BitPim is a free open source program that allows you to manipulate data on several CDMA mobile phones. Today I'm going to show how to install BitPim on Ubuntu and copy an MP3 ringtone to a phone. For this example I'll be using my Samsung Alias SCH-U740 phone and Ubuntu 8.04. You'll need the USB data cable for your phone to connect it to the computer.
In order to use BitPim with Ubuntu there is some configuration that needs to be done. This step doesn't need to be done first, but I've got to start somewhere.
Ubuntu needs to be set up to give read/write access for cell phones. The following is summarized from the BitPim Help. You need to create a file called /etc/udev/rules.d/60-cell.rules. Open a terminal and enter
and paste the following code into the text editor. Make the appropriate changes to Vendor and Product ID's for your phone as found here. For my phone, it looks like this:
SUBSYSTEM!="usb_device", ACTION!="add", GOTO="cell_rules_end"
# Samsung Phone
SYSFS{idVendor}=="04e8", SYSFS{idProduct}=="6601", MODE="0666"
LABEL="cell_rules_end"Save the file and exit the text editor.
Now you need to restart udev from the terminal.
Install BitPim
BitPim is available in the Ubuntu repositories, but it's a little old and I've had problems with it. As of this writing, you can download the latest version (1.06) from SourceForge.net. Find the .deb file in your file manager and double click the file to install it. This .deb file won't create a menu item, but if you want to you can add your own a launcher to your Ubuntu menu.
Now, connect your phone to your computer with the USB cable. Make sure to plug in the phone power cord as well. Start BitPim. If you didn't bother with the launcher you can start BitPim from the terminal with the command
In BitPim, go to Edit->Settings. Select you're phone model from the drop-down menu. Next click the Browse button next to the Com Port field and select an available port. Click OK. Now go to the View menu and click the check box next to View Filesystem. For my phone, I have to browse the filesystem to get BitPim working. Highlight the Filesystem icon in the left pane then double click the folder icon in the center pane. Wait for the phone's filesystem to be read. You should now be able to communicate with your phone.
Add your ringtone
You are now ready to add your MP3 ringtone. You might want to edit your MP3 file into a 30 second clip with a program such as Audacity first. In the left pane of BitPim, expand Phone, then Media and select ringers. Now click on the Add Ringer icon on the toolbar. Browse to your MP3 file and click Open. Click Convert in the new window. Once the conversion is done you can clip only a part of your file for the ringtone if you like (click Set after selecting your clip). Once you've got your clip ready click OK. You might get a warning that your clip may be too big. Just click Yes to proceed. You should see your new ring tone in the ringer pane. You can rename it by right clicking and selecting Rename if you want.
You can now send the new ringtone to your phone by clicking the Send Phone Data icon in the toolbar. Check the box next to Ringtone and click OK. Wait for the ringtone to be sent to your phone. Your phone will either reboot or shut off when it's done. Power up your phone and you should find that your new ringtone is installed.
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Do you plan to update this page, or create a new article, for Ubuntu 9.10 "Karmic Koala"?