VITO Ringtone Editor is a small, fun application that allows users to edit their own ringtones from a variety of source files.
Windows Mobile Phone Edition devices allow the use of mp3, wma, mid and wav files as ringtones. This editor allows you to fire up the sound file (Wave, MP3 or OGG formats supported) and select the start and end points of the ringtone and then review, save and apply. Does exactly what it says on the tin!
Supplier: VITO Technology
Product: VITO Ringtone Editor V1.0
Cost: $9.95
Device Support: Pocket PC 2003 & Second Edition, Windows Mobile 5.0 Phone Edition Devices, including Smartphones
Trial: Yes - 14 Days
Format: zip (715KB), exe (716KB) or cab (1.3MB) downloads. File sizes are indicative, vary slightly with platform
Thanks go to Konstantin at VITO for the review copy
Review undertaken on a VGA 02 Exec running WM5 Phone Edition
Installation
The package can be downloaded from the
VITO website as zip, exe or cab files for all three types of devices supported (see above).
Installing to the device depends on the file downloaded but once on the device it installs as any other application. I installed to Storage Card as the footprint is about 1.3Mb and the application will be used infrequently and doesn't need to reside in main memory (see screen shot).
Using VITO Ringtone Editor
To get the show on the road, you need to run the application!
Ringtone Editor installs a shortcut under \Start\Programs. Just tap it!
Once the application is running you are presented with the Selection Screen. This allows you to select the source sound file for the Ringtone, remembering the supported formats are wav, MP3 and OGG. No wma support here which is a slight disappointment.
Tap on the source file and it will begin playing so remember to have the volume/speaker turned up on your device
What to do next isn't too dificult to understand or grasp, the screen is a big giveaway!
Tap the big button in the middle of the screen at the point you want to start your ringtone from.....
The screen now changes subtly

(see below)

Its difficult this isn't it? Guess what we do next?
Tap the button to stop the ringtone at the point you want to in your source file.....
That's it! No sliders or wave forms to edit! Once you've set a Start and Stop point, you are given some options....
Things get a little more complicated now! You have to select an action from a list given, but don't worry I will talk you through them
Play allows you to listen to the section you have selected as your ringtone and you can repeat it as many times as you like.
Re-edit allows you to re-select the Start and Stop points by using the method initially used, just in case you were early or late in selecting the points.
Save Ringtone saves your new ringtone to
\Windows\Rings. They appear to save in the same format as the original recording, i.e., there is no re-encoding to a specific format.
Assign as Ringtone saves the file, copies it to
\Windows\Rings and assigns it as the active ring sound. The application then exits.
Exit does exactly that!
For information, using MP3 source files, the recorded ringtones use about 4KB per 1 second of recording. So a 10second ringtone would be about 40KB so not too taxing on the host system.
Value for Money?
The program installs as a 14 day trial version so you can try before you buy (which is a common theme with software from this developer and is to be applauded).
The price entitles you to 12 months of support and upgrades too, also a common benefit of buying software from VITO.
It is a fun application and does exactly what it is designed to do.
If you are the sort of individual that regularly likes to change their ringtone or has difficulty finding that esoteric sound clip then it could be money well spent.
With the price of commercial ringtones being around the £3(GBP) mark, this program repays itself in less than three purchases, so great value as the tones you can create are limitless.
Summary
For

Simple to use

Speedy creation of personal ringtones

Supports MP3, WAV and OGG format source files

14 day trial
Against

No support for wma source files

Editing a little limited, can't change Start and Stop points without re-doing
Conclusion
4WM Rating 85%
It does what it sets out to do really simply and effectively. Within seconds of loading the app, you can have your first ringtone created and assigned - assuming you have some source material on your device.
Supports WAV, MP3 and OGG format source files but not WMA which is a shame on a device where this is usually the default recording format.
A deserving Silver Medal winner!
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