People are willing to pay for personality, and pay well it seems. When your cell phone suddenly starts shrieking “Money For Nothing” by Dire Straits, answer it, it's your boss. The concept of a ring-tone allows you to know who is calling without looking at your phones display. “Love Me Tender” by Elvis, it's your wife who needs to add something to the shopping list. “Girl You Know It's True” by Milli Vanilli, that's an unknown caller, safe to let it go to voice mail. These song snippets somehow register better in our heads than “Chimes”, “Doorbell” and the other default ring-tones that are available on phones.
If you have looked into downloading a ring-tone, you have probably experienced “sticker shock”. Why the premium price for a 12-15 second sample? You don't even get to choose the starting or ending point. Worse yet, change your cell phone and you have to purchase your ring-tone again. Sorry, they aren't portable; you can't take them with you. Those premium prices are simply what the market can bear. If the furnace in your house goes out, you have to call someone who knows how to fix it. If you want a ring-tone for your phone, you have to purchase it from someone who knows how to make them.
This is the digital age, and chances are, you have a legal copy of your music stored on your computer, whether you imported it from a CD or downloaded it from a pay site. Ring-tone formats vary from phone to phone and carrier to carrier. But it's a pretty good bet that someone has figured out how to turn an .mp3 into a ring-tone for your particular phone and posted a “How To” somewhere on the web. A simple Google search is in order here.
Once you know the specific format your phone requires, it is easy to make a ring-tone. Say your phone needs a .wav file less than 33khz and under 18 seconds in length. No problem, there are literally hundreds of free audio editors and converters available online. You simply choose the "in” and “out” points, save it at the required specs and send it to your handset. Other software is available at a nominal fee, such as Create-Ringtone from create-ringtone.com. This $20 piece of software allows you to create ring-tones, as well as wallpapers and send them to your phone. Open the song file, choose “in” and “out” points, preview it, save it at the appropriate settings and send it to your handset. That"s all there is to it, really. And, if you change phones, you have them all saved on your computer, just reload them.
Now, go plan the vacation you can take with all your savings.
