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According to BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.) ringtones sales are slowly dropping from the $600 million mark reached in 2006. Since then, Apple has released the iPhone. With the release of the iPhone come questions from users as to how their ring tones will differ from other cell phone ringtones on the market. As you will find out, Apple has an uphill challenge ahead of them trying to convince consumers to throw out their old and make way for the new.
The ringtones for iPhones come in .m4r that differs from other ringtones out on the market. Most ringtones come in .mp3, .mp4 and .wav formats just to name a few. There are places where you can buy .m4r ringtones and other places that offer free ones. You can also convert your previous ringtones formats to the .m4r format. There are softwares available that allow, this such as the Ambrosia Software iToner. There are many different companies coming along to offer features that iPhone and iTunes don’t currently offer. It is no surprise to see entrepreneurs get inventive and make something ringtone related.
At one point Apple blocked free ringtones from being added to the iPhone through Itunes. This has caused many hackers to accept the challenge and get into the iPhone ringtone game. They have managed to figure out multiple ways users can add their own ringtones for free. The way Apple has it set up makes a user pay to add ringones they already have. If they don’t have the ringtone, they have to pay for that and the cost of converting the song into a ringtone. In order to get ringtones the proper way, you have to use Apple’s iTunes software. Only the newer versions of iTunes have the.m4r ringtone capabilities, older versions simply won’t work. Each ringtone is roughly 99 cents available from the US iTunes store with over 500,000 ringtones to choose from. Again, an additional charge is added for converting previously owned ringtones not in the .m4r format. Since many seasoned savvy internet users know how to create their own ringtones, this is just absurd. People have already invested in programs and pay sites that offer ringtones in various formats. For some, it just isn’t worth the price or the hassle to switch to Apple’s model. These types of product versus consumer battles usually lead to a compromise on the manufactures part.
One method of getting ringtones is done by renaming the song format to the .m4r extension. So if you already have a .AAC ringtone, you just need to rename the file to songname.m4r. I wouldn’t be surprised in the least bit if newer iTunes versions allowed users to add any type of ringtones for free. Apple has had similar wars with people unlocking their iPhones so that they carry other cell carriers’ networks. This sort of corporate greed disillusions consumers who may want to try new products but not have to re adjust their lives in the process. Why not just allow all iPhone users to continue to use the current ringtone technology they have been using instead of trying to get a monopoly on the ringtone market? Surely Apple isn’t desperate for profits to the point where they have to charge to add and convert ringtones! It is a cellular phone after all and ringtones are here to stay. Apple needs to separate their iPod from their iPhone brand and stop this iPhone ringtone madness. Here is a How to guide for making your own Free Custom iPhone Ringtones Using Only iTunes. I think this link might help you all.
Apple Launches its brand new Gadget; Apple iRack. From the line of the ‘i’ technology; iPod, iPhone, iMac, iBook comes the newest gadget launched by Apple, the iRack.
QuickTime is a popular media software that digitally produces live video and audio or pre-recorded clips. It’s very useful when you want to reach a live audience and ideal for delivery of pre-recorded media. It works with Windows or MacIntosh platforms; this Apple product is downloaded free of charge by hundreds of thousands of people every day and is used for both personal and profession presentations.
Its simple interface makes QuickTime easy to use. Viewers’ experiences to past audio and video with the track-based format that allows you to mix video with still images and insert text and audio in a single production. Creating a presentation with QuickTime is easy and enjoyable, and it supports nearly any audio or video format. You can even put live events online that are professional quality, on the net, a desktop or even a cell phone. Since QuickTime supports so many languages such as Automator and Applescript, it’s available to everyone.
You can enjoy movies or audio using QuickTime with your Apple television or transfer them to an iPhone or iPod. You have nothing to setup since the software adjusts itself to your connection speed and bandwidth. And if you lose your internet access, QuickTime will re-connect when you’re back online. Using the most recent developments in file compression, QuickTime can keep files small while maintaining quality for portable media or high definition playback devices. The software lets you adjust the audio to the levels that are enjoyable to you, not everyone else! Like more bass in your music? Go ahead and adjust it to your taste with the easy to use sliders. You can set the brightness, color and other visuals just the way you want it. You can even play things at half speed or increase it three times with the Job Shuttle, which is great for searching individual frames.
QuickTime has such superior quality and ease of use, you’d never guess it was free software that’s used by record numbers of people for both personal and professional use.
Now you might want to know how to get a QuickTime Pro 7. Well its very simple, first download a free version of QuickTime and install it. Then, watch the Youtube video located below, it shows all the steps needed to upgrade the free version of QuickTime to QuickTime Pro. Its that easy.
After you have upgraded your QuickTime Free version to QuickTime Pro, you might want to read through these QuickTime Pro Tutorials to know how to Harness the power of QuickTime Pro. Here are some additional QuickTime Components which will extent your QuickTime Pro’s capabilities.
The New Apple iPod Nano - Nano Chromatic is here. The previous version of iPod Nano looked like a smaller version of iPod Video. It was great but this one looks even more beautiful. For people who enjoy watching video in their iPod and the previous iPod Nano, the screen size featured in the iPod Nano Chromatic is a bit bigger than the previous version of iPod Nano (third gen) and has a wide screen display. The iPod Nano Chromatic comes with a larger size storage capacity than its predecessors. iPod Nano Chromatic boasts an 8GB and 16GB versions with many many colors to choose from.
iPod Nano Chromatic comes with a new aluminum body. A brand new feature has been added to the new iPod Nano, it now has an accelerometer and detects when you are watching movies and videos in landscape mode just like in iPod Touch and iPhone. Another brand new features added to iPod Nano is called “Shake to Shuffle” and with this feature you can change to shuffle mode without pressing any buttons, just shake your iPod Nano as the feature name is called and it turns to shuffle mode. The last new feature you can see in iPod Nano Chromatic is called “Genius”. This feature will try to analyze your musical taste and propose songs accordingly. I haven’t tried it yet so, don’t know if its effective or not. See all the features of iPod Nano Chromatic here. The battery life has improved and now it supports 24 hours of audio playback and 4 hours of video playback.
You can get an Apple iPod Nano Chromatic 8GB version for $149 and an Apple iPod Nano Chromatic 16GB version for $199. iPod Nano Chromatic is available in nine colors. All other technical specifications are the same as the iPod Nano Third Gen except for the features I wrote above. You can buy an iPod Nano Chromatic right here on Apple’s online store for the above price or Buy an Apple iPod Nano Chromatic 8 GB Black Version for $134.99. You can choose from all nine colors available plus an Apples Exlusive Product Red version which should satisfy everyone now, in terms or color.
The iPhone, from apple computers, is the company’s first major venture into the mobile phone market and like all other apple products, this phone has also been able to make a place for itself in the market. To put it very simply, the iPhone is the talk of the town and everybody with a big enough pocket, is itching to get his/her hands on one of this beauties. The craze is fully justified as the Apple’s iPhone packs in a whole lot of powerful features along with its sleek design. The interface and design of the phone makes it extremely user-friendly and fun to use as well.The iPhone packs in a host of features and is a very useful, productive as well as fun tool. Although user friendly, the iPhone needs to be set up and configured properly before the user can fully utilize its host of features. Setting up the iPhone is quick and easy, so let us quickly go through the steps for setting up an iPhone.
Install iTunes -
Go to Apple’s website to download the correct version of iTunes for your computer. From this page, select your operating system and begin the download by clicking the download button. Once iTunes has downloaded, find the download file, double click it and follow the on-screen directions. This will install iTunes for you.
Create iTunes store account -
To set up and use your iPhone you will need an iTunes account . To create the account open iTunes and go to the iTunes store and click on sign in. Click on create a new account and fill the form that pops up and then agree to the terms and conditions. Next, enter the information for the way you want to pay for purchases at the iTunes Store. This can be a credit card, debit card, or PayPal account. Be sure to enter the billing address for your card and the security code from the back then continue. This sets up your iTunes account.
Activate the iPhone -
- Unpack the iPhone and set it in the included dock then connect the dock to the computer. This opens the installation screen. Select yourself as new customer on the screen and proceed. The next step is whether you want to use an existing number for the phone or do you want a new number? Since you are a new user ask for a new number and continue.
- Next, iTunes will ask you what service plan you wish to use with your iPhone. Select one by clicking the button next to it at the top of the screen and click continue. Now, iTunes will ask you to sign into your Apple ID/iTunes Account. Enter your username and password for the iTunes store account and log in.
- On the next screen confirm your personal and billing information and agree to the terms and conditions. Now a screen will pop up which will confirm the information entered by you if there are any changes to be made then click on ‘back ‘ otherwise click on the ‘submit’ button to activate the iPhone. This activates the iPhone and the next pop screen provides the new number for the phone. When this happens the iPhone’s screen will light up and a message will be displayed saying that the iPhone is now activated.
Syncing the iPhone -
Your iPhone is now activated and ready for use. But now you should sync the iPhone with your computer to add your contacts, calendar, music, and videos. This will happen automatically or you can do it manually, although automatic is recommended.
So now we know how to set up the iPhone and activate it. After finishing this tutorial you have a full idea of activating the iPhone but there are plenty more features in the iPhone to see and enjoy. Have fun exploring the iPhone and its features.
PS: I will be writing an article on the New Apple’s iPhone 3G soon.
Apple only produce quality products. I love what they have done to the portable music player industry. I have an iPod which I bought about a year ago (iPod Video 5.5 Gen). I have never been so satisfied with any other technological gadget. A friend of mine owns an Apple AirPort Extreme and he is more than satisfied with its performance. It is slick, small and does the job perfectly well. Apple AirPort Extreme is a wireless base station which is good for both personal use, business use and even for schools. Fifty users can connect using the AirPort Extreme Base Station using Wi-Fi technology (using IEEE 802.11 n standard). Apple AirPort Extreme also has three ethernet ports which can be used to connect computers to the network using Wires (using IEEE 802.3 standard). IEEE 802.11n is still on its development phase but it doesn’t pose a problem at all. EEE 802.11n is a good option because it can be used with all EEE 802.11a, EEE 802.11b and EEE 802.11g standards.
Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station also has a USB port which you can use to connect printers and hard drives. You can plug-in your external hard drive and share the space with all the computers connected to this network. For sharing your printer, you can use the USB 2.0 port and use AirPort Extreme Base Station power to print documents wirelessly. from any computers within your network. You won’t have to worry about any computer other than in your network connect to your network as the AirPort Extreme Base Station uses the industry standard encryption technologies such as WPA/WPA2 and 128-bit WEP which will secure your wireless network from intruders. You will have to use a AirPort Extreme utility software to configure your Apple Router which is very simple and easy to use and after you have configure your AirPort Extreme, no one can connect to your network without entering the correct password.
Apple’s AirPort Extreme also includes a built-in firewall which will keep you safe from the dangerous world of the World Wide Web. AirPort Extreme’s built-in firewall is automatically turned on. This Apple Router works with both Mac’s and PC’s so there won’t be any compatibility issues with the computer platform or your WiFi card. The cost of an Apple AirPort Extreme is not that high, you can buy an AirPort Extreme for $180 plus there is no shipping cost. You won’t be disappointed at all, it works flawlessly. Here are some of the features found on an Apple’s AirPort Extreme Base Station:
802.11n Wi-Fi wireless networking
MIMO (Multiple In Multiple Out) smart antennas
dual-band antennas for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies
Does anyone want to win and iPod touch?? I do, so for that reason alone, I decided to write this post. It is very easy to enter int his iPod Touch giveaway contest, the only thing you need to do is write a blog post on any of your blogs (PR doesn’t matter). If you don’t have a blog, don’t worry you can still enter in this contest. Just subscribe to Marketing Pilgrim’s blog and you will be entered in their iPod Touch Giveaway Contest (Visit this link to find out more about this iPod Touch contest).
You can win a 16GB version of iPod Touch if you place a link to this contest via Twitter message or include it in a blog post. For a 32GB version of iPod Touch, you will need to do both place a link to this contest via Twitter message or include it in a blog post. If you win this iPod Touch contest, your iPod Touch will be upgraded to a higher version according to how you linked this iPod Touch Contest by Marketing Pilgrim.
If you link to this contest via a Twitter message OR a blog post AND get picked as the winner, we’ll upgrade you to the 16GB version.
If you link to this contest via a Twitter message AND a blog post AND get picked as the winner, we’ll upgrade you to the 32GB version.
It is vital that you subscribe to their blog via email subscription or using an RSS reader as they will release a secret message between now and 1st of March. Once you see the secret message, just mail it at contest AT marketingpilgrim DOT com. This iPod Touch is opent to everyone so no limitation due to the country you reside in or anything else. Who knows, you might just win an iPod Touch.
When iPhone first arrived in the market, it was on an AT&T network and to even activate the iPhone, people had to call AT&T. There was a huge mess up when the Apple’s iPhone was first released in the market. Since then, the price of an iPhone dropped quite dramatically and Apple also dumped the 4GB version of iPhone. Now an iPhone is available in two sizes, an 8GB version which costs $400 and a 16GB version which costs $500. These prices seems reasonable but there is a catch, you will need to subscribe to AT&T service which is quite expensive. At least a two year contract is needed. I have never liked what the mobile service providers have done. Locking a phone so that it just works on their network is a bit unfair. Since this started happening, people (mobile experts) started to look for a way unlock it.
It took not that long for mobile experts to crack the Apple and AT&T locking mechanism. The first iphone was unlocked on August 24, 2007 (according to engadget). Now people can use any SIM cards from any subscribers and use it on an iPhone without a problem. Nowadays, we can unlock almost all kinds of phones by using a software. Well some of these softwares can be used for free and some charge a small fee for unlocking a phone.
Well if you already have an iphone with an AT&T subscription or from any other mobile networks, you can ditch it right away and use any SIM card you like. There are some iPhone Unlock Service available online which will do the dirty work for you but they will charge a small fee. iphone-sim-unlock.com provides iPhone Unlock software for a fee of $29 which is a negligible amount if you consider the subscription fee you have to pay to AT&T. AT&T’s cheapest plan for an iPhone costs around $60 per month. So the price of unlocking an iPhone by using iPhone-Sim-Unlock.com is pretty low (half the cost of 1 month AT&T fee). There are locked iPhones from all the top mobile service providers and this software will unlock it all. It just takes around ten minutes to unlock an iPhone. There are only three steps you need to follow, 1st sign-up for iPhone Unlock service, secondly login and purchase the iphone unlocking service for $29 and then unlock your iPhone. Thats it, nothing else to do. Doesn’t matter what version of iPhone firmware you use, their unique software will unlock it for you. Even a bricked iPhone won’t be a problem. By paying a one time fee of $29, you will be receiving future updates and service for life. There are also exclusive iPhone wallpapers package available to use free of charge and another good thing about their service is, they provide 24 hour support to their customers.
MacBook is one of the trusted laptops on the portable computer market today and lots of people love the Mac environment even though it costs quite a bit more than other Laptops. One of the main reason’s people prefer to use MacBook with Mac OS is because there are very few virus and malwares that infect a MacOS unlike Windows systems. Apple’s most recent innovation in the laptop department is the Apple MacBook Air. The MacBook air is meant to be the thinnest laptop and Apple have done the job quite well. The design of the MacBook air itself is quite cool with lots of curves which makes it a very slick laptop.
There are quite a few innovations found in the new MacBook Air, for instance the TFT LED backlit screen. Even the battery on the MacBook Air is a bit different. Usually laptops use Lithium Ion battery to power itself but the MacBook Air has a Lithium polymer battery. One downside to the design of the MacBook Air is users cannot replace the battery themselves as it is located inside the casing, they will have to go to Apple to get it replaced. You can find the specifications for the MacBook Air Laptop below.
1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 4MB L2 cache or 1.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 4MB L2 cache (optional)
2GB of 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM
80GB 4200-rpm Parallel ATA hard disk drive
64GB solid-state drive and/or external USB MacBook Air SuperDrive (optional)
13.3-inch glossy widescreen TFT LED backlit display
Intel GMA X3100 graphics processor with 144MB of DDR2 SDRAM shared with main memory
Built-in iSight camera
Analog audio output/headphone out (minijack), Built-in mono speaker, Built-in omnidirectional microphone
Built-in AirPort Extreme Wi-Fi wireless networking ( IEEE 802.11n) This is compatible with all A, B and G
Built-in Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate)
Integrated 35WHr Lithium polymer battery
Backlit keyboard with ambient light sensor which automatically adjusts keyboard lighting and screen brightness
The MacBook Air also has a track pad that supports the multi-touch function found in Apple’s iPhone. You will be able to pinch, swipe or rotate by simply moving your fingers on the track pad.
The MacBook Air comes with a pre-installed Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard which includes Time Machine, Quick Look, Spaces, Spotlight, Dashboard, Mail, iChat, Safari, Address Book, QuickTime, iCal, DVD Player, Photo Booth, Front Row, Xcode Developer Tools. iLife ’08 Media Software is also installed in the MacBook Air which includes iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, iWeb, GarageBand. The cost of the MacBook Air starts from $1799. Only two specifications are available. The 1.8GHz version of MacBook Air costs $3098 which if you ask me is a bit to expensive. You can Pre-Order your MacBook Air here. You will receive the things mentioned below when you receive your MacBook Air package.
There has been a huge demand for the Apple iPod Touch and it was sold out the day it was released in the market. The price at the start was a bit high but still lot of people were buying if or waiting in line to buy it. The price of an iPhone at the time of its first release was $599 for I think it was an 8GB version. A couple of months after iPhone’s official release, Apple dropped the price of its iphones considerably by dropping the price of an 8GB version to $399 from its original price of $599. Apple also released a 16GB version at the same time and also released iPod Touch. A 16GB Apple iPhone was priced at $499 which is very reasonable considering the features and storage that it offers. Apple also released an iPhone clone and called it iPod Touch. iPod Touch looks exactly like an iPhone, the only difference between them is, you can’t make phone calls using iPod Touch. You can get an Apple iPod Touch 8GB version at Amazon.com for just $270 $280. This is a very cheap price considering the price at iPhone’s first release. You can purchase an Apple iPod Touch 16GB version at Amazon.com for $360 $369. I can now afford one but I would rather have an unlocked version so I will wait a bit longer for it. An Apple iPod Touch features include,
MP3 and video playback
Picture viewing
Revolutionary multi-touch interface
Gorgeous 3.5-inch widescreen display
Music downloads straight from iTunes
Websurfing using the built-in Wi-Fi
and lots more which you can view at Apple’s iPod Touch page linked above. The only drawback if I can say that is, an iPod Touch doesn’t have a camera and mobile phone features, on it otherwise it would be the full package. This sale might only last till the holiday season so go get one for yourself asap. Also you will get a free shipping from amazon.com
There is also another cool gadget for iPod’s and iPhones which I think most of us is trying to buy but its a concept design yet hasn’t been released. An iRing controller for iPod and iPhone would save a lot of battery life for you iPod and iPhones as you don’t have to light up the screen and the iRing controller would make it very easy to control your iPod and iPhone from your fingers. If anyone knows where I can buy an iRing, please let me know.
The ringtones for iPhones come in .m4r that differs from other ringtones out on the market. Most ringtones come in .mp3, .mp4 and .wav formats just to name a few. There are places where you can buy .m4r ringtones and other places that offer free ones. You can also convert your previous ringtones formats to the .m4r format. There are softwares available that allow, this such as the Ambrosia Software iToner. There are many different companies coming along to offer features that iPhone and iTunes don’t currently offer. It is no surprise to see entrepreneurs get inventive and make something ringtone related.
The way Apple has it set up makes a user pay to add ringones they already have. If they don’t have the ringtone, they have to pay for that and the cost of converting the song into a ringtone. In order to get ringtones the proper way, you have to use Apple’s iTunes software. Only the newer versions of iTunes have the.m4r ringtone capabilities, older versions simply won’t work. Each ringtone is roughly 99 cents available from the US iTunes store with over 500,000 ringtones to choose from. Again, an additional charge is added for converting previously owned ringtones not in the .m4r format. Since many seasoned savvy internet users know how to create their own ringtones, this is just absurd. People have already invested in programs and pay sites that offer ringtones in various formats. For some, it just isn’t worth the price or the hassle to switch to Apple’s model. These types of product versus consumer battles usually lead to a compromise on the manufactures part.
Its simple interface makes QuickTime easy to use. Viewers’ experiences to past audio and video with the track-based format that allows you to mix video with still images and insert text and audio in a single production. Creating a presentation with QuickTime is easy and enjoyable, and it supports nearly any audio or video format. You can even put live events online that are professional quality, on the net, a desktop or even a cell phone. Since QuickTime supports so many languages such as Automator and Applescript, it’s available to everyone.
Now you might want to know how to get a QuickTime Pro 7. Well its very simple, first 
iPod Nano Chromatic comes with a new aluminum body. A brand new feature has been added to the new iPod Nano, it now has an accelerometer and detects when you are watching movies and videos in landscape mode just like in iPod Touch and iPhone. Another brand new features added to iPod Nano is called “Shake to Shuffle” and with this feature you can change to shuffle mode without pressing any buttons, just shake your iPod Nano as the feature name is called and it turns to shuffle mode. The last new feature you can see in iPod Nano Chromatic is called “Genius”. This feature will try to analyze your musical taste and propose songs accordingly. I haven’t tried it yet so, don’t know if its effective or not. See all the 
. You can choose from all nine colors available plus an Apples Exlusive Product Red version which should satisfy everyone now, in terms or color.
Apple only produce quality products. I love what they have done to the portable music player industry. I have an iPod which I bought about a year ago (iPod Video 5.5 Gen). I have never been so satisfied with any other technological gadget. A friend of mine owns an 
Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station also has a USB port which you can use to connect printers and hard drives. You can plug-in your external hard drive and share the space with all the computers connected to this network. For sharing your printer, you can use the USB 2.0 port and use AirPort Extreme Base Station power to print documents wirelessly. from any computers within your network. You won’t have to worry about any computer other than in your network connect to your network as the AirPort Extreme Base Station uses the industry standard encryption technologies such as WPA/WPA2 and 128-bit WEP which will secure your wireless network from intruders. You will have to use a AirPort Extreme utility software to configure your Apple Router which is very simple and easy to use and after you have configure your AirPort Extreme, no one can connect to your network without entering the correct password.
Apple’s AirPort Extreme also includes a built-in firewall which will keep you safe from the dangerous world of the World Wide Web. AirPort Extreme’s built-in firewall is automatically turned on. This Apple Router works with both Mac’s and PC’s so there won’t be any compatibility issues with the computer platform or your WiFi card. The cost of an Apple AirPort Extreme is not that high, you can 
Does anyone want to win and iPod touch?? I do, so for that reason alone, I decided to write this post. It is very easy to enter int his iPod Touch giveaway contest, the only thing you need to do is write a blog post on any of your blogs (PR doesn’t matter). If you don’t have a blog, don’t worry you can still enter in this contest. Just subscribe to 
You can win a 16GB version of iPod Touch if you place a link to this contest via Twitter message or include it in a blog post. For a 32GB version of iPod Touch, you will need to do both place a link to this contest via Twitter message or include it in a blog post. If you win this iPod Touch contest, your iPod Touch will be upgraded to a higher version according to how you linked this iPod Touch Contest by Marketing Pilgrim.
It is vital that you subscribe to their blog via email subscription or using an RSS reader as they will release a secret message between now and 1st of March. Once you see the secret message, just mail it at contest AT marketingpilgrim DOT com. This iPod Touch is opent to everyone so no limitation due to the country you reside in or anything else. Who knows, you might just win an iPod Touch.
Well if you already have an iphone with an AT&T subscription or from any other mobile networks, you can ditch it right away and use any SIM card you like. There are some 
The MacBook Air comes with a pre-installed 
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