ToneThis Ringtone Maker

If you're tired of that old cell phone ring and ready to make yourself a Radiohead or Beyonce ringtone, ToneThis is a fair starting point. The freeware application has the muscle to make ringtones (or the higher-quality true tones), video ringtones, or wallpaper out of files in your collection, and send them to your phone or to a friend. It's also dead-easy to operate, letting you select a small segment of a song or video to turn into a ringtone, or crop an image to fit your cell phone's interface. Once selected, the ringtone or image is uploaded to the cell phone carrier, and then downloaded to the phone. You'll also be able to search Flickr from the ToneThis interface for free, legal images to use as wallpaper.

An optional Firefox toolbar, new in version 3.6, helps you cut out the fuss of downloading legal media from the Internet by sending media directly to ToneThis for editing and processing. At least in theory. Our success rate was so variable, we'd almost recommend opting out of its installation entirely, at least until ToneThis' developers can iron out the kinks.

Despite these obvious snags, ToneThis's simpler settings compared with other ringtone software makes it a good fit for novices, and therefore a worthy download. After seeing the toolbar deliver its promised functionality, we'd like to see a few more features, especially more controls for exacting ringtone-length. ToneThis is supported by advertising, but no nagging pop-up ads. To rid yourself of ads and to get advanced betas and premium ringtones and mobile games, a pro version can be procured for $20. ToneThis works with specific carriers, countries, and phone models--it's wise to check the Web site before installing to make sure your phone is supported.