Creating Ringtones for the iPhone using iTunes

Currently for the iPhone 3G, you are able to create custom ringtones and transfer it to your iPhone. To do it, you'll need to use iTunes. I'm currently using iTunes v7.7.1.11.

To create your own ringtone, do the following:

1. Run your iTunes
   
   
2. Find the MP3 file or song you wish to convert to a ringtone
   
   
3. Right-click on the file chosen in Step 2, and choose the option Get Info
   
   
4. Under the Options tab, you'll see the option Start Time and Stop Time. The trick is to select a section of the MP3 that last about maximum 30 seconds (E.g., Start Time: 0:00, Stop Time: 0:30). After that, Click OK. Play-back the MP3 to ensure that the selection is to your satisfaction.
   
   For the iPhone 3G, it rejects any ringtones that are too long. For ringtones that are too long, it will not appear in your ringtone list even though its successfully transferred to the iPhone.
   
   
5. Right-click on the file chosen in Step 2, and choose the option Convert to Selection to AAC. This is the type of music file that the iPhone accepts for ringtones. iTunes will auto-play that converted music file after it is converted.
   
   If you cannot see this option, goto Edit > Preferences > Advanced (tab) > Importing (tab). Select AAC Encoder under Import Using, and click OK.
   
   
6. Right-click on the newly converted file from Step 5, and select Copy. Paste it on another folder, or paste it on your desktop.
   
   
7. You should see your file, with the extension m4a. Rename this file to the extension m4r. This is the iPhone ringtone extension.
   
   
8. Go back to your iTunes, and select File > Add File to Library. Select the file in Step 7. You should see a new category called Ringtones in your iTunes.
   
   
9. Either sync your iPhone with your iTunes library, or just drag the file in step 7 to your iPhone.
   
   
10. Go to your iPhone sound settings, and you should be able to see your ring tone in the selection.
    

That's all to it... Remember to go back to Step 3 and remove the selection for your song. Otherwise when you play the file in iTunes, it will be stuck at your selection. :)

The next question someone will ask is if there's a way to insert a custom Text Message tone. The answer is if you want to do it through iTunes, no. There's no way to put in your own Text Message tone. There are other means though, but it requires you to "hack" your iPhone.

I do hope that Apple provides a way to insert custom Text Message tones though.

Nothing wrong with the iPhone 3G Antenna

According to the CNet article here, there is nothing wrong with the iPhone 3G antenna. That would mean since there's nothing wrong with the hardware, the problems should be a software problem. In that case, it would be easier for Apple to fix it.

According to my experience in Singapore, I would double confirm that there's nothing wrong with the 3G signal. I could almost get 3G signal (90%) throughout Singapore, as long as I'm above ground. This is quite different from the complaints I read.

Currently, there are still some problems with the iPhone 3G (v2.02):

1. Calls coming in directly go to voicemail. This is despite me having 2 bars of 3G signal. However, at that point of time, I was doing something in the Notes application. Not sure if its related.
   
   
2. Calls coming in rings for a while, and gets cut off in a span of a few seconds. For this case, my phone was just locked, but I was on the move.
   
   
3. The Contacts icon is fast if you access it the first time. However, each time you access it after the first time, the Contacts will have some lag. This will happen even if you access the contacts from the Mail application. It's definitely not the number of contacts because I currently only have less than 10 contacts in my contact list.
   
   If you shutdown your iPhone 3G and start it up again, the cycle starts again.
   

Other than that, the iPhone 3G is a nice phone to own. A different experience, and you should check out the app store! There are many good, and free/cheap applications.

Resolve Contacts Sync Error in iTunes

I've encountered an error today where I was unable to sync any contacts on my iPhone 3G back to my computer. I'm currently running iTunes v7.7.1.11 on a Win XP Pro SP3.

The info tab in iTunes is where the contacts, calendar, mail, etc are synced. In this tab, I couldn't select any option at all for all the drop-down boxes, and any attempts to tick the checkboxes in that tab will result in an error. It kept giving me an error where it is unable to load provider data from Sync Services.

The problem is that I believe some of the data files used by iTunes for the Sync Services were corrupted. To resolve this sync error in iTunes, just do the following:

1. Quit your iTunes
2. Goto |drive|\Documents and Settings\|user name|\Application Data\Apple Computer\SyncServices\Local in your Windows Explorer
3. Make a backup of the contents of this folder (optional)
   
4. Remove everything in this folder. If you encounter a permission error, open your Task Manager, and look under the Processes tab. End Process for the SyncServer. After that, you should be able to remove everything in that folder.
5. Connect your iPhone 3G to your computer and run iTunes

That's it... I was able to re-sync everything from my iPhone 3G after this. You can remove the backup done in step 3 if everything is successful.

Hope this helps...

Inflation is up 6.5%

These are the Singapore inflation rates for 2008:
January: 6.6%
February: 6.5%
March: 6.7%
April: 7.5%
May: 7.5%
June: 7.5%
July: 6.5%

Food and Housing is leading the charge, rising by 8.5% and 12.5% respectively year on year. Judging that the numbers have only dropped 1% compared to June 2008, that means July inflation rate has been pretty high. I actually expected about 6.2% or 6.3%.

On a half year basis, the average increase is a whopping 7.1% increase. This affects the lower income the most because the main increase in inflation has been led by Food, Housing and Transport and Communication, all of which are essential goods and services.

August should see a lower inflation reading though due to the commodities fall recently, but seeing that it's coming from such a high base, inflation rate for August might still end up above 6%. From what I can see, I cannot see inflation below 6% this year. More likely it will be above 6%.

Will the Singapore government be wrong in their forecast? If they're keeping their 5%-6% forecast, most likely yes.

Singtel iPhone 3G reception

Updated 25 Aug 2008: EDGE phone reception

I have been testing the Singtel iPhone 3G over the weekend. First the good news. Singtel 3G network is quite well covered in Singapore. It just happens that over this weekend, I've visited the North, South, East, West and Central areas. Not that I've been to every corner but I would think the sample size its big enough to determine the 3G coverage.

Generally, as indicated in my previous post, if you're in the open areas, you would have almost full 3G signal strength. In mature estates (central area), the 3G signal is also relatively okay (at least 2 bars). Even in places as far as Changi, there is still limited 3G signal coverage.

In shopping malls around Orchard area, the 3G signal is also relatively strong. I've tested going to the basement corners and I was still able to get about 2 bars of 3G signal.

I've also tested making phone calls with only 1 bar of 3G signal strength. Surprisingly, there isn't any problems with that. The call could still connect through. If the 3G signal strength is not strong enough, it will downgrade itself to EDGE. If there's no EDGE, it'll downgrade itself to a normal reception signal.



Now, the not so good news. In outlying areas like Changi and most housing estates, 3G signals are hard to come by. Most of the time, you would be downgraded to EDGE. EDGE signal is still relatively okay for surfing. Just a little slow. If it downgrades to a normal reception signal, you will not be able to surf at all. So far, I've only encountered that inside someone's house.

The underground MRT stations were also another problem. It seems that along the stretch where it goes underground, there's no or little 3G signal. Most of the time, I was on EDGE. Around the Dohby Ghaut interchange area, there was no 3G signal at all. I've not tested the NEL yet, but seems like it's quite safe to assume that there's no 3G signal underground.

The other problem is that when its on EDGE or lower, the battery indicator to me seems to be draining faster. I reasoned that it should be because the iPhone was constantly scanning for a 3G signal to latch on instead of relying on EDGE signal.

The main thing that I do not like about the Singtel iPhone 3G is the talk volume reception. When I'm on EDGE signal, and I make a phone call to someone, my voice becomes super soft! The other party could hardly hear me talking. However, when I'm on 3G, I have no such problems at all. I hope this will be fixed soon. It defeats the purpose of me switching off my 3G if the other party could not even hear me talking at all on EDGE. The iPhone is after all still a phone. It seems that the EDGE talk volume (reception) is okay, based on my most recent test today. That would only lead me to 3 conclusions:

• The Mic for the iPhone is dependent on the ringer volume that you have set. Currently my ringer volume is set to Max, as compared to medium over the weekend.
  
  
• It depends on the cell stations itself. It might be that the cell station in certain areas have problems.
  
  
• I did not force the EDGE setting in the iPhone by setting the NO 3G option in the settings. I was using EDGE because I had no 3G signal in that area. There is a rare possibility that it might affect the volume, although its quite unlikely.
  

I will continue monitoring it for a week first.

All in all, I think one can survive with the iPhone 3G in Singapore without much problems.

Singtel iPhone 3G is locked (CORRECTED - Not locked)

Updated 27 Aug 2008: Singtel iPhone 3G is not locked to Singtel

Based on my own testing, the Singtel iPhone 3G seems to be locked only to Singtel SIM cards.

Using the Singtel SIM card, the iPhone 3G was able to detect all the other networks. I was able to see the Starhub and M1 cell stations. However, when I put in one of the other telco's SIM card, it just came out with a No SIM notification. I tested it a few times, in case it was the position of the SIM card but the error was still the same. I guess I sort of expected the iPhone will be locked to Singtel.
The Singtel iPhone 3G is not locked to Singtel. I was able to successfully put another Telco's SIM card inside the iPhone 3G. The reason why I thought it was locked to Singtel is because I inserted a non-3G SIM card into the iPhone 3G. Seems like the iPhone 3G only accepts 3G SIM cards.

Will be doing some more 3G testing tomorrow. More like confirming my findings today.

Stressing the Singtel iPhone 3G

I'm currently stressing the iPhone 3G, in particular the 3G portion. I'm using the latest v2.02, and based on my initial testing, the Singtel 3G signal is generally quite strong in Singapore.

The 3G signal is almost full as I was constantly surfing in the MRT on the east-west and north-south (above ground) line. For the stations below ground, the signal becomes generally weaker (still have signal), but the signal will be full again upon reaching the station. As long as I'm in the open-air, the signal is also generally quite strong.

I find that 90% of the time, I would have a signal for my 3G. However, this is only based on my initial testing. I will be stressing it more this weekend.

Why the latest Worklife balance campaign will fail

Recently there were alot of news on a slew of initiatives by the Singapore government to increase our birth rate back to 2.1.

Summary of the monetary terms for increasing the birth rate:

• Qualifying Child Relief/Handicapped Child Relief (QCR/HCR): For parents with qualifying children (existing or newborn), the QCR will increase from $2000 to $4,000 per child, and the HCR from $3,500 to $5,500 per child.
  
  
• Working Mother’s Child Relief (WMCR): Working mothers with qualifying Singaporean children (existing or newborn) will enjoy higher WMCR. Currently, the WMCR for the first, second, third and fourth child are 5%, 15%, 20% and 25% of the mother's earned income respectively. The WMCR will now be 15% and 20% of the mother's earned income for the first and second child respectively, and 25% per child for the third and subsequent child. The WMCR will be subject to an overall cap of 100% of the mother’s earned income for all her qualifying children.
  
  
• Combined QCR/HCR and WMCR: The total amount of QCR/HCR and WMCR claimable will be capped at $50,000 per child, twice the current cap of $25,000. Parents will be able to claim the enhanced QCR/HCR and WMCR from Year of Assessment 2009.
  
  
• Parenthood Tax Rebate (PTR): Currently, PTR is only available for the second to fourth qualifying Singaporean child in a family. Going forward, PTR will be extended to the first child and beyond the fourth child. The PTR will be $5,000 for the first child, $10,000 for the second, and $20,000 for each subsequent child. Both the father and the mother may use the PTR to offset their income tax payable. Parents of children born or legally adopted on or after 1 Jan 2008 will be able to claim the enhanced PTR from Year of Assessment 2009.
  
  
• Both elements of the Baby Bonus, i.e. cash gift and dollar-for-dollar government matching contribution for the Children Development Account (CDA), will be enhanced. With the enhancements, the Baby Bonus will be up to $10,000 for each of the first two children and up to $18,000 for each subsequent child. The enhanced Baby Bonus applies to Singaporean babies born on or after 1 Jan 2009.
  
  Cash gift: The cash gift for the first and second child will be raised from $3,000 to $4,000. The cash gift for the third and fourth child remains at the current level of $6,000.
  
  CDA: The government matching contribution will be extended to the first child at up to $6,000. The matching contribution for the CDA for the second, third and fourth child will remain at the current levels. For the fifth child and beyond, a dollar-for-dollar matching for the CDA of up to $18,000 per child will be introduced.
  
  
• Affordability of childcare: From 1 Jan 2009, the subsidy for working mothers sending
  their Singaporean children to centre-based childcare will increase from
  $150 to a maximum of $300 per month per child and the subsidy for centrebased
  infant care will increase from $400 to a maximum of $600 per month
  per child.

The other measures include IVF, childcare, leave and worklife balance. Our Prime minister actually emphasized alot on worklife balance. However, there's one big problem. It was actually highlighted in plain terms in today's ST.

We have no spares.

Simple sentence that describes why the worklife balance will fail. The PM has also said this in a different way. In his lingo, he said that we must be competitive.

That's the main problem for families in Singapore. No spares mean that we have no one to cover us, or at most a temp person that can maybe take over half of what I can do. Therefore, how can the boss of the company afford to let anyone go for extended periods of time?? That's the direct result of being competitive. All companies, including the government, also have the lowest bid wins mentality. Therefore in Singapore, we're so lean that sometimes a person can be doing many things at one time, with no backup.

Now bringing the foreign talent(FT) into the picture, it would become far worse. Most foreign talents do not bring their family into Singapore, and I do include PRs. They have few friends in Singapore too. Therefore, if you let any boss choose between a FT who can work long hours, and a Singaporean who is going to start a family, who do you think the boss will choose? Few bosses now choose base on quality.

So even with all the above monetary benefits dangling in front of us, we'll still need to take into account the most important part, which is our rice bowl. Do you think that if given a chance, we do not want to do a bit lesser, and go back home earlier for more R&R?? We really do not have a choice on this worklife balance.

Why? Because we're too competitive... That's why.

Singtel iPhone 3G Price Plans are out!

SingTel iPhone Price Plans

	Free Incoming Calls Video/Voice Calls All Day
	iFlexi Value	iFlexi Plus	iFlexi Premium
Promotion Subscription	$56/mth	$95/mth	$205/mth
FREE Local Data	1GB*	2GB*	3GB*
FREE Local Calls	200 mins anytime (outgoing)	500 mins anytime (outgoing)	1,500 mins anytime (outgoing)
FREE Local SMS	500	500	1,500
iPhone 3G 8GB	$348	$49	$0
iPhone 3G 16GB	$508	$208	$0
FREE Value-Added Services	Caller ID1 AutoRoam1 VoiceMail2 SMS Plus1 Overseas Missed Call Alert
FREE Wireless	Free Wireless@SG 512 kbps
Exclusive Benefits	Top up $5.35 per month for TalkMore3, SMSMore4 or Free Unlimited V019 calls5
	*Only for customers who connect/recontract to an iFlexi plan before 5th Sep 2008.

As expected, the lowest tier costs about $50+. However, there is 1 big catch in all these iFlexi plans. The data is limited to 1GB, 2GB or 3GB. Refer to the Singtel website here for more info.

I do not understand the rationale of limiting the data to 1GB, other than Singtel trying to earn more money from us. Even in emails, sometimes we get 10s of MB per email a day. Assuming about 20MB email a day. That would be about 600MB taken up. This does not count in-complete emails download due to network problems. Add that in and your quota might all be used up just on emails!

This is a very big disappointment! Another attempt by Singtel to squeeze more money from us. iPhone is touted because of its internet anywhere capability, but the provider actually put a limit to the amount of data transferred from the iPhone! It's not as if the broadband speed of the iPhone is super fast. Ask any 3G user out there and most do not get very fast speeds on the 3G network here.

Boycott and wait for M1 and Starhub to enter into the fray!

T-Mobile to launch Android phone

News is out that T-Mobile may be launching the Google's Android phone in the US before Christmas. Looks like the smart-phone arena will be quite crowded now, with the likes of Google, Apple, Symbian and Microsoft all in the fray.

Seems like HTC will be the one coming out with the Android phone. That will be interesting. All along for all the smart phones, I liked the HTC design and features. It'll be interesting what they'll offer on the Android platform.