Chunghwa announces personal ring-back tones

Chunghwa Telecom yesterday announced it will offer personalized ring-back tones, according to the China Post.

A ringback tone allows the mobile user to personalize the ringing sound that your caller hears when dialling your cell phone numbe. It's a feature for cell phones pionereed by SK Telecom, Korea's largest mobile operator, which has been a tremendous success.

A female office worker, for example, can record a ring-back tone saying she is not able to pick her kids up. Her children will get the message when calling her.

Besides recording their own ring-back tones, Chunghwa Telecom users can choose from a wide array of musical or verbal content available for download. The selections include some of today's most popular Chinese pop songs and sayings by famous real or fictional characters.

I really love this feature for cell phones, and have opened a special section on ringbacks in this blog, linking to everything I find on this subject. If anyone knows of any US or European companies planning on offering ring-back tones, please let me know.

Motorola Partners With DJs, MTV

Celebrity DJs will be hawking Motorola cell phones in a new TV campaign and when performing at Motorola-sponsored events. Paul Van Dyk, Felix Da Housecat and DJ Collette, have teamed up with Motorola to contribute exclusive content for Motorola's C350 handset, reports Peter Landau in Technology Marketing.

Five brand new tracks from the DJs are available to purchase and download from hellomoto.com. The ringtones will be preloaded on the Motorola C330, C350 and T720 handsets.

Motorola is also enabling handset owners to become their own remixers with the Motomixer facility, embedded in the C350 handset and also online.

The tool allows users to remix tracks on their handsets and online -- choose a track and then manipulate the bassline, drums and samples to create a whole new tune. Once finished, their VIP mix can be downloaded to any polyphonic-enabled handset, according to Peter Landau.

Ringtone Search offered by Airtel India

India's largest mobile operator, Airtel, has announced the launch of Ring-N-Fun, an interactive content service that lets subscribers search for ringtones based on a song's title, according to Unstrung.

Musical SMS : The Cellular Jockey idea

After Disc Jockeys and Video Jockeys, India is all set to have CJs or Cellular Jockeys, with a leading cellular company offering its users the facility of sending personalised short musical messages to their loved ones, according to The Industan Times.

Idea Cellular Limited is offering it's subscribers to listen and dedicate songs to their loved ones, anywhere in India on their cell phones. The user also has an option to send a personalized message along with the dedicated song.

Legally Blonde 2 ringtone

MIDIiringtones, a webiste discovered thanks to Mobile Tracker, offers standard and plyphonic versions of the Hail to the Chief ringtone from summer blockbuster Legally Blonde 2, featuring Reese Witherspoon.

Nokia Rings In The School Year With Music/Messaging Phone

If Nokia has anything to say about it, kids will decide a wireless handset integrating music and messaging is something they can't leave home without, according to Wireless Week via Moco News.

"The Nokia 3300 music phone sports an MP3/AAC player, FM stereo radio and a full messaging keypad. The FM stereo offers 20 preset stations and up to 10 hours of music play. When a call comes in, the player will pause the music and return to the same beat when the call ends.

Nokia plans to add a RealNetworks' RealOne plug-in to enable users to manage their music, burn CDs, record MP3 files and gain access to RealOne's jukebox functions. When available, the RealOne plug-in will be available for download free-of-charge via real.com.

The music phone is available at Cingular retail stores and nokia.com/us. Nokia expects to offer the handset through more carriers across North America and South America in the near future".

"Free ringtone of the month" on yourmobile.com

This is the first time I have seen a ringtone provider give away a ringtone, and on a monthly basis besides. Nice. Check out yourmobile.com which offers a "free ringtone of the month". Available for download right now, "Go with the Flow" by Queens of the Stone Age.

Bollywood has more fun. Good night — sweet screams!

According to the India Tribune, a new Bollywood horror film, Cheeeeekhein, is being launched in a big way, with some novel promotional ideas:

-- Cheeeeekhein candies — "Just one bite will give you a fright".

-- The Khooni Gudiya, a doll which squirts blood from its mouth when you press its belly button.

-- "The Loudest Scream" contest held in different cities, tests your lungpower — scream loudly enough and become the proud owner of a life-size skeleton.

-- A music album, which has no songs but a compilation of eerie tunes and screams, a creaking door, a shrieking bell, a mewing cat is also available as -- you got -- downloadable ringtones.

Cingular Wireless launched «Super Tones»

Cingular Wireless has introduced the next generation of wireless downloadable ringtones -- «Super Tones». Incorporating voice, sound and real music tones, Super Tones are more realistic and fun than previous options, allowing Cingular customers to personalize their phones with a choice of more than 400 high-quality sounds that are recordings of celebrity voices, chart topping songs, sound effects and audio clips, according to a company press release.

Cingular Wireless subscribers currently can select, preview and download Super Tones via the web at cingularextras.com

110 million ringtones being downloaded each month in Japan in 2002

The Japanese Society for the Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers reported a doubling of ringtone sales in 2002 over the previous year, with an average of 110 million ringtones being downloaded each month, according to Silicon.com.