
So, everyone is still buzzing about the Palm Pre - even after finding out no multitasking with Sprint and that they have exclusive until the end of 2009. Gotta love it. Make a new phone and use last century’s phone technology. (I wonder why the design boys at Palm didn’t make the Pre black with a rotary dial to complete the immediate obsolescence theme.) Anyway, some may be holding on to their cash until a GSM model is seen with a viable Palm as the producer. Others may be waiting with anxious, frequent checks of the internet for news of their new “precious.” They will buy before try and can’t wait to part with their cash. Still others see no reason to upgrade as the Treo in hand is a great model. For the holders and the waiters and the keepers, what might be a GREAT bit of software to spice up our present beloved handheld? Looking for a bit of fun without the heavy hit to the wallet? Then Ringo from electricpocket.com is for you. Ringo is a small, easy to use program that uses any MP3 file as a ring tone or an SMS alert. Better yet, Ringo allows the owner to use custom ring tones or SMS alerts for any person in the contacts list OR even a whole category of people. Getting calls from swabbies from the local naval base? Make a category that plays
Popeye the Sailor Man. Your university-aged kids are calling, again. You know why. So make their ring tone the intro to Abba’s
Money Money. Mother-in-law? Theme from
Friday the 13th. (For those with a great in-law like mine, try Handel’s
Hallelujah chorus). Personally, I was able to switch from a less exciting MIDI file of
Phantom of the Opera as the default tone to the real deal from the movie - a full orchestra cut from the opening scenes. Those with good MIDI files still can use them via Ringo so no loss here. Now, many Treo owners know how to port a MIDI file into the Treo’s main memory for use, but this can fill that memory too fast. Ringo can use any MP3 or MIDI file on the expansion card. Got an 8 or 16GB model? Then the choices are endless. Just rip a tune from your CDs or borrow a file from a friendly, almost, nearly, might-be legal download site and load it onto your expansion card by transfer from your computer. electricpocket.com also has definitely legal tunes for free to download.
Card Reader by mobile-stream is a great choice here once the tune is on the computer waiting to be transferred to the expansion card. (What no expansion slot? You already must have one of those upcoming Palm Pre’s. No expansion slot and CDMA technology. Wow. Maybe they also plan a really long extension cord to power it for continuous use.) Let’s say you are one of those people who for whatever reason never bought a Palm or abandoned the Palm OS. Now you say, “What have I done? Easy to use ring tone software and me without a Palm OS machine. What is my hope?” First, take a deep breath. Then, count to ten, or as close to ten as you know how. The friendly folks at electricpocket.com have not abandoned you. Ringo comes in many flavors: Palm OS, Centro, Windows Mobile, Blackberry, and even Android. Still not completely convinced? My Treo 680 is loaded with all manner of software, and I found no conflicts. Now that’s a tribute to the Ringo writers, no? Still want more convincing? Ringo can be used for free for up to seven days, then you must buy it. At $29.95, that sure beats an expensive 2-year contract. Go ahead. Try it, and then buy it when you see how easy and how good the software is.
Get is all after the jump.