than YouTube, including videos on a user's computer. … Read more

What makes Ringdroid a must-have for Google Android phones? It's a fast, free, and all-around-good ringtone maker that will only get better in future releases.

Ringdroid doesn't stop at creating ringtones. You can also turn any edited song into an alarm or notification. Hopefully the publisher won't quit with the Android platform, either. I know an iPhone, a Nokia, and a BlackBerry phone that could sure use some homegrown ringtones.

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Vringo, a company that offers an application that can take video, images, and slideshows and turn those into a personalized ringtone experience, announced that it has signed an agreement with Turkish mobile carrier Avea, to bring the company's video ringtone service to Turkey. The deal puts in place the first carrier-led video ringtone subscription model in the world.

Vringo plans to launch its service on Avea with a 60-day free trial, followed by a monthly subscription fee. For added revenue, the company will also sell pay-per-clip video ringtones for those who aren't satisfied with the company's library … Read more

One of the most striking things about this early batch of Android apps is how many excellent freebies there are. Ringdroid is yet another sophisticated, intuitive freeware app that will prove a boon to T-Mobile G1-toting ringtone-lovers.

Ringdroid lets you create ringtones from MP3, WAV, and ARM files you load onto your phone through the SD card or that you purchase through the Amazon MP3 store.

Unlike many Android apps that use the Menu keys to store some software functions, most of Ringdroid's controls are out on the interface and all respond to touch. You can set the start … Read more

Not long ago, CNET Editor Brian Tong gave an instructive Insiders Secret video on creating your own iPhone ringtones using only iTunes 8. Although he only used one program as promised, there was quite a bit of cobbling involved to turn that song into a phone tune. Truth is, I'm a little lazier than that. I'm looking for one application to make me a decent-sounding ringtone I can get on my phone with the least amount of hassle possible.

ToneThis is a good fit for this endeavor. I've reviewed this freeware application in the past--it was the … Read more

VeriSign on Tuesday announced that it has sold its minority stake in mobile-entertainment joint venture Jamba to partner News Corp. for approximately $200 million.

The sale bumps News Corp.' unit Fox Mobile Entertainment's share of Jamba from a 51 percent stake to full ownership. And it enables VeriSign to focus on its core Internet infrastructure business, according to Jim Bidzos, the company's interim CEO. VeriSign runs the master database for such domains as .com and .net.

The joint venture was announced two years ago, when Rupert Murdoch's media company acquired a controlling stake in VeriSign's mobile-ringtone … Read more

Here's a thought: instead of wading through dozens of ringtone-making apps to find one suited to your iPhone, why not try--what else?--iTunes for Windows and Mac?

In this Insider Secrets video, CNET Editor Brian Tong gives you the lowdown on producing ringtones for your Apple phone using nothing but Apple's own free music library and player.

Verizon Wireless has launched three new applications that interact with the voice recording feature on select cell phones to allow users to create new content. The content can be used on the phone or shared with other Verizon customers.

With Sonic Boom's ToneMaker users can create their own music by layering their own vocals on prerecorded tunes. You can then use the clips as a ringtone or pass them on to others. ToneMaker is $3.99 per month on handsets with Verizon's Get It Now Internet service.

YouTones from FunMobility takes the same concept in a slightly different … Read more