I just read Gruber's analysis of Apple's fore into the nasty ringtone business, and I have to agree with him. But I wonder if he's aware that some phones already allow owners to use their own sound files as ringtones - with a catch - you have to tolerate Redmond's finest on your phone.
I own an HTC Wizard, better known in the States as the Cingular 8125, and it's running Windows Mobile 5. One of the first things I checked after I purchased the phone was whether I could use my own music for my ringer. It turns out I can - anything that Windows Media Player can play (so it seems) can be used as a ringtone, including .WAV files I record on the phone myself. This is why when my buddy Dave calls I hear my crappy impression of Sol Rosenberg.
I imagine a number of consumers would consider the iPhone more favorably if they knew they could create and/or use their own ringtones natively. I can't, however, imagine many people who's opinion of a Treo or Blackjack would be affected by the ability to choose any song to play when a friend calls. Wow, I can hear my favorite Big Wreck song when Valerie dials me...but hooray...I'm still using Microsoft's clunky mobile platform on my hardware.
As crappy as Apple chose to handle ringtones, I still look forward to replacing my "smart phone" with an iPhone in the future...even if I have to futz around to hear my own music when somebody calls.
I own an HTC Wizard, better known in the States as the Cingular 8125, and it's running Windows Mobile 5. One of the first things I checked after I purchased the phone was whether I could use my own music for my ringer. It turns out I can - anything that Windows Media Player can play (so it seems) can be used as a ringtone, including .WAV files I record on the phone myself. This is why when my buddy Dave calls I hear my crappy impression of Sol Rosenberg.
I imagine a number of consumers would consider the iPhone more favorably if they knew they could create and/or use their own ringtones natively. I can't, however, imagine many people who's opinion of a Treo or Blackjack would be affected by the ability to choose any song to play when a friend calls. Wow, I can hear my favorite Big Wreck song when Valerie dials me...but hooray...I'm still using Microsoft's clunky mobile platform on my hardware.
As crappy as Apple chose to handle ringtones, I still look forward to replacing my "smart phone" with an iPhone in the future...even if I have to futz around to hear my own music when somebody calls.