Thames Computers Blog

TechTip 001 – courtesy of Thames Computer Services’  IT Support London 

An Apple iPhone is a marvellous and desirable object in well >>>  oh so many respects.

The user interface is just stunning. It is brilliantly thought through with one simple button returning you to the main Icon menu with a single touch. A simple click over switch turns off ringing and well recessed volume and off buttons do their job well. It is also a sophisticated 3G and WiFi handheld device that also functions really well as a phone. Its touch screen works amazingly well to the slightest touch but ultimately this beautiful object is hamstrung by its proprietary and hidden operating system. This creates many drawbacks so lets look at one of them: The simple desire to use a song as a ringtone, something that almost every UK user will want to do.

Apple offers two solutions to this problem, neither of which actually work if you are a PC user in the UK.

Firstly, you can obtain their chosen software Garageband. This can reportedly be used to do the trick but guess what? It only runs on an Apple computer.

There is no Windows version (Doh)

Alternatively, you can do what Apple want you to do. Buy the song from them and then pay again to have it converted to a ring tone. Sounds easy and I was happy to do so BUT it still wasn’t possible because this service only exists on iTunes in the USA and not in the UK. Why not  >>> no idea, but if you live here and use an iPhone and a PC, there is no song ringtone solution for you.

Unless, that is you choose to hack it. So to save you a bit of time here is how I did it >>>

Warning do not not bother attempting this with a song bought from Apple as it will not work!

First get your chosen MP3 song loaded into iTunes 8. You can do this by ripping a CD you own using Windows media, first making sure the RIP options are set to create MP3 format files.

You will end up with a file called ”songname’ .MP3 – Note that on your actual song it will have the real songname e.g. rolloverbeethoven.mp3

Now import that song into iTunes library using the import file option in iTunes.

Find and highlight the song in iTunes with a right click on your PC, choose properties and edit the songs properties in iTunes so that the song is no more than 30 secs long.

Warning – Any longer and it will not sync across to your phone.

Next highlight your chosen song and choose create an AAC version from the drop down iTunes menus.

This will make a second song called rolloverbeethoven with a file extension of .MPA which is the Apple song format.

Now rather weirdly, highlight and delete the MPA song from iTunes but do NOT choose send to recycle bin.

Opt instead to keep it in iTunes which kind of orphans it there.

Now exit iTunes and use Windows search to find rolloverbeethoven.mpa

Rename it in Windows search to rolloverbeethoven.mpr

That is right, you guessed it, the r in that file extension is because .mpr is the ringtone format for iTunes and your iPhone.

Now just double click on it to open the file from Windows Search. This will cause iTunes to open and >>> it will move it to the iTunes ringtones folder automatically.

Now sync your iPhone with your PC and your new ringtime will sync over to the iPhone.

Choose your new ringtone on the phone and finally this ‘easy’ job is done.

Alternatively, you could avoid all such palarva by buying a touch phone with a decent operating system where you drill down into files and folders. One that isn’t being so restrictive to your use so they can sell you content. Windows Mobile 6.1 on a 3G/WiFi phone is just such an animal. An HTC Touch HD is a good phone choice with its big screen and TouchFlo skin but to be fair it still doesn’t 100% compete with that iPhone sexy user interface.

Come ON Microsoft, play to your strengths but lose the tired user interface.

Modernise it with some new ideas and take full advantage of 3G, WiFi and touch screen on todays phones.

It’s time for a new Windows mobile operating system.

Thames Computer Services provides IT Support in London.  We are a Microsoft Certified Partner and provide outsourced IT support and Microsoft support for corporates.  We undertake network monitoring, server monitoring and supply PC hardware and software, software integration services and network cabling.  Through outsourced IT support we can provide expert help in implementing Unified Communications and IP Convergence and supply appropriate hardware and software.  Network security is an essential element of our IT support London offer and we cover security issues such as virus detection, spam avoidence, firewall setup and management.