Shiny new RAZRs, 25 Ringtones, and ICE, ICE, baby

[grizzlyzone]

Shiny New RAZRs

The roommate decided he liked my new RAZR (with Bluetooth) better he liked than his old cellphone, so we were off to the local at&t store to pick him up a shiny new RAZR.

The store was out of the V3xx model that I have, so the clerk asked if a V3 was acceptable. (The V3 is an older model offering no MP3 player, a lower resolution camera, a lower resolution screen, and a slower Internet connectivity. It comes in black, silver or pink.)

Since making and answering cell phone calls can be a major challenge for the roommate, I figured that he'd have no use for the MP3 player, the phone cam and a Internet connection, and we decided on the silver.

Of course, what they didn't mention was that the user menus were different, and I'd have to learn the new menuing system so I could teach it to the roommate. (I'm very proud of him though. He can now use "voice dialing" and answer the phone.)

Afterwards, it was off to Staples for a new Motorola H500 Bluetooth headset. (The at&t store was out.)

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25 Ringtones

I have two rhetorical questions: (I don't need an answer.) How come I can get a full 3-minute song off iTunes for 99¢, but if I want to buy that same song as a 15-second "ringtone" from the phone company, it's gonna cost either $1.99 or $2.49? Simply put, "wuddupwiddat"?

And, please tell me why most of the 25 different selections they give me as buyable ringtones are hip-hop/rap? Can't I get something that sounds like a telephone ringing? The sudden blaring of a "gangsta rap" selection in the middle of a corporate environment is so disconcerting, and that at&t tone is going to drive me bonkers!

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ICE, ICE, baby.

In South Florida, there was a campaign to have everyone add a new entry to the phone book of their cellphones and label it "ICE". Should something catastrophic happen and rescuers find you, they'll know who to call by dialing the number for "ICE" - "In Case of Emergency".