How to Make Custom IPhone Ringtones Without Paying Apple $2

Apple started selling iPhone ringtones for $2 apiece through its iTunes store last week, but if you aren't afraid of a little tinkering, you can get that "Hey Ya" or "Sexy Back" ringtone without shelling out the extra bucks.

Users have to pay Apple $1 for a song, plus an extra $1 to convert that song into a ringtone. Of course, hackers immediately set out to find a way to generate iPhone ringtones for free. In a classic game of cat and mouse, Apple has spent the last few days trying to block iPhone owners from installing free ringtones on their devices -- only to watch hackers come up with workarounds just hours after each patch is released.

Apple has continued to update its iTunes software (which syncs with the iPhone to add ringtones) to block the specific loopholes uncovered by the hackers. In fact, iTunes was updated almost immediately after the first loophole was uncovered Friday.

Despite Apple's best efforts, the chase continues. The most-popular desktop applications for installing custom ringtones were updated this weekend, in one case only hours after Apple updated its software to block them.

Mac users can rely on applications like iToner ($15 from Ambrosia Software), which is a full-featured ringtone manager for the iPhone. Windows users can get similar functionality from iPhoneRingtoneMaker ($15 from Efiko Software).

These options feature drag-and-drop ringtone management, including the ability to use just about any sound file and the option to set specific songs to play when specific people call. The latest iTunes update appears to have crippled iPhoneRingtoneMaker for some users, but the developers at Efiko are working on the problem. IToner is currently up to date.

http://www.wired.com/software/coolapps/news/2007/09/ringtone_hacks

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