But a new service from the Ring Factory may have changed my tune, literally and figuratively.
Using this software, I uploaded an MP3 of a song or sound effect or anything else, took a digital slice, and then sent it to my cell phone.
Here's what sold me on giving it a try: My son David has a summer internship in New York at . I thought it would be fun to put a snippet of Shel Silverstein's ditty, "The Cover of the Rolling Stone," the 1973 hit performed by Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show that actually landed the group on the pub's cover, on my phone as a ringtone.
Ring Factory made editing and uploading the snippet from my PC to my phone carrier easy. Within seconds, I got a short message from Ring Factory telling me to go online to download the ringtone on my phone. Several steps were involved, but the process was simple.
I can even send David a copy of the ringtone. Ring Factory software also makes it a snap to send images from my hard drive to my cell phone.
Ring Factory is a subscription service: $ for six months and $ per year for one phone. The software can be downloaded from .net. Ring Factory supports Windows XP, 2000, ME and 98. MAC owners use Virtual PC.
Ring Factory works on a wide variety of Internet-enabled phones - - Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, Sanyo, Panasonic, Sony Ericsson -- from major providers, including Cingular, Verizon, Sprint PCS, T-Mobile and more. Carriers may charge for the uploads.
Meanwhile, I have set my ringtone at a moderate level. Don't want to disturb the other grouches.
