The Blog of AJ Ke » Tech & Gadgets

Make A Free iPhone Ringtone Using Only iTunes

AJ Ke — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 07:09:39 +0000

You don’t need to download other apps or pay 99 cents for iPhone ringtones anymore. Making a free ringtone is easy – and you can do it all in iTunes. This can be done with any song in your iTunes library that is DRM free.

Remember to keep the length of all ringtone clips under 30 seconds or iTunes will not transfer them over to your iPhone.

Open iTunes and find the song you want to turn into a ringtone
Right-click on the song and select “Get Info”
Click on the “Options” tab
Check the radio button for start time and enter the time in the song where you want your ringtone to start. Check the radio button for stop time and enter the time in the song where you want the ringtone to end. Make sure that the duration of the ringtone you selected is UNDER 30 seconds. When you are done click OK
Right-click on the song again and select “Create AAC version”
Locate the file you just created on your computer. You may be able to do this by right-clicking on the file and selecting any variant of “show file” or “show in windows explorer”
Replace the .m4a extension with .m4r. Double click on the file to automatically add it to your ringtone collection in iTunes

Notes

Delete the shortened file you created from your iTunes library
Remeber to return the start and stop time settings on the original song back to default

Repairing A Broken iPhone – How To Fix A Cracked Screen

AJ Ke — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 06:52:38 +0000

If you saw my broken iPhone post a while ago, you may have realized that scotch tape isn’t exactly the best way to fix a cracked screen. Fortunately, with the help of a few YouTube tutorials, I was able to fix the screen using tools and replacement parts that I bought on eBay for about $18.

This is the most helpful tutorial I found:

Materials Used:

Magnetic screwdriver
Paper clip or sim card tool
Suction cup
Spudger
Adhesive strips
Replacement iPhone 3G OEM Glass Digitizer Screen
Hairdryer or Heat Gun

Personal notes:

When using the suction cup to separate the glass from the housing, you need to pull very firmly. However, do not pull too far open because the digitizer is still attached by three cables.
When separating the frame from the LCD, be very careful when prying. Only pry from the sides and that one corner mentioned in the video.
If you’re using a hairdryer, you need to heat the glass for NO LESS than 5 minutes. Use a rag or pot holder when peeling the glass off the frame because it gets very hot. Make sure not to warp the shape of the frame.

Before

After

Fixing A Cracked iPhone For Less Than A Dollar

AJ Ke — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 15:35:14 +0000

I’ve dropped my iPhone so many times this past year without consequence. Finally, my negligence has caught up with me. In my sleepless daze during finals, I dropped my phone face down on concrete, cracking the complete top half of the screen.

After waiting in line at the AT&T store for almost an hour, I found out that it would take almost $300 to fix it. That’s more than the price of a new phone! Determined, I figured out my own method of fixing my beloved phone.

Step 1: Cover the cracks with Scotch tape so that you don’t cut your fingers on the pieces of glass.

Done! It works just fine now. I need to be careful, though, because I was lucky enough to keep the LCD intact. I’m afraid any more pressure on the screen might damage it.

Ok, ok. So this is only a temporary fix. I’ve actually ordered a new screen and some tools online for less than $30. I’ll put up another how-to post and video when the materials arrive.