Ringtones

Q:
Can you give me some information on transferring ringtones from my computer to my cell phone?

A:
There is a lot of information out there about this topic, so I will just give you a basic overview. First of all, just in case some don't know, a ringtone is the sound a cell phone makes when someone receives a call. It's just like the ringer on your home phone, except cell phones have a wide range of different tones to choose from. Most cell phones today can be set to any song, melody or jingle.

You can get ringtones on the Internet and transfer them from your computer to your cell phone. There are several Web sites available for downloading ringtones. You can go to any regular search engine site (like Google or Yahoo!) and type in "ringtones" in the search box. This query will bring up several sites. Some of the sites may offer free downloads and some may not (because of copyrights, etc.), but either way, you will have plenty of tones to look through on any of these sites.

Most of the Web sites will have you enter your phone number so you will be able to download the ringtone to your computer. Some may also have you call a number or enter a code. It just depends on their terms of service. The most important step is getting your phone in sync with your computer. Synchronization is the process of connecting an external peripheral (the cell phone) to a computer and matching updates. This is usually done to help keep the phone's data backed up and updated.

Once you are synchronized, your cell phone will probably come up as a folder under your My Computer icon. You can then open it up and drag the downloaded ringtones to the folder, so they will be put on your phone.

You can also use a ringtone converter, which usually can be found as a download by doing a simple search for that as well. Or, if you have an MP3 player, you can also convert those songs to your cell phone.

Of course, this process may be different for all models of cell phones, but this is a basic guide. You'll want to refer to your manual for any additional questions about synchronization and converting, or contact the manufacturer of your phone.

~ Erin