Microsoft announced yesterday that SQL Server 2008 will launch on February 27, 2008. For those of you who are still waiting to upgrade to SQL Server 2005, you may want to wait a little longer.

As I wrote on Monday, due to the vast conspiracy of cell phone manufacturers to construct their products with some type of space-age material that is actually repelled by human skin, my cell phone of four years is no longer with us. R.I.P. LG VX6000, I didn’t even get the chance to give you a proper name, though if I did I suppose Leggy (LG) or Vixy (VX) would’ve worked.

You have to understand, though, it wasn’t my fault. I was leaving work, rocking to some song on my iPod (I would like to tell you it was some cool Alternative band nobody has ever heard of, but it was probably Bon Jovi), and carrying the bag I bring my lunch to work in. All of a sudden my phone rings and in the confusion of trying to get the device out of my shirt pocket, I dropped it on the ground as I had so many other times. Let’s just move on before I get too emotional.

I would like to say that with my newfound phone freedom I purchased a shiny new iPhone. I could say that, but I’m not a liar. I just can’t justify the $599 price tag for something I will use occasionally to call people and other times to check sports scores. That money can buy a lot of toddler clothes, or a lot of beer, depending on what type of mood I’m in.

Instead, I jumped on Verizon’s web site knowing it had been a while since I had last upgraded my phone. Sure enough, I was eligible for a “free” phone if I extended my plan for two years. Extending my plan was no big deal for me since Verizon has yet to tick me off (remind me to tell you my thoughts on Comcast) After perusing the lengthy list of what was available for free, and being tempted by the ones that were only discounted, I chose the MOTOKRZR, though I haven’t tried all of the features yet. From an aesthetics point of view the phone is very nice in either the open or closed position. The MOTOKRZR is longer than the RAZR and narrower and the version I got is a shiny red. I’ve gotten a few “woos” and “ahs”. That’s always nice.

The call quality on the MOTOKRZR has been very good, which is important to me since that is what I use my phone for most. I have yet to try any of the music playback functions, though it does include that. I just don’t see the point in playing music on my phone when I have my iPod in my other hand.

I have used the 1.6 megapixel camera included with the phone and it seems to perform fine. It doesn’t have a flash but when well lit does ok. Again, I have already have a camera, so this feature doesn’t mean a lot to me.

Bottom line is that if you want a phone that looks nice and works well doing phone type things, you might want to give the MOTOKRZR a try, especially if you can get one for free.

Somewhat related, I saw an interesting article last week comparing sales of the iPod and the RAZR in which they predict the iPod won’t quite match the sales of the RAZR.

Now, all I need is a nickname for my phone. Suggestions?

I’ll soon be in the market for a new cell phone, having dropped my previous phone for the hundredth time, sending the battery flying in the opposite direction of the phone. I’m pretty sure I’ve dropped my phone so many times not because of clumsiness, but because the cell phone companies manufacture these phones out of a special type of material that is repelled by human skin. Regardless, I need a new phone.

I’ve had the same cell phone for about three and a half years now, partly because of the cost (I just have other things I would rather spend the money on), and partly because my conscience, or as I like to call her my wife, kept telling me the phone I had was perfectly good for what I use it on most: calling people. The main reason I was so loyal to my elderly phone is that I hate re-typing all of my contacts into the new phone with that impossibly small keypad.

And really, does it have to be this way? Isn’t this the type of thing XML was created for? I don’t see why this data couldn’t be stored on the phone in a non-proprietary format such as XML, adhering to standards designed and published by the various phone manufacturers, allowing a user through Bluetooth or the web or whatever to easily export their contacts from one phone to another or even from their phone to Outlook or Thunderbird or whatever email software they choose. I guess having these companies coordinate what they are doing for the good of the consumer is too much to ask.

I could pay to have my contacts moved for me, or I could try one of the hacks from the ‘Net, but the point is I really shouldn’t have to. More than that, I really don’t see my parents or anyone else that doesn’t have the time to surf the web looking for solutions to be able to hack their phone. They, and I should be able to press a button labeled “Move Contacts”, and boom there they are on the new phone. Instead they will either spend a day typing their data into their new phone or pay some company to transfer their contacts.

I guess my point is that my data shouldn’t be held hostage by the device it was entered on. As I get older I grow less and less fond of duplication of work, especially mundane tasks such as entering phone contacts. Technology is supposed to make our lives easier. I would be interested to hear of any such efforts to make to transfer of phone contacts easier and of course less costly, so feel free to leave any ideas in the comments of this post. In the meantime I will be researching some type of glove that allows me to hold onto my phone without it careening out of my hands and smashing into a million pieces.