Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Odds and ends, iPhone
Sony offers 1,000 ringtones for iPhone for 20 bucks. Pass.
Let's file this under 'really bad ideas done poorly.' Sony would like to sell you 1,000 ringtones, sound effects, and comedy voices on a data DVD that's just oh so ready to import into iTunes. Sony doesn't seem to offer a comparable product for other cellphones, like maybe the Sony Ericsson brand, so I can only conclude this is a plot by Sony to make iPhone owners look dumb when a call comes in.I listened to some of the samples on the Sony website, and the DVD seems to be a collection of bad and unmemorable production music, obnoxious sound effects, and jokey voices saying things like "Dude -- everybody keep your voice down, I think it's my Dad calling."
The musical ringtones I sampled sounded like a cross between dentist office music and some kind of horrible techno-rap mutation.
Ringtones are ways to personalize your phone, but these clips aren't personal and are often offensive. Sony has a demo installation video showing how to get the clips into your iPhone, and of course it's done on the Windows version of iTunes.
In the last few years, Sony seems to acting more and more clueless, and this is further evidence of the company losing touch with reality. The only thing that surprised me is that they aren't offering the collection on a Memory Stick, that proprietary piece of hardware Sony has been trying to push on the marketplace for more than 10 years.
There are a lot of ways to get ringtones on your iPhone -- GarageBand works well, there are plenty of third-party apps, and there's even a ringtone podcast -- but this Sony DVD shouldn't be one of them.
We're all compiling our holiday/Christmas gift ideas and lists. I might need to make a special list called 'don't buy me this or I'll kill you.'
Ringtones are ways to personalize your phone, but these clips aren't personal and are often offensive. Sony has a demo installation video showing how to get the clips into your iPhone, and of course it's done on the Windows version of iTunes.
In the last few years, Sony seems to acting more and more clueless, and this is further evidence of the company losing touch with reality. The only thing that surprised me is that they aren't offering the collection on a Memory Stick, that proprietary piece of hardware Sony has been trying to push on the marketplace for more than 10 years.
There are a lot of ways to get ringtones on your iPhone -- GarageBand works well, there are plenty of third-party apps, and there's even a ringtone podcast -- but this Sony DVD shouldn't be one of them.
We're all compiling our holiday/Christmas gift ideas and lists. I might need to make a special list called 'don't buy me this or I'll kill you.'
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Andre said 3:39PM on 11-04-2009
Their samples sound pretty lame. Not sure why anyone would pay anyone for a ringtone anyway.
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mark said 3:49PM on 11-04-2009
Never underestimate people who are not technically inclined. They'll pay just to get it now so they don't have to think too hard.
David said 5:29PM on 11-04-2009
Seems like a bit of an over the top Sony bash here:
1)..Sony doesn't seem to offer a comparable product for other cellphones..
Maybe thats because most other companies allow you to easily import ringtones (without paying). Lets face it the whole its "simple" and "it just works" thing is not true for iphone ringtones (unless you are willing to pay an Apple tax).
2)...Memory Stick, that proprietary piece of hardware Sony has been trying to push on the marketplace for more than 10 years.
I would hardly say that they were trying? They have successfully brought it to the market and there is no sign of it going anywhere soon. Minidisc and UMD on the other hand.
Sorry just had to right this as I thought the article stank of fanboy!
x23 said 10:29PM on 11-04-2009
"Maybe thats because most other companies allow you to easily import ringtones (without paying)."
huh? i have imported numerous ringtones on my iPhone without paying or doing anything remotely mind-blowingly technical.
open a song (or whatever audio file). edit down to :40 long or shorter (which i would do anyway... who wants every ringtone to be a song starting at 0:00? ... you want the hook/chorus 99% of the time). save as a ringtone-able AAC file (.m4r)... drag onto iPhone next time you sync.
i used GB just because it has autotronic ringtone exporting... but you could do it with Audacity as well. (export as AAC... change extension to .m4r)
pretty much the opposite of difficult. tons of easy tutorials allllll over the web. but if that still flexes your neurons a bit far... Apple will also sell you a ringtone. every phone i have used has been this way. do it yourself with varying levels of difficulty... or buy one.
FWIW... it was *massively easier* getting a usable ringtone on my iPhone than it was on my previous Sony Ericsson.
FantomRedux said 6:14PM on 11-05-2009
@x23
you can so the editing from within iTunes.
Just right click the song (or option click or whatever Macs do)
[Get Info ]
Pick the the Options tab
Edit the song with the Start Time/End Time boxes, click OK
Right click again, then pick Make AAC version
When it's done right click the file, and go to Find in Windows Explorer/Finder
Rename the file to .m4r file instead of .m4a
Import into iTunes, and it's automatically in the Ringtones Section on your library
Just make sure you remember to unedit the original song, its not permanent and you just need to untick the checkboxes next to the options.
Chris Mc said 3:58PM on 11-04-2009
Actually the DVD contains all the audio files in M4R and MP3 format so they are marketing it at all devices (although the idea of the DVD is still a bit bemusing).
http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS139252+04-Nov-2009+PRN20091104
Article correction time?
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smak said 3:54PM on 11-04-2009
Somebody hates Sony... and grammar:
"... Sony seems to acting more and more clueless"
- be -
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johnson412 said 4:00PM on 11-04-2009
Garageband? Third party apps? Ringtone podcast?
Or, you could just, you know... use iTunes itself.
http://theappleblog.com/2008/08/07/free-custom-iphone-ringtones-using-only-itunes/
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Jimbot said 4:02PM on 11-04-2009
I looked at this earlier today. The really funny thing is that they have sample sound clips you can listen to - in either Real format or Windows Media format. Uh, no.
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Ryan said 4:10PM on 11-04-2009
Death to ringtones. Use SILENT/VIBRATE!
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lostgame said 4:17PM on 11-04-2009
Ahaha - I like how 'garageband' is tagged in this post. =P
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twoeightnine said 4:19PM on 11-04-2009
So it's like an extended collection of the ringtones that Apple included with the iPhone.
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THJ said 6:47PM on 11-04-2009
'don't buy me this or I'll kill you.'
Haha, that should be a preset wish list on Amazon.
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brett_x said 7:31PM on 11-04-2009
Holy shit. They included "Yeah boeyyyyyyy!" from 1991. This is either a prank or they've totally lost their minds.
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Jordan said 8:08PM on 11-04-2009
"I can only conclude this is a plot by Sony to make iPhone owners look dumb when a call comes in."
Or maybe it's just Sony trying to make a buck off iPhone owners who will spend money?
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James Burton said 8:46AM on 11-05-2009
Oh Sony, you never fail to amuse.
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