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PDA technology has expanded exponentially over the past few years. In the span of just over a year, Research in Motion released the BlackBerry 8700, the BlackBerry Pearl, and most recently the BlackBerry 8800, all of which offered upgrades or alternatives to the previous models. While BlackBerries were once for just e-mail, you can now surf the web, send an instant message, and play your favorite songs, all with the one device.

And, of course, you can set your own custom ringtones. When you’re one of the millions of BlackBerry users, your ringtone may be the only thing that separates you from the crowd. Thankfully, there are a number of Internet sites that can help you find the perfect ringtone for your personality.

Unfortunately, a Google search for BlackBerry ringtones yields confusing results. There are thousands of results, and most of them don’t provide what is advertised. In fact, of the 2,580,000 search results for the term “BlackBerry ringtones,” only a small handful actually provide that.

Instead of wading through all those results, we’ve compiled a few lists that will make your search much easier. First there’s the list of free ringtones, unlimited ringtones (pay services), and ringtone editors that allow you to make your own.

If, however, you can’t find exactly what you want and decide to roam through the jungle of search results, please keep in a mind a few things that will save a lot of frustration along the way:

1) Just ignore any site on a .edu server. Half of these are dead links, the other half are just advertisements for ringtone sites (half of which are dead, themselves).

2) Watch out for WAP sites, as they are mainly advertisements, too.

3) Most sites will make you enter your provider and number as a prerequisite. Beware when entering information into these sites. You never know what telemarketing lists you’ll end up on. Plus, there’s a good chance you won’t find what you’re looking for, anyway.

4) If the site title is very long, chances are it’s that way to generate the most search results. You’ll be disappointed if you think you’ll find something useful at these sites.

Now onto the sites that will give you BlackBerry ringtones.

Free Ringtones

The official BlackBerry site has an area where you can browse ringtones (http://mobile.blackberry.com — it must be accessed by a BlacBerry browser). Some are pay, but there is a free section you can look through and find something fitting for you. They may not be great, but at least you know no one’s going to slap you with a lawsuit for using them.

An increasingly popular site for BlackBerry ringtones has been Tuneusin.com. It has a large library of free ringtones that you can save and use on your BlackBerry. In addition, it offers a program that allows you to make ringtones from your own music library (more of these to follow). However, this program isn’t free — it’s $14.99, which is about on par with similar programs.

Free Ringtones (http://www.cyzeal.com/free-ringtones.html) is exactly what the name says: a program that allows you to access free ringtones. It’s comparable to download clients like Kazaa and Limewire, but it is dedicated solely to ringtones — polyphonic, mp3, and realtones. It may not be the best service out there, but once again, it’s free, and certainly worth browsing around to see if you can find something you like.

Crackberry (http://www.crackberry.com) now has a decent selection of free ringtones. Many of these you can’t really find anywhere else, which helps make up for a lesser mainstream selection than some other BlackBerry ringtone sites. Plus, they have the best “phone ringing” ringtone we’ve ever heard (it’s like one you’d hear in a Bugs Bunny cartoon). The only downside, as we see it, is that the tones aren’t labeled very well, making it a bit tougher to find what you’re looking for. But if it’s off-beat ringtones you seek, Crackberry should be your first stop.

Pay Sites

The bad news: if you want a good selection of BlackBerry ringtones, you’ll probably have to pay. The good news is that unlike ringtone sites for most cell phones where you have to pay per tone, BlackBerry ringtones are available in an unlimited format. Just pay an up-front fee, and have access to extensive libraries of mp3 ringtones. Instead of browsing through a website, these services come in the form of a software download.

Jamster.com is a great resource for Ringtones for your BlackBerry. For only $9.99 a month you are granted access to ringtones of all types (polyphonic, RealTones etc.) covering music from thousands of artists and the tones are the real songs and not midi type files. For those with video capabilities on their BlackBerry devices you can also get video tones from Jamster! They also have a coupon for a free ringtone.

BlackBerry Ring Tone Megaplex (http://www.handango.com/) is considered to be one of the top sites in this category. It offers a selection of over 1,000 different ringtones. They are updated frequently, and a subscriptions lasts for a whole year. The cost is $19.95 for the year, which is at the upper end. But, you get upper end service for the price, so it works out well.

Funtonia.com is a comprehensive ringtone site, with over 450,000 ringtones in their library. It is a bit more expensive than the others: $23.88 for a year. However, they do offer a plan for those who don’t want the whole year: $17.97 for three months of access. If you’re looking for something specific (and with their large library, you’re bound to find it) and want to keep your expenses under $20, the three-month plan is ideal.

Create Your Own Ringtones

The greatest advancement in ringtone technology has been the ability for users to create their own ringtones from any music library. While most of these services and programs are fee-based, it can be well worth it for people who like to change their ringtones frequently.

For detailed video instructions on how to take mp3s on the Internet and convert them into ringtones for your BlackBerry, visit http://crackberry.com/how-add-free-ringtones-your-BlackBerry. They use tuneusin as an example, but it can be used for any mp3 freely available on the Internet.

BlackBerryTunes.com offers an Internet-based way to create your own ringtones. You can upload your songs to the site, convert and edit them, and bring them back to your BlackBerry as a ringtone. Choose any portion of your favorite song, upload it, edit it, and it’s yours. The service costs $29.99 for four months of unlimited access. It’s best for those who want to convert a lot at once.

After that, there are a number of programs that allow you to make the conversion right on your desktop. They’re all similar in nature. What differs is how much the program does (conversion, editing, wallpaper, etc.), and the price.

The Ringtone Maker (http://www.theringtonemaker.com). The cost is $16.49, and it offers creation and editing services.

DJ Tone Xpress (http://djtonexpress.com). It’s very similar to The Ringtone Maker, right down to features and price ($16.95). It does offer a free trial, though.

Kylix Ringtone Maker (http://all4ringtone.com). It offers conversion and editing, though the price is a bit higher ($19.95). However, if you can get an article published in a renown Internet or print source, or can translate a help file, they offer it free of charge. If you’re a writer or programmer, this is definitely worth a look.

Ringtone Media Studio (http://ringtonemediastudio.com). In addition to the conversion and editing features, this program allows you to compose your own custom ringtones. It also offers wallpaper and screensaver creation, and a video editor. This is an absolute must-have if you’re playing with a new BlackBerry 8800.

Ring Factory (http://ringfactory.net). This offers the cheapest solution to creating ringtones ($9.95), but that’s just for the conversion program. It does offer program bundles, though, that can allow you to rip DVDs to your computer or iPod. The program is simple, but it works and it’s cheap, so if you’re looking for the best value, this is it.

There are hundreds of other sites that claim to offer these ringtone services. However, with so much scamming going on around the Internet, it’s best to stick with these ones. Why go experimenting when you can get any song you want using one or any of these methods?

And lastly, we leave you with that coupon for a free Jamster ringtone!

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