Rahaf Harfoush
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Well Played: Free and Easy iPhone Ring Tunes by Audiko.net
December 1st, 2008
I was trying to download some iPhone ringtones off of iTunes the other day without much luck. None of the songs that I wanted were available, and the Canadian store selection is pretty limited to begin with, so I was just about certain that this was going to be yet another case where Canadians got the technological shaft (aka the Kindle, TiVO, and every other cool gadget.)
So you can imagine my delight when I came across Audiko.net , a site that not only has an extensive iPhone ringtone collection, but that also lets you turn any mp3 into a ringtone as well. Oh, and did I mention that it’s free??
Create a custom tone, or choose from a wide selection:
You can either upload your favorite tune from your computer, or enter a URL and Audiko will download it for you. They even have the option of converting ringtones from youtube. My favorite feature is that you get to choose the fragment that you want, so if you love the chorus, then you can create a ringtone that only has that part of the song. You can also browse the ringtones that other people have uploaded, so you usually find that someone else had the same bright idea as you and has already done all the hard work!
Laziness + Free= Awesome
Easy and Painless Downloading:
Once you have selected your ringtone, just click on the “download ringtone for iPhone.” Once the download is complete, clicking on it will send it straight to your ringtone folder in iTunes. The next time you sync, it will transfer everythign over and voila: a brand new library of songs for your enjoyment.
Enjoy!!
Posted in Well Played | 3 Comments »
New iPhone plan a result of Apple/Rogers Smackdown? Rumors!
July 10th, 2008![[Photo from Endgaget.com]](http://www.rahafharfoush.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/rogers-iphone-mad-apple.jpg "rogers-iphone-mad-apple")
[Photo from Endgadget.com]
Well, it seems that Rogers has heard the large outcry regarding their ridiculously over-priced iPhone data plans and released a new promotional offer.
RuinediPhone.com, an online petition started a few days ago has already gathered 58,000 signatures protesting the old data plans. While it might not affected Rogers, it apparently irked Apple enough to warrant a behind the scenes smack down. Apple takes it’s branding very seriously and was not amused at the backlash, including the negative press and blog coverage warning consumers to pass on the sleek gadget.
THE JUICY GOSSIP - Tracking the Rumor:
The web has been buzzing with rumors about a potential fall out that occurred between his Majesty Steve Jobs and the suits at Rogers which could shed some light on the timing and introduction of the new promotional plan.
According to blogger Daniel Smith’s Smithereen’s blog, he reported on July 5th that there had been some interesting conversations taking place via SMS between Rogers, Apple and Rim employees: [unconfirmed as of now, but makes sense when you consider Rogers actions]
- Apple Canada Employee sends text message to source stating something along the lines of “You guys are screwed on the iPhone.” No responses are given when asked for clarification
- Soon after, a RIM (Blackberry) employee sends another text to source asking about the Apple/Rogers fallout rumors that are surfacing.
- Source receives a call informing them that several stores have decided to release some of the additional help they had hired for the iPhone launch immediately and without notice. [Note: this decision was made by the dealers and not by Rogers]
- Senior Rogers rep confirms to source that Apple has decided to divert a large percentage of planned Canadian shipment to Europe! Some stores may now be getting as few as 10-20 units! The wording from head office claims the number of units will be “significantly reduced.
On July 8, the usually reliable Apple Insider claimed that Apple was sanctioning Rogers by announcing their Canadian retail stores would not be supporting Rogers in selling iPhones. Subscribers will have to go to a Rogers retail store in order to pick their unit up. Keep in mind that this was released before the new Rogers plan was announced so it might no longer apply.
On July 9th - Canadian Consumers declared it National Call Rogers day, and urged people to call and complain to rogers about the pricing. A Facebook group was created. (Of course)
July 10th - New Rogers Plans announced.
It’s a promotional offer along with the iPhone where subscribers can get 6GB of data for $30/month (which is probably as closed to unlimited as you’re going to get.)
The good news:
- The data plan can be added to any voice plan. (DUH- I can’t even believe they didn’t offer this from the beginning.
The Bad News:
- The promotional plan will be on only until Aug 31st.
- You have to sign on with a three year contract.
So with all this buzz there are some claiming that the much hyped iPhone release will be more lukewarm than hot, while others have faith that the new plan will help soothe outraged consumers.
I guess we will have to wait and see!
Here are some of the other Rogers pieces related to this topic:
Posted in Seriously?, Tech & New Media | 1 Comment »
Candian Consumers to Rogers: Stop being Jerks, Part 2
July 2nd, 2008
In the wake of the new Rogers iPhone data plans, there is an online movement afoot, imploring Apple God Steve Jobs to please intervene on the behalf of 20,000 Canadian consumers who are being bled dry by high cost. As I mentioned in Part 1, if you can’t get full internet/video capability then it’s just another crappy phone. I’m disappointed in Rogers who should have taken this opportunity to endear themselves to customers by providing them with the best iPhone experience ever.
Instead, people are getting annoyed and turning to the web. RuinediPhone, has started an online petition that has gathered over 28,000 signatures since it was launched on June 27th. The petition will be sent to Steve Jobs & Rogers on July 11th and is a protest against the fees.
The open letter states:
Dear Steve,
My name is James and I would like to thank you for creating the wonderful iPhone device. We really think that you will change the world with it, just as you changed the world with the iPod. We were so happy to learn that on July 11th, we would finally be able to buy the iPhone and legally use it in Canada.
To our great disappointment, Rogers Communications Inc. has announced VERY unfair rates in comparison to AT&T in the United States and to other authorized wireless service providers around the world. As a result, a consumer movement was born yesterday (June 27th) in protest against these rates.
More than 20,000 people have signed an online petition to help make a difference and the list is growing rapidly. In the last 72 hours, the website has had 150,000 unique visitors from around the world supporting Canadian consumers. There are a vast number of Canadians that would take the opportunity to buy an iPhone at $199CAD but these new plans have put it out of reach for many.
I would like to invite you to take a look at all these disappointed people at www.ruinediphone.com.
I was going to buy an iPhone for me, my girlfriend and my family.
Now, sadly, I cannot afford the plan.
I hope you can do something Steve; we are loyal customers and trust that you will. We don’t want to lose faith in Apple.
Thank you,
James Hallen
Representing more than 20,000 Canadian consumers
Sign the Petition. I don’t think Rogers will care but it might make us all feel better!
Join me in a prayer:
If you’re out there, and you can hear me, save us Google!!
Posted in Seriously? | 1 Comment »
Canadian Consumers to Rogers: Stop Being Jerks, Part 1
July 2nd, 2008
As news of the Rogers iPhone data plans continue to disappoint Canadians everywhere, I’m sad to say that I am unsurprised by these events. The plans offered are total garbage and useless to anyone who actually wants to use the iPhone in the way that Steve Jobs intended it to be used. It didn’t seem to bad at first, until you started tallying up the costs:
So for starters, the data and the minutes are bundled together so you can’t add a data plan to your existing minutes plan. Which is part of the master plan, because you’re going to have to resign for a three year contract if you want to get your hands on an iPhone. So even if you’re heavy on the data and light on the minutes, Rogers doesn’t really care.
Even at the maximum end of the data plan available you’re only talking about 2GBs, and while Rogers is quick to point out how many tens of thousands of web pages that allows you to view, no where do they say anything about videos. Which means if you’re planning on watching YouTube, even on a semi-regular basis, be ready to shell out $0.50/MB for the first 60MB, and $0.03/MB afterwards.
Ok so, so far we’re at $115.
Moving on. You’re probably going to want Call Display, etc. You have to choose one of the bundles, which includes a bunch of crap that I personally don’t want, so let’s go with the $15 a month plan.
So that takes us to $130/Month.
But, that’s not all! Oh no, there’s more to come my friends.
There is a $6.95 monthly System Access Fee and a $0.50 911 Emergency access fee. There is also a one time $35 activation, although I’m not going to count that in my calculation since I’m a Rogers Customer so that fee is waived.
So now we’re at 138$/a month.
That means:
1 iPhone = $199
3 yr. Plan= $4,968 (138 * 12 months * 3 years)
Total before tax: $5,167
So that’s the price tag you’re going pay if you want to get an iPhone. Unfortunately, I think that this won’t stop a lot of people from paying this amount. I really wanted one, but now I’m not so sure. I would love to use the iPhone but without unlimited data to enjoy full video capabilities it’s just another phone.
Posted in Blog, Seriously? | 2 Comments »
Well Played- Steve Jobs + 3G iphone=SHAZAM!
June 10th, 2008
On the heels of my well timed post about how technologically awesome this summer is going to be, Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced some fabulous news about the new amazing 3G iPhone.
What you need to know:
- The 8GB iPhone will retail for a stunning $199!
- iPhone will be rolled out to over 70 countries.
- Full enterprise support on the back end.
- Each unit will feature a built in GPS
- Even longer battery life for browsing, video watching, and 3G calling
- Mobile Me - a new system that will sync all of your gadgets seamlessly and instantly. [This is huge considering I can't find an app that will properly sync by Blackberry Pearl with my Mac.]
- Loads of applications to download through the new App Store, which you can access via wireless connection and download right to your phone.
You can see the liveblog of Steve Jobs’ address via the good guys at Engadget, they also provided the photos in this post.
Where is Rogers?
After hearing this news, I excitedly went to the Rogers.com website to see if I could learn more detailed information about exactly when the iPhone would be available only to find…nothing. Instead of riding on the huge discussions and debates surrounding the iPhone and using it to bring more visitors to their site, no hint of the iPhone on their website since their initial press release a few weeks back. To give you an idea, this past week along saw more than 36,000 blog posts about the 3G iPhone!
Seriously? Rogers should be all over this. They should also be releasing confirmation about what the data plans are going to look like. I would personally do this now, because if it’s bad news (Rogers never liked the idea of unlimited data) then people would be outraged for a bit, but would eventually forget their anger amidst the launch hype and probably end up buying one anyway.
I don’t understand why they would release the news and then not follow up with details. I know that this has personally frustrated me when dealing with them.
Interestingly enough, they did have a small add for the BlackBerry bold, which if you’ll recall isn’t supposed to be launched until December. Hmm…
What do you guys think?
Posted in Tech & New Media, Well Played | No Comments »
