There are free ringtones available for most carriers although many program their phones so you can't take advantage. However, you can still get your hands on Free Ringtones by downloading them to your computer first and then transferring them via usb, bluetooth, memory card, etc.
What Is A Ringtone?
A ringtone is a sound your phone makes when there is an incoming call. With the advancement in technology, it is possible to have any sound as your ringtone. With so many people using cell phones these days, have a distinct ringtone will help you identify your phone when it rings.
There are many ways to get ringtones onto your phone. The easiest is to download them directly from a ringtone provider (See List At Top Of Page). In some cases, your phone carrier may not allow downloads from third party companies so you will need to load them from your PC. Here is what you will need:
IR- Infrared to PC transfer. Pretty slow and rarely used anymore. But you may still have a phone with infrared connectivity where this will be an option.
Bluetooth- This more widely acceptable format is available on most phones. Your handsfree device is no doubt driven by Bluetooth. However, many PCs, unless they are a laptopm do not have Bluetooth built in. However, most MACs do come with Bluetooth technology.
USB- More common is via your USB port. Most phones have a sync cable of some sort that plugs into the bottom of the phone and connects to your PC via USB. In this case, your device will probably show up as a storage device on your computer provided you have the proper software installed.
In all of these cases, you will need to have software installed in order to transfer the actual ringtone file to your phone. In some cases it is as easy as locating the rington folder and dropping the file right into it. Either way, if you want ringtones on your phone, there is always a way, no matter what phone or carrier you have.
Making Your Own Ringtones For Free
Making your own ringtones may prove to be the most thrifty way to get ringtones onto your phone, and it won't cost you anything. The only things you will need are songs, a free audio editing program like Audacity, an MP3 encoder for Audacity, and a way to transfer the songs to your phone.
Download Audacity and the DLL from the MP3 Encoder link. Save the DLL in a permanent location.
Next you will install Audacity. After it is installed, open it and go to the preferences. Under the MP3 Export section, browse the library for the DLL file you saved.
Make a copy of the MP3 file and put it somewhere you can find it.
Open it in Audacity and use the editing tools to find and cut out the 20 or so seconds you want for your ringtone.
Add things like fade in and fade out if you want from the effects.
Export the file as an MP3 and then add it to your phone.
Lastly, set the new file as your custom ringtone. Voila, a free ringtone for your phone.
Ringtones are a great way to distinguish your phone from the stock Verizon or AT&T ringtones and a fun way to show off your favorite tunes. Enjoy!!
