Ringtones

From TreoCentral

Contents 1 Treo 600/650/700p/680 1.1 Usable Sound Files 1.2 Installing 1.3 Deleting 1.4 Using Sounds/Ringtones 1.4.1 Phone Ringtones 1.4.1.1 Generic 1.4.1.2 Caller-Specific 1.4.2 Calendar Alarms

Treo 600/650/700p/680

Usable Sound Files

Several types of files can be installed to the Sounds database for use as ringtones or alarms: MIDI (.mid), WAVE (.wav), AMR Narrowband (.amr) and QCELP (.qcp). (The Treo 600 can only use MIDI.)

• MIDI files must be Standard MIDI Files of "Format 0" (one track), smaller than 64kB. Treos implement a limited number of instruments, so some parts of the music may be missing.
• WAVE files are usually uncompressed, and so can take up a lot of storage space.
• AMR Narrowband and QCELP formats are used by many mobile phones. Many websites which provide ring tones provide them in one of these formats. They compress voice very well, but the quality of music may suffer.

See WAV Ringtones for information on converting audio files to an acceptable WAVE file.

It is also possible to use other file formats, such as MP3, with third party software.

Installing

There are several methods to install sound files.

• Blazer or other web browser
  • Find a URL for the file on the net.
  • Type the URL into Blazer.
  • A window will ask you if you want to download it. Click yes.
  • When download is complete another window will appear asking if you want to open or save the ringtone. Click save.
  • A save window will appear asking if you want to change the filename. Change it to whatever you wish, then click OK. You have successfully saved the ringtone into the Sounds database (ringtone manager).

• Attach the file(s) to an e-mail and send it to your Treo (as long as your email application supports attachments). Follow the install instructions as in the previous item.

The following methods have an advantage in that they do not use data minutes.

• Copy the file(s) onto an SD or MMC card using a card reader, SoftTick's Card Export, Palm File Browser, or The Missing Sync. Then, either:
  • Navigate to the file in VFS Exchange, select "Sounds" from the pop-up menu and tap the "Import" button.
  • Navigate to the file in Blazer using the following address: file:///folder/yourmidifile.mid.

• HotSync the file(s), after setting up a mapping for the extension .mid using Peter Monko's CardDirectories preference panel, and proceed as in "Copy the file(s) onto an SD card".

• Infrared or Bluetooth from another Treo's Sounds database
  • On the sending Treo
    • Run the Sounds application
    • Tap Tones, then Manage
    • Select the sound
    • Tap Send
    • Select Beam or Bluetooth, and OK
    • (if Bluetooth, select target handheld)
  • On the receiving Treo
    • Align the IR port or turn on Bluetooth, as appropriate
    • When transfer is complete, accept the sound

• Infrared or Bluetooth from VFS on another Palm OS device
  • On the sending handheld
    • Run FileZ, Resco Explorer, or VFS Exchange
    • Navigate to the sound file
    • Tap the Send button (FileZ or Resco Explorer) or Action|Send menu item (VFS Exchange)
    • Select Beam or Bluetooth, and OK
    • (if Bluetooth, select target handheld)
  • On the receiving Treo
    • Align the IR port or turn on Bluetooth, as appropriate
    • When transfer is complete, accept the sound

• Various methods involving converting the file into a .pdb and using the Palm Desktop Installer to synchronize the file to your Treo. This method requires additional software to convert the MIDI file however and is very time consuming.

Deleting

Q: When I upgrade from 180 to 600, how do I delete old ringtone files (mid)? A: The Treo 180 and 270 keep the MIDI and Alarms sounds under a file called "System MIDI Sounds" and another file called "System Ring Tones". You can delete them via FileZ or FileCaddy.

Using Sounds/Ringtones

If you have already installed your ringtones you can use them by following the steps below...

Phone Ringtones

Generic

1. Open the phone application and click the Menu button.
2. Select Options -> Sound Preferences to bring up the sound preferences dialog.
3. Under Application -> Phone tap the Tones radio button to bring up the ringtones controls.
4. To assign a ringtone for Known Caller, Unknown Caller, Roaming or Voicemail simply tap the appropriate popup menu and select the ringtone you wish to use.

If you wish to play, re-name, or send a ringtone to another phone, tap the Manage button at the bottom right of the Sound Preferences window to open the ringtone management application.

Caller-Specific

1. Open the phone application and click the Menu button.
2. Select "Edit Favorites Pages..."
3. Select the Favorites buttont you want to assign to the person
4. In the resulting dialog, set the Type to "Speed Dial"
5. Tap the Lookup button to use a contact from your Contacts database, or enter thae Label and Number manually.
6. From the Ringtones popup, select the ringtone for this person.
7. Tap OK
8. Tap Done

Calendar Alarms

1. Run Calendar
2. Tap the menu item Options|Sound Preferences...
3. Tap the Tones radio button
4. Tap the Alarm Sound or Reminder Sound popup button
5. Select the sound from the popup list