ringtone

What Happens, Rarely, if You Leave Cellphone on at a Classical Concert (Video)

Ina Fried in Mobile on January 23 at 10:25 am PT

A violinist, interrupted by a cellphone ringing in a familiar Nokia tone, decides to play along, literally.

Exclusive: Thumbplay Gives Up On Music Subscriptions, And Clear Channel Steps In

Peter Kafka in Media on February 28, 2011 at 6:30 pm PT

After less than a year in the music subscription business, Thumbplay is selling off the struggling service. Tellingly, Clear Channel’s Bob Pittman says he will use Thumbplay’s assets to take on Web radio rivals like Pandora, not subscription outfits like Rhapsody and Spotify.

Viral Video: 2010 As Told Through Google Products

Liz Gannes in Social on December 9, 2010 at 10:10 am PT

For 2010, Google dressed up its annual Zeitgeist list of fastest-rising search terms with nifty HTML5 data visualizations and a music video that sums up the year while demonstrating uses of all sorts of Google products.

Thumbplay Moves From Ringtones to Mobile Music, Hires Apple Exec

Peter Kafka in Media on March 1, 2010 at 4:00 am PT

You might think the long line of failed digital music companies would dissuade people from launching new ones. But you’d be wrong! This week’s example: Thumbplay, which is launching an all-you-can eat mobile music subscription service on Thursday.

A Veteran of Big Music Explains Why Big Music Is Doomed

Peter Kafka in Media on February 9, 2010 at 3:30 am PT

A former Universal Music executive, now headed to Yahoo, explains concisely why his former employer and the other big guys are just playing out the string: CD sales are wasting away, and the digital boost they were counting on simply isn’t big enough.

Another Tech IPO You Haven’t Been Waiting For

Peter Kafka in Media on January 29, 2010 at 9:12 am PT

Facebook is officially out of the running for a 2010 IPO, and it’s a good bet that other sort-of candidates like Zynga are going to be waiting for a while, too. So if you really want to make a bet on a Webby public offering in the near future, you’re going to have to wager on companies with a…less impressive pedigree. Like Vringo, which is ostensibly in the ringtone business and wants to raise $64 million to keep going.

A Kick Start to the Sidekick’s Social Side

Katherine Boehret in The Mossberg Solution on May 5, 2009 at 5:14 pm PT

The new Sidekick LX has a camera, 3G-connection and social-networking apps, but the absence of a touch screen is glaring for this expensive device.

Latest MobileMe Takes Out Glitches and Eases Syncing

Walt Mossberg in Personal Technology on April 15, 2009 at 6:02 pm PT

Apple’s latest version of MobileMe, a service that synchronizes email, contacts and calendars among Mac and Windows computers, is faster and more reliable.

Voices

AT&T Workers Create “Ready to Strike” Ringtone

Andrew LaVallee, Reporter, Wall Street Journal in News on April 10, 2009 at 4:32 pm PT

AT&T and the union representing its workers are still in contract talks, but workers have published a song, with accompanying ringtone, called “Ready to Strike,” just in case. The song’s pro-labor lyrics include “Get ready to strike, get ready to walk the line” and “Protect my health care, don’t lower my wages/Realize, recognize, mobilize, stay alive” and even a shout-out to technicians who support U-verse, AT&T’s TV service.

The App Test: Rating Programs for Google’s G1

Katherine Boehret in The Mossberg Solution on October 21, 2008 at 4:30 pm PT

Today, people interested in seeing the first Google-branded consumer-hardware product will get to satisfy their curiosity as the company, joining with T-Mobile, unveils its $179 G1 handheld computer. This touch-screen device will compete with Apple’s iPhone, and it includes a key feature missing in the iPhone: a physical keyboard.