Adding Ringtones to a Treo 600 Mobile Phone

I love my Treo 600. I've had it for over two years, and I've resisted the urge to shell out $500 for the latest and greatest. However, there are a few things that bug me about it. One is that you can't forward individual text messages (it saves all the messages from the same person as a chat thread, and you have to copy the one you want out of the thread.) Another annoyance is that the camera resolution is lousy. A third issue is that its selection of ringtones stinks and there doesn't seem to be any good way to add more.

I decided to investigate and find out if there was a way to install ringtones. I wasn't able to figure out how to install MP3s as ringtones, but I did figure out how to install MIDI files. If you know how to install MP3s, please let me know.

Below is how the process works for MIDI files (on Windows XP with Palm Desktop Software 4.1 and of course a Treo 600). There is probably an easier way to do all this if you're subscribed to the Internet data service for the phone (which I'm not). Feel free to comment if you know of any shortcuts.

Step 1: Find or create a MIDI file.

There are a number of applications out that that convert MP3s to MIDIs. I tried a few of them, and the MIDIs sounded like junk. Fortunately there are other people out there who know how to create MIDIs, and they have made a lot of them available on the net. You can try a google search, or start here: http://rock.mididb.com/

Find a song that you like and download it to your computer.

Step 2: Grab the section of the MIDI file that you want.

When you download the MIDI file, it will typically be 3 to 5 minutes in length. That's OK, but it's a waste of space -- for a ringtone, all you really want is 30 seconds or so. And you may not want the ringtone to start with the beginning of the song. To carve out the segment of the song that you want to use for the ringtone, you can use this free software: Anvil Studio. You can find instructions for using it here.

Step 3: Install the MIDI file in your Palm Desktop.

To get the ringtone to show up on the phone, you have to add it to the list of ringtones that the phone knows about. There is a file that stores the list of ringtones, and you can access it through the Palm Desktop. To do that, I used another free application called the Palm MIDI Desktop. (Java required)

You are going to use the Palm MIDI Desktop to mess with the ringtone configuration file that your phone uses to know which ringtones to display in the drop down lists, so first make a backup copy of the configuration file on your computer. In my case, the Palm user is called "Nate", so the file to back up is C:\Palm\Nate\Backup\MIDI Ring Tones.pdb

Once you have the file backed up:

• Download Palm MIDI Desktop from here.
• Unzip and extract the Palm MIDI Desktop files
• Run the Palm MIDI Desktop (you can also take a peek at the instructions in PalmMidiDesktop.html, which is part of the zip file)
• Open a command prompt: Start Menu -> Run -> type in cmd
• In the command prompt window, go to the directory where you unzipped the Palm MIDI Desktop files to. In my case I typed in cd C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\My Documents\My Music\midi_stuff\pmidi01
• Run the Palm MIDI Desktop. Type in jview -cp:a PalmMidiDesktop.jar PalmMidiDesktop
• The Palm MIDI Desktop should pop open
• Using the Palm MIDI Desktop File->Open menu option, open MIDI Ring Tones.pdb, e.g. C:\Palm\Nate\Backup\MIDI Ring Tones.pdb
• Using the Palm MIDI Desktop File->Import menu option, import the midi file(s) that you created
• Using the Palm MIDI Desktop File->Save menu option, save the new MIDI Ring Tones.pdb
• Exit the Palm MIDI Desktop
• In Palm Desktop, click "Install" button (or View->Install)
• Add MIDI Ring Tones.pdb
• Click Done

Step 4: Sync the Treo with the Desktop.

If you don't know how to do this I don't know what you're doing with a Palm device.

Step 5: Select your new ringtone(s).

Go to Prefs->Sound->Tones: In the dropdown menus next to each option (e.g. "Known Caller Tones") your new file should show up! Select it and you're good to go! If it doesn't show up, sorry, you're hosed.

Bonus: Setting ringtones for an individual caller.

If you want a special ringtone to be associated with a specific caller, there is a way to do that. The caller has to be in your favorites (speed dial) list. (Which is a totally lame design. I'm hoping it's fixed in the later versions.)

• Go to favorites, scroll to the person you want to associate with the new ringtone.
• Go to Edit (using the dropdown menu or Menu->E)
• Select "More"
• Select the ringtone you want from the dropdown list

Enjoy!

Arizona Snow

After a 6 year hiatus, I finally went snowboarding again, at Snowbowl, near Flagstaff, AZ. The conditions weren't quite up to Utah standards, but it was still fun to get back out there!

What's Up With LunchClub?

In February 2000, I started a company called LunchClub.net LLC, with William Carey. We had actually been working on getting things set up for the business since mid-1999 (the domain lunchclub.net was registered June 1, 1999) but we didn't create the company till February 2000. The premise of LunchClub was simple: Anyone could come to our website and sign up to receive lunch coupons from restaurants in their zip code. Coupons were sent out daily, by email.

I worked on LunchClub pretty much full time from the get-go, even though I still had another full time job, but in 2002 I quit my other job and started focusing on LunchClub.

LunchClub has now been the focus of my entrepreneurial efforts for over seven years, so many of you were surprised to learn that a few months ago LunchClub was acquired by a company called Scottsdale.com. Some of you probably have not even heard about this development yet. I decided to write up this little post to let everyone know what's going on with LunchClub and what my future holds.

Why Did We Sell Out?

We decided to sell out for a couple of reasons. The first reason was obviously financial. But along with that, the plan is for Scottsdale.com's connections with other city sites throughout the country to greatly accelerate LunchClub's expansion and growth. Our plan all along was to perfect the model in the Phoenix area, and then expand it across the United States. The hope is that Scottsdale.com will be able to make that happen. Will and I are still part owners, so we have a vested interest in seeing LunchClub continue to grow. And we also want to see our "baby" succeed.

Are You Still Working At LunchClub?

Upon hearing about the latest developments, most people ask me are whether I'm still working at LunchClub. The answer is that I'm not working at LunchClub anymore except part time to help in the transition. Despite my many titles I was always the "computer guy" for LunchClub, and now the computer stuff is being done by a company called Contact Designs, so I'm just helping them get things figured out so they can continue maintenance and development of the LunchClub related products and services.

What Are You Going To Do Now?

For the last five or so years I've been doing some part time real estate investing. I've never had much time to put into it, but I've always found it intriguing. Now that I don't have another full time job, I am going to put a bigger focus on real estate investing. I've recently gone to several seminars to improve my knowledge, in San Diego, Dallas, Detroit, and Phoenix.

So that's what I'll be working on. I'll let you know how it goes...

First First

Flying back from Detroit on Saturday night on US Airways, the flight wasn't very full, and I managed to sweet talk the ticket agent into upgrading me to first class. It was my first time in first class, so I thought I'd better share my impressions.

• The seats were quite a bit more comfortable, with more leg room. This was my favorite perk.
  
  
• We got a decent dinner, as well as dessert, all complimentary. (On US Airways you have to pay $5 for any meal now when riding in coach. I'm not sure if it's the same on other airlines.)
  
  
• We got complimentary headphones, instead of being dinged for another $5. I didn't really care about this since I rarely watch the movie, and I wouldn't have bothered paying the $5. But I did watch it this time, since they were showing Invincible, which was on my list of movies to see. Pretty good show, although I'd like to know what the hot blond chick was doing working in the run down bar with all those loud, grungy guys. Why wasn't she in first class on a flight from Detroit to Phoenix where she belonged??
  
  
• The beverages were refilled frequently. The University of Michigan fan next to me had 2 Ginger Ales mixed with some sort of hard liquor, and then about 8 Heinekens. Ever time the attendant came by and asked, "Would you like another Heineken?" he said "Sure!" I figured he'd pass out by the end of the flight, but he seemed fine. I had several apple juices.
  
  
• Being the first to get on and off the flight was kind of cool but not a huge deal.

Overall, it was a pleasant experience. It was nice to be treated like you're someone special. But at the same time it made me a little uncomfortable. I'm too used to being back in couch with the huddled masses. It still boggles my mind a little that people will drop an extra grand (or 3 or 5) for a couple (or 4) hours of comfort. I guess if you've got it to burn... The most I can see myself paying is about $50, for the bigger seat, so I'll probably be back in coach with the rest of the poor saps next time.

My Favorite Movies

Editor's Note: Due to a glitch in Blogger, my previous "favorite movies" post from November 4th has disappeared! And since Blogger's customer support person is not an actual person, there's no way to get any help fixing the problem. So I am re-posting. But you don't have to re-read it. Although I did make one change to the list...

I often get asked what my favorite movie is. Why? Because I'm often in "get to know you" conversations, which is the funnest part of being single.

I had already started keeping a list in my palm/phone of movies that I wanted to see, and at some point I started adding movies that I really liked, and eventually it morphed into a list of favorites. So now when I get asked what my favorite movie is, I can whip out my phone and display them. Perfect for looking like a big nerd, which is usually my goal.

Most of the movies in this list could already be seen in my blog profile, if you had bothered to look. But the movies there are in alphabetical order. In this post I decided to list out my top 25, in order of preference.

Deciding on the order was tricky. And I'm sure I'm probably forgetting some movies that should be on the list. And I may not have gotten the full effect of some of the R-rated ones, since I watched the Cleanfilms versions (before they were forced out of business by lame-o Hollywood interests). But anyway here goes:

25. Casablanca

24. Monty Python and the Holy Grail

23. Mission Impossible (Part 1)

22. The Naked Gun

21. Love Actually

20. Dave

19. O Brother Where Art Thou

18. Groundhog Day

17. The Mask

16. Unbreakable

15. The Scarlett Pimpernel

14. The Godfather

13. Pirates of the Caribbean (Part 1)

12. School of Rock

11. Indiana Jones

10. The Terminator

9. Napoleon Dynamite

8. The Wedding Singer

7. The Matrix

6. Star Wars

5. The Incredibles

4. Happy Gilmore

3. Lord of the Rings (Part 1)

2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

And...

1. Back to the Future

There you have it! Let me know what I missed...

Nate Doggggg

For as long as I've gone by Nate, which is about 15 years now, certain people have called me "Nate Dog." They always say "Nate Dogggggggggg!" like you might say "Dooooooooooood!" or "Wazzzzzzzzzup?!"

Well, I was never aware of it, but it turns out that the source of this greeting is that there is an actual rapper named Nate Dogg! He's Snoop Dogg's cousin. I don't know how I could have not known about this all these years. So much for my street cred.

Apparently Nate Dogg is "said to be one of the most soulful artists in the hip hop scene." Amazing, since I've always been said to be one of the most soulful non-artists in the non-hip hop scene! It's like we're related.