iTunes about iPhones

Today is July 11th, so the new 3G iPhones are here! Apparently some of the suckers who camped out waiting to buy them on the first day are having trouble getting them to work, but still get to brag about being the first one on their block with a 3G iPhone.



The new 3G iPhone cost half as much as the 2G models did when they were launched last year, and $200 less than they did yesterday, but that cost reduction comes with a few caveats. One is that the phones are subsidized the phone carrier, so they require activation of a new two-year contract, so existing customers with older iPhones need to start a new contract to upgrade, and don't get credit for the cost of their old iPhone (which kind of iSucks).

Another caveat is that the iPhone's exclusive carrier (in the USA) is the evil Phone Company that helps the government spy on their customers. Every iPhone sold in the US should come with a sticker that says "I support FISA immunity". Despite these reservations, I can't deny that the new iPhone is an amazingly cool gadget and the 4G revolution is at least 5-10 years away, so it's a few years from obsolescence.

To mark today's release of "the greatest device since the iPod itself", this week's muxtape has a telephone theme, with a dozen songs about the telephone. All but one of them (the Statuesque song), date from the 20th century with antiquated terms like "phone booth", "party line", and "answering machine". And the Statuesque song references "drunk dialing", a term that's still in use even though rotary dial telephones are a thing of the past.

iTunes about iPhones

1. "Hanging On The Telephone" - Blondie
   
2. "Ring Ring" - ABBA
   
3. "867-5309" - The Chevelles
   
4. "Telephone Line" - Electric Light Orchestra
   
5. "Love On The Telephone" - Foreigner
   
6. "Telephone Song" - Stan Getz & Astrid Gilberto
   
7. "Party Line" - The Kinks
   
8. "The Phone Call" - The Pretenders
   
9. "Answering Machine" - The Replacements
   
10. "Don't Drink And Dial" - Statuesque
    
11. "Get Off The Phone" - Johnny Thunders & the Heartbreakers
    
12. "As Soon As I Hang Up The Phone" - Loretta Lynn & Conway Twitty