TRAVERSE CITY -- Charlie Cage programmed his phone to play the theme from "Gilligan's Island" when his brother-in-law, a charter boat captain, calls.
The voice of movie character Happy Gilmore alerts him to a call from his home phone line. Gilmore hollers, in part, "Are you too good for your home? Answer me."
Those are just two of the 100-plus ringtones Cage, who lives near Elk Rapids, customized for cell phone use. Some he assigned to individual callers. Other clips he plays to amuse his kid during car trips.
Any snippet of noise -- a barking dog or laughing child, favorite movie quote or song chorus -- can be made into a ringtone that sounds in place of the "brring-brring" of a traditional phone ring. Cage owns Home Computing Solutions, a computer repair and service business, and is savvy with electronics. But, he said creating ringtones is simple and free, if you have the proper equipment and the legal right to use the recording.
"Once I've found the clip, it would only take me a matter of two or three minutes," Cage said.
Free sound-editing software such as Audacity can be used to create ringtones pulled from digital audio sources. Not all cell phones allow customized ringtones. Cell phone service providers and a plethora of Internet sites sell ringtones. Costs vary from subscription fees to a couple of bucks a pop per song. Cage warned against downloading from unknown sources because it could make a phone susceptible to viruses or spam.
Special effects such as ringtones are big business for wireless companies. By 2011, wireless service revenue across the world is expected to generate $800 billion. The mobile entertainment segment will make up more than five percent of that revenue, stated a recent report by technology research firm IDC. Mobile entertainment includes ringtones and ringback tones, which allow cell phone owners to replace the standard ring their callers hear with a custom sound. After dialing the number, callers listen to the ringback while waiting for the call to be picked up.
IDC, based in Framingham, Mass., projected revenue from ringbacks will surpass ringtones in two years. Ringback tones were introduced in South Korea about five years ago and arrived in the United States a couple years later, said IDC research manager Lewis Ward.
Ringtones remain popular, with an estimated 635 million sold in 2007 in the United States and Canada, he said.
A quick online search reveals ringtones of all types. University of Michigan fans can find plenty of places to download the famous fight song and blast the line "Hail to the Victors." Ohio State supporters can retaliate with "free official" ringtones from OSU Mobile of "Hang on Sloopy" and "Buckeye Battle Cry."
Movie buffs can highlight their favorite films. For example, download a quip made famous by Tom Cruise's character in the movie "Jerry Maguire." For $2.99, one Web site will hook users up with a voice reciting a seven-second sound bite. Instead of a ring, be prepared for: "I love you. You (long pause, breathing) complete me." Or, jolt awake with the 37-cent rooster crow ringtone from another site.
Steve Flayer of Traverse City has about 10 to 15 ringtones. Many of them are lines from television shows or "anything that will make somebody look twice," he said. He pulled out his phone and played a bit of a sample song while sitting in the food court of the Grand Traverse Mall.
Flayer switches up ringtones at least once a month. While on the job he keeps his cell phone quiet. But out of work, it's another story.
"I hope it goes off at random moments," he said.
Jennifer Beaubien sat at another table with Rebecca Steinebach and Dan Stump. All three live near Traverse City and use ringtones. Beaubien has about 20 and creates her own using music from her iPod and sound snippets of her friends. She recorded a pal singing a rendition of the national anthem and saved it.
Steinebach said linking specific songs to phone numbers helps her to identify the caller without even looking at the phone.
"If it's a certain ringtone, 'Oh, it's a 1-800 number. I won't answer that,'" she said.
Ringtones also provide a very public announcement for an unexpected phone call. Their blare may draw ire from co-workers and passers-by or cause embarrassment if the impromptu jingle sounds during church or at a funeral.
"I've had it go off in the middle of class, and I've had some kind of obnoxious ringtone," Steinebach said.
Putting a little personality in a ringtone can be fun, as long as users "keep it tasteful" and protect themselves from viruses and other threats, Cage said. An average ring runs about 20 seconds, and most modern phones have enough memory to store hundreds of sound clips, he said. One of Cage's tones is reserved for his wife, who likes the film, "The Princess Bride."
Her ring delivers the message with the character's signature dialect: "Mawwiage is what bwings us togethah today."
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