Misc. Ramblings

I've been using cell/mobile phones for about 15 years. Up to last Monday, I'd lost only one phone. That phone somehow slipped out of the plastic holster that was clipped to the waistband on my trousers. It happened while I was getting into my wife's car. This occurred outside the courthouse where I work and I never found the phone.

On Monday, while getting into my wife's car, which was parked outside the courthouse where I work, my cell phone slipped out of the plastic...well, you know what comes next. Sigh. Two phones. Same place.

So that evening, I went to Cingular and bought the Motorola Razr V3. The price for this phone has dropped to as low as $100 from Amazon.com but, I think, that's after mail-in rebates and you all know what I think about mail-in rebates.

So far, I like the fact that is thin and light. But for my large fingers, what I like more is that it is relatively wide. When I was shopping for a new phone, many of the phones had tiny little keys. I have no idea how anyone is supposed to use them much less a six-foot tall Hawaiian with large hands.

Now that I have a new phone, I can begin getting accessories for it! My first is a leather case so that I can keep its anodized aluminum case scratch free. My second is a scratch resistant film called the Martin Fields Overlay Plus. Hopefully, this will keep the 2.2 inch color display from getting scratched or covered with visible fingerprints. My next accessory is the Motorola PhoneTools and USB cable.

This software allows me to, among other things, transfer wallpaper images and ring tones to my phone from my PC. This saves me money since I don't have to pay nearly $2USD per wallpaper or ring tone. I can also download to my PC photos that I've taken with the phone's camera. It also provides for easy creation and backing up of my address book and can sync with my calendar.

The only problem I've had isn't with the phone itself. It's with the Cingular voicemail. I don't use voicemail because I don't use my phone that often so I had Cingular turn that feature off. But with it off, and my phone off, people get the strangest message when they try to call my cell. What they here is a recording saying to enter the 10-digit phone number they are trying to reach. If they do that, what they'll get is a recording saying the number doesn't exist.

What doesn't exist is a voicemail box but the recording doesn't say that. It says the number doesn't exist. Not a GoodThing.

But that's a problem with Cingular, not the phone. The bottom line is I am very happy with my new toy valuable communication device. Now I need to see what other accessories I can buy for it.

Aloha!