ringer

Have you ever adjusted the volume on your phone's ringer then forgot to set it back to normal? Subsequently, you either missed calls because it was too quiet or got startled because it was too loud. A new Android app called Intelligent Ringer aims to do away with the constant volume adjustments by setting the ringer volume automatically, based on ambient noise levels.

Launching the Intelligent Ringer app gives you the option of starting or stopping the app. When it's running, you'll see the icon in the notification bar. If you go to Menu > Settings, there … Read more

Vibrating alerts are useful in situations when a loud ringer may be inappropriate or undesirable. Unfortunately, most phones have just one type of vibration alert. An Android app called Vybe - Custom Vibrations can help you create custom vibration alerts that you can use for different contacts. In doing so, it can help you identify callers, even if your phone is in your pocket.

Creating a custom vibration alert is easy to do in Vybe. You just tap the record button, create the vibration sequence you want, then save it. You can then assign contacts to use that particular alert.… Read more

Leave it to a company named CleverWraps to design a Ziploc bag for the 21st century--RingerWraps, which are billed as "disposable, protective sleeves for mobile phones." Forgive me, but the description almost sounds like it was lifted off the box for, ahem, another kind of protection.

Anyway...The company boasts that your phone's keyboard, voice calling, music playback, and even Bluetooth functions will continue to work well in the special bags, which come in small, medium, and large sizes to work with a variety of phones and can protect your device against the elements.

Is this finally the solution for my active lifestyle that I've been looking for? One would think. But things changed when I put my phone in a regular ol' Ziploc bag and discovered that it works exactly the same way.

In fact, in my experience with a standard-size Hefty OneZip Sandwich Bag, an iPhone 4 touch-screen worked flawlessly and I was able to swipe around with ease. Phone calls sounded great and the other side could hear me just fine. The excess space in the bag easily wrapped around the back and was unobtrusive. I also splashed water on the bag and the phone was unharmed. Strike three.

Five RingerWraps go for $9.99, but it's hard to advocate them wholeheartedly when many of you out there already have the same thing in Ziploc bags, which are less expensive and come with more bags per box. Regardless, I do applaud the company for releasing cell phone protection that doesn't cost $30 or more, which seems to be the norm these days.

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MakeiPhoneRingtone is a free utility that can convert unprotected AAC files into ringtones for your iPhone. Since the iPhone limits ringtones to 40 seconds or less, however, you will need to first use a separate audio-editing application to shorten most songs to the acceptable length--and, if necessary, use that app or iTunes to convert the song to an AAC file. (If you try to convert a longer file, an error dialog will recommend Fission, from the developers of MakeiPhoneRingtone, but any similar app will work.)

Once you have a file of the appropriate length and format, this utility is extremely … Read more

Here's one little area where I'm not so pleased with the Pre. I'm used to being able to set different rings for text messages, phone calls, and voice mails. While you can set individual ringers for your favorite contacts, the little bleep for texts, emails, and voice mails is the same.

I like to know when I've received a text. It's my main form of communication from my phone. I would rather not know when I've got a new email, and I'd like a different ring for my voice mail.

Please, Palm, make … Read more

Almost exactly a year ago we posted an item on the "Sonic Bomb" alarm clock, which turned out to be just the first in a string of eardrum-killing devices for those who engage in the sport of extreme sleep. Now there's another gadget that applies the same principle to the telephone.

But the understatedly named "UltraClear" doesn't stop at sensory overload of the auditory canals. In addition to its extra loud ringer, a "bright flashing strobe" is activated whenever it detects an incoming call. So while its reaches a full 95 decibels, … Read more