Hudson Entertainment, Hudson Soft's North American arm, announced today that it has partnered with TVT Records to release ringtones based on TVT's extensive catalogue of artists which span genres as diverse as hiphop, rock, and pop.

"We're extremely delighted to add the TVT stable of talented artist and divergent hip-hop tracks to our already substantial library of compelling ringtones," said Mike Samachisa, COO of Hudson Entertainment. "Hudson Entertainment continues to position itself as a leading distributor of new mobile content by supporting and signing new artists, as well as providing additional channels for artists to reach their fan base through premium mobile content."

This new partnership will bring a deep lineup of hit tracks from TVT to mobile phones as master ringtones, including such top billboard hit tracks as Lil Jon's "Snap Yo Fingers", Ying Yang Twins' "Dangerous", Lumidee's "She's Like The Wind" and Pitbull's "Ay Chico."

The TVT ringtones are currently available on The Source Masters application and are available on major carriers. There are already 65 TVT tracks available on The Source Masters application, and new tones will be launched simultaneously when TVT Records releases the perspective albums throughout the year.

 

If you haven't had enough iPhone news and details, then we've got some more for you. German Mac site, Macwelt, was able to squeeze in some more iPhone details from Apple. The details ranges from the technical aspects (such as, where would the OS be stored?) to the more shallow bits (could my iTunes songs be used as ringtones?). Well here are some of the bits we have found.

On the issue of where the OS is gonna be stored. The Macwelt article mentioned that the OS would be stored alongside your music, but fret not, because Apple says that it will just occupy one half of a gigabyte. So you still have 3.5 or 7.5 GB room for your pics and music.

Apple would also have the final word as to what software would be installed on the iPhone. Also, you will not be able to purchase some iTunes Store goodies directly from your iPhone. Probably, Apple and Cingular didn't see eye-to-eye about this issue.

Now, the mind bugging question still remains unanswered, "would I be able to use my iTunes song as a ringtone?" The answer my friend, is no. You cannot use them as you alarm clock tones as well. Aww...that's too bad. In the Macwelt interview, they also found out that Apple will not let users use VoIP on the iPhone.

The German site also squeezed this particular info about plugins. Apple says that there will be as many enabled plugins as possible and Flash and Java will be enabled.

Hmm, I don't know about you but I'm still pretty bummed about that iTunes-ringtone tidbit. To read the interview, click on the read-link below for a Google-translated version.

Ringtone companies in England could be looking at a very bleak future according to new research that suggests the UK ringtone market is set to shrink almost 20 percent this year. Bad news for the companies, but great news for those whose nerves have already been frayed from hearing the Crazy Frog ringtone countless times.

Music consultancy firm MusicAlly, which carried out the survey, predicted that turnover for the ringtone market will slide to just 78 million pounds within four years. The UK ringtone download market grew 500 percent to 177 million pounds between 2000 and 2005.  If - or when - the boom fizzles out, the decline will no doubt affect not only ringtone providers but companies who offer ringtone-making software as well.

Steve Mayall of MusicAlly said that one reason for this predicted decline in the ringtone boom is the controversy surrounding subscription charges for certain services. A code of conduct has already been drawn up to address the issue but it seems that it's a case of "too little, too late." According to Mayall, another contributing factor is the gradual phase out of polyphonic ringtones now that the availability of handsets that can store and play mp3s has risen dramatically.

One of IGN's quirks that they openly share with the public is their Top 10 Tuesday stints, where they make a weekly countdown of anything and everything related to games and gaming. While some are educational, exceptional, and even absurd, there are some that are just, how do we describe this, uh...fascinating? Yes. That's the word that comes closest to mind, fascinating.

For this week, they countdown the top ten videogame ringtones that grace your cellphones. Makes sense actually, since some games' themes are already stuck in your head anyway so why not make it your ringtone as well, eh? Here's the list:

10) Overworld Theme from Super Mario Bros. - we have to agree that this one's definitely a classic. This writer has personally heard of someone who can even play this tone on the guitar. Hail the guitar geek extraordinaire.

9) Tetris' Music A - also a classic, but as a ringtone, it can be a bit too frantic. We suggest that people who are heavily loaded on caffeine should NOT use this as their ringtone.

8) Stage One of Doom -  still recognizable, yet a bit obscure. Fast enough without pressuring you get frantic while answering your phone. This will also help you detect fellow die-hards if they nod in acknowledgement upon hearing your ringtone.

The full article awaits after the jump!

In an attempt to get more gamers into their market, Orange is now offering their latest Sony Ericsson K610i with free game demos from Sega.

Apparently, the said handset was designed specifically for gamers so Orange decided to include game demos such as Sonic the Hedgehog and Chu Chu Rocket to be available for free download. Sega wallpapers and ringtones are nonetheless also available.

The phone itself is not that bad, with a 2megapixel camera, media player, memory Stick Micro support. The K610i also has push email to keep you updated on incoming email, and allows for PC synchronisation. The 3G handset comes in three colors: Misty White, Urban Silver, and Evening Red.

If you do decide to download one of the games ('coz you just can't get enough of Sonic), Orange will give you a £10 money-off voucher (that's roughly $19 for us) for you to spend on downloading a Sega game when you purchase their K610i.

 

Great news for old-school hip-hop fans! Hudson Entertainment, Hudson Soft's North American publishing arm, announced today that they've inked a publishing deal with The Orchard that aims to bring Delicious Vinyl's artist lineup to mobile phones.

The partnership will bring approximately 30 top tracks from the label to mobile phones as master ringtones. Tracks include such favorites as Tone-Loc's "Wild Thing," "Funky Cold Medina," Young MC's "Bust a Move," and The Pharcyde's "Runnin'," and "Passin' Me By," all of which broke the Billboard top 100.

If you're looking to score these old-school jams for your mobile, they're already available on major carriers throughout the US. You can also get them via the The Source mobile channel. As a side note, we're still looking for a ringtone of Sir Mix-A-Lot's original "Baby Got Back" (not the lame version that goes "Pick up the phone! Pick up the phone! 'Cause you don't wanna miss this call and I cannot lie!"), so here's hoping that someday, somewhere, someone's going to release that.

There was a time in the mobile phone's life that the screen was really small and the keypads were the biggest part of the whole gadget. Now it seems to be getting smaller and lower. In 2007, it just might disappear altogether.

There are plans in the works for mobile phones to get touch screens as well. Immediate benefits? More space for the screen; yes, you can finally see more of yourself. More possible applications; the keypad itself will be integrated into the screen; faster typing/texting speed. How does it work? According to Immersion, a tactile or haptic ("touch" for us lay people) technologies developer, a small electric motor behind the screen delivers the actual tap for you.

The main system involved with this new technology is Immersion's VibeTonz system. Once implemented, your "mobile phone experience" will change. For instance, synchronized vibrations in ringtones will make your mobile sound like a Subwoofer, gaming would have touch feedback, etc. You'd be able to find the right menu quickly, you can also change the vibrations from a subtle tap to a vibrations as strong as Big Ben at noon.

The quad-band 8700c is the first broadband BlackBerry, and is Blackberry's most advanced model yet. Faster email downloads are made possible by Cingular's EDGE network, making this device unbeatable. Although BlackBerrys in general are known as the businessman's tool, the additional MP3 ringtone playback capability just proves that even serious individuals know how to have fun.

Noteworthy Specs:

• MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service)
• Bright, high-resolution screen. Equipped with Intelligent light sensing technology to automatically optimize screen lighting levels.
• Built-in speakerphone for hands-free dialog.
• Bluetooth® hands-free headset and car kit support.
• Polyphonic and MP3 ring tones can be assigned to your contacts
• Ergonomic, full QWERTY keyboard.
• 64 MB of memory
• Intel XScale® processor
• Quad-Band network support on 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS and EDGE networks allows for international roaming between North America, Europe and Asia Pacific

Review:

The 8700c is a bit smaller in size than other BlackBerrys, coming in at 4.3 x 2.7 x .77 inches, which would logically result to some obvious problems of less screen space as well as a higher ratio of mistyped words because of keys being closer to each other than before. But this has also made the device easier to operate using only one hand and the bright, high-resolution screen with intelligent light sensing technology compensates for a smaller screen.

But if the 8700c can boast of anything, it is its 64 MB internal memory, allowing  you to download and store more ringtones, applications, and if it's your thing, games from Cingular's online store, to keep you busy in between business trips. And of course, a secure push email, either from your individual POP3 or IMAP account or connected through BlackBerry's Enterprise Server for Microsoft Exchange and all other major email server programs.

The younger set doesn't have it very easy these days, as far as cellphones are concerned. Most kids wouldn't be caught dead with the sort of ringtones their elders prefer; they'd prefer more raucous and/or catchy ringtones, thanks very much, which just happen to be the ones the 'oldies' most vehemently object to. Plus the use of cellphones in areas like classrooms, libraries and the like is strictly verboten.

What's a kid to do?

Well, for one, he or she could hunt down a particular new ringtone that's making waves in Britain and the States. It's extremely high-pitched, quite annoying, very distinctive - and inaudible to most adults.

The technology relies on the fact that most adults gradually lose the ability to hear high-pitched sounds, a condition called presbycusis, or 'aging ear'. The ringtone was developed in Britain as the offshoot of an invention called the Mosquito to repel teenagers who loiter outside shops and block store windows, while leaving adults unaffected.

We can't wait to give this one a try (yes, none of us are old enough not to hear this interesting new ringtone)!