Making your own ringtones not only saves you money, but also gives you a small sense of pride, accomplishment, and self-worth.

The easiest way to get ringtones onto your computer is using Bluetooth. Your phone and computer both need to have Bluetooth capabilities for this to work. If your phone doesn't have Bluetooth, you are pretty much out of luck. Make it a point to demand Bluetooth on your next cellphone. [While you may be able to transfer ringtones using a data cable specific to your phone or via WAP/the mobile web with an unlimited data plan, neither of those topics are covered here.]

Don't worry, however, if your computer does not have Bluetooth (most don't). You'll just need something like this Bluetooth USB dongle (only $8.50 with free shipping ). Besides the low price, this specific adapter looks like a good choice because it is compatible with the native Bluetooth stack in Windows. This means that you won't need to worry about any drivers -- just plug the device into any XP or Vista computer and it will magically just work (like a USB flash drive does).

The first time you connect your computer and your phone via Bluetooth, it is necessary to go through a pairing process. Right click on the Bluetooth icon in the system tray, next to the time and choose Add a Bluetooth Device.

The Bluetooth wizard appears. Now it is necessary to make your cellphone discoverable so it can be found by the computer. Navigate your phone's menus to enable Bluetooth and make your device visible (this is sometimes called "Find Me"). Once your phone is discoverable, check the box labeled My device is set up and ready to be found in the Bluetooth wizard on the computer and click Next. Your computer will now begin searching for Bluetooth devices, and your mobile phone should appear in the list shortly. Select the device and click Next. If your device does not appear, refer to your phone's user manual for instructions on ensuring Bluetooth is enabled and that the phone is discoverable.


On the next screen, leave the default Choose a passkey for me option selected. Windows will begin the pairing process and will display a passkey of random numbers on the screen. Your phone should prompt you about connecting with your PC and ask for the passkey. Type the numbers on your phone as they appear on your screen. Windows will then perform some additional set up and your phone will be ready to use! Once your phone has been paired with your computer, you won't need to repeat these steps again.


To trim songs into 30-second clips, download Audacity. It's free and also lets you apply cool effects like adjusting speed, pitch, and volume. Using Audacity is left as an exercise for the reader. Play around with the options and trimming until you get the part of the song you wish to use as a ringtone, then simply choose File > Export. This will allow you to save your clip as an MP3 file.

Once you have your desired ringtone as an MP3 file, open My Computer. Depending on your make and model of cellphone, you may be able to directly send this MP3 file to your cellphone (this works for most Motorola phones, such as the ubiquitous Razr). For my Samsung m510, I found that the file must first be renamed to have a .3g2 extension. Search the Internet for tips about your specific phone model. To transfer the file to your phone, simply drag and drop.