If you were enthralled by the sound of what the Dev Wiki crowd was cookin' up, yet you just couldn't understand the majority of what they were telling you, you're in luck. bitSplit, the man that brought you iFuntastic, has released version 2.0 of the software, which goes the extra mile and enables mere mortals (read: folks who aren't down with code speak) to "add ringtones, change the carrier logo, and reorder their iPhone applications." Best of all, this here software is completely free to use, but unless you've got an Intel-based Mac, you won't get very far. So go on, tag the read link and see what fun awaits you.

[Thanks, Dustin]

For all of you waiting to pick up your prepaid copies of Halo 3, the Microsoft Halo 3 site has a few mobile goodies to get at while you wait. Finish the Fight, Last Spartan, and the Halo theme can all be grabbed as ringtones for your MP3 playing handsets. Also up are a collection of pics and avatars and while not specifically for mobiles, a wee bit of Photoshoppery --or an online resize with Imageshack -- can correct that. So if you dig the game, dig ringtones, or just like new things, pop on over to the site to have a look-see.

Those who are contemplating some type of bizarre surgery to ensure your dear cellphone stays permanently attached to your person should probably hold off, as a couple of companies are teaming up to curb the oh-so-typical problem of misplacing one's handset. New Japan Radio Co. and Superwave Corporation have reportedly joined forces to "develop a chip that uses weak radio waves to communicate with mobile phones, paving the way for devices that tell users when a handset is misplaced." Supposedly, the chip would communicate with one's phone "every few seconds," and if you bolted from the subway sans your cellphone, a sound or vibration would apparently be there to alert you of your mistake. Hold tight folks, the firms have plans to distribute samples to manufacturers this October. [Warning: Read link requires subscription]

[Image courtesy of GLIRC]

If you're a Treo 750 owner and have almost thrown your precious QWERTY-board out the window a few times due to missing alert sounds, take a deep breath. The fix for the Palm edition of the Treo 750 appears to address the issue of lost sound alerts that notify you of calls and other notifications. Yeah, we consider that a top-priority fix like you. The root cause was identified by Palm to be related to multiple hooks into the audio driver(s) of the device, causing it to stop completely. The update is detailed using the read link below if you need to restore that loss of sanity caused by a silent 750.

[Via Pocket PC Thoughts]

It's the situation most of us love to hate: we buy that new, shiny handset with full MP3 capability to supplant that fully-fledged, big-gig DAP only to find out that MP3 files -- as clips or songs -- can't be used as ringtones. Sure, there are sometimes workarounds and hacks, but should anyone really have to go through all that? Music-based handset crippling may be coming to Canada's Rogers Wireless, as word on the street is that phones sold by the carrier, like the Nokia 5300, won't allow non-DRMed MP3 files as ringtones. We find this ludicrous on music-centric handset, but reports are that the requirement was at the behest of the music industry (who else). If you're a Rogers subscriber and are locked out of using your own homebrew MP3 clips as ringtones, we'll take it that you're miffed, big time. We gotta go DRM those MP3 files of some barking dogs we have, so catch ya later.

[Via mocoNews and BoingBoing]

Chris Hughes -- the gent who brought us the RoombaWii -- is up to new shenanigans and this time with an iPhone. Apparently using a bit of software that is "... close to being releasable ..." he was able to add the "CTU" ringtone -- yeah, we know, poor choice -- to his iPhone. Of course, this would be dead-easy to dupe -- and we can't verify 100 percent either way -- but his honest demeanor, striking resemblance to Matt Damon, and previous tricks help us to at least hope that there is a shred of truth in this. Check the vid after the break.

[Via Wirelessinfo.com]

If you think a 7.1 surround system on the rear of a smartphone is hot stuff, we've found a Taiwanese device that simply puts it to shame. Not much is known about the relatively stylish QKphone 911, but it does appear to sport Bluetooth, a touchscreen QVGA display, some form of "Windows Mobile," a built-in media player, and a piercing array of speakers (count 'em, five) on the rear. Of course, we're sure you're most interested in actually hearing what this bad boy can do, and while YouTube clips don't exactly replicate its power per se, it's certainly better than leaving it to your imagination, right? You know the drill, click on for the videoed demonstrations, but check those volume knobs beforehand!

[Via Technabob]

Immersion hopes we're creatures of mobile haptics, as the company has licensed its VibeTonz whole-mobile haptic engagement software platform to Nokia. VibeTonz, already licensed to Samsung and included in the SCH-W559 from Verizon Wireless (and many more Samsung handsets), slaps multi-stage vibrating haptics into mobile games, ringtones, menu systems and more. Immersion calls it a "multisensory experience," which we find to be an accurate description. With Nokia onboard, we would not be surprised to see the cellphone sales leader start touting VibeTonz as a "must have" feature in its newer handset models. After all, no retrofit is needed -- VibeTonz is basically software control over vibrating motors only (no extra hardware required).

[via MobileTechNews]

GSM radio interference is sadly the cost of admission -- a price we pay, but wish we didn't have to -- to the GSM club. One Cingular subscriber suffered a blown speaker from the interference and without recourse for the damage has started a site to talk about it. We've never heard of any property damage from a blast of RFi (Radio Frequency interference) when held too close to a speaker, radio, or other equipment, rather it is like a warning that a call or message is coming in. We were debating if this effect was as strong on a GSM 1900 network, so if you have any thoughts, chime in. The feelingcingular.com site has a nice ringtone to download, featuring, you guessed it, RFi noise as the tone. So if you are a CDMA subscriber (Sprint, Verizon, and such) and wonder what all the fuss is about, grab at it and enjoy.

[Thanks, Justin]

There's no shortage of vibrating alerts available for your cellphone these days, and while the MBW-100 watch will kindly inform you of whose calling while still looking relatively stylish on your arm, BlueQ's simplified attention getter certainly lacks any hint of fashion. BQ Wireless has unveiled a stripped down wristband that simply sports an internal Bluetooth module, on / off button, and a Transfer button in case your cellphone won't automatically take over the cal from the device. Put simply, this wrist adornment shakes your arm when someone's trying to ring you up, and while this may be somewhat less noticeable than a blaring ringtone in the middle of a crucial interview, it's bound to be exponentially more embarrassing when someone informs you that your articulatio radiocarpea is buzzing uncontrollably. Nevertheless, it's slated to hit retailers in July for $39.95 if you're still interested.

[Via Slashphone]

Forget personalized ringtones and ringbacks, the next tween obsession has arrived in the form of Push Ringer, which "enables a caller to push an outgoing ringtone to the receiving phone -- allowing the caller, not the called person -- to set the tone." We're assuming you're either elated or sighing mightily after reading that, but there's 7.7 million reasons why you wish you would've implemented it first. A group of deep-pocketed investors have sunk $7.7 million into Emotive Communications' flagship idea, which temporarily overrides the phone's preset ringer, and moreover, allows the recipient of the surprise sound-byte to "instantly buy a copy" if they so desire. Notably, this very service has already taken the VoIP world over, as Skype users are probably more familiar with the RingJacker concept. Now, who's down for inventing the Push Ringer Reverser to send a "you got punk'd" clip back at the egotistical sender?

[Via The Raw Feed]

If you're bustin' to get that jumpin'-off-the-ring wrestling action anywhere you are, you're about to be in luck. That is, if you're an AT&T wireless customer. In a paradoxically odd way, the larger-than-life pro wresting stars of WrestleMania and other pro wrestling shows are about to land hard on that 2 inch cellphone screen. What will the content be? For starters, graphics ($1.99 each) and videos featuring wrestling stars, ringtones with wrestler's voices ($2.49 each) and updates from weekly matches and the like -- just don't let that wrestling scream ringtone out on a Honolulu bus. Even select World Wrestling videos will be on tap as part of AT&T's media service offering at $20/month. And, of course, the cherry on the parfait will be a premium WrestleMania video package for $4.99 a month extra. Let's get ready to rumble.

We think this is a joke, but we're actually more afraid that it's not. San Francisco-based "conceptual artist" Jonathon Keats has generously offered his latest composition, "My Cage," free of charge as a ringtone through mobile multimedia vendor Start Mobile. But wait, there's a catch, it's four minutes and thirty three seconds of pure silence. And it's not the kind of silence teens can hear, either -- it's actually pure silence. So pure, in fact, that Start Mobile keenly points out that "the silence may take place without the listener being aware of it." While we think it really doesn't serve the intended function of a ringtone in the purest sense of the word, we can't argue with the price: free. Let us know in comments what percentage of calls you manage to answer, mkay?