Rocking Out With Your Wireless Phone

If you’re like many people, your cell phone doesn’t just ring, it sings. In fact, thousands of people download musical ringtones to their cell phones each day-but what many of them don’t know is that they can listen to actual tunes right on their handsets.

Sound like music to your ears? You’re not alone. In fact, recent RadioShack survey found that nearly 60 percent of young adults said they want their wireless phones to have the ability to play music. Try these tips for getting music on your cell phone from the wireless experts at RadioShack.

The Satellite Radio Connection

The latest multimedia wireless phones from Sprint let you listen to SIRIUS satellite radio from your handset. For instance, RadioShack carries number of satellite radio-enabled phones, including the A900 by Samsung and the 8300 by Sanyo. The phones have stereo-quality speakers and come with headphones. Available satellite channels include:

o Sirius Hits 1: Today’s Top 40 Hits

o The Pulse: Pop and rock from the ’90s until now

o ’60s Vibrations: The musical revolution of the ’60s and early ’70s

o Totally ’70s: The most popular music from the ’70s

o Big ’80s: The hit music of the ’80s

o Classic Vinyl: Classic rock of the ’60s and ’70s

o Alt Nation: The best alt-rock of the ’90s and today

o Hot Jamz: Today’s hip-hop and R&B hits.

Tuning In

iTunes users can check out the Motorola ROKR from Cingular Wireless. The phone lets you listen to your favorite songs while text messaging, taking pictures or checking e-mail. If an incoming call comes while the music’s on, you can just hit “pause” and talk away. Here’s how to use the phone:

o Install the included iTunes desktop software.

o Connect the phone to your PC or MAC.

o Drag and drop up to 100 songs-pick the songs you want or let iTunes do it for you.

o Use the iTunes key on your phone to access your music.

o Shuffle songs or select song, artist or playlist-just like iTunes.

Album art accompanies the menu interface, allowing users to scroll through playlists and shuffle songs from the main menu.