Fun phones are on the way

5/25/2007 3:00 AM EDT

My family recently had to replace our old cell phones, which had reached the end their life. Being the cheapskate that I am, I wanted to get another no-frills phone. However, my significant other wanted something better, so we ended up getting matching Motorola RAZR phones. As much as I hate to admit it, the new phones are a lot of fun. For example, I love having a camera with me everywhere I go.

The experiences with my new phone have gotten me a lot more interested in advanced phones—and there are lots of phones to be excited about. Motorola just released the details on its RAZR 2 which is loaded with a big screen, a music player, and more.

Speaking of music on Motorola phones, Napster just announced that it would offer its music subscription on Motorola phones. In a somewhat similar deal, RealNetworks said it will offermusic streaming and download services to Vodafone customers.

And of course I can't talk about music on phones without mentioning the Apple iPhone. This highly anticipated device just got FCC approval, so it looks like the phone is on track for its June launch. If you've been waiting for a phone that doubled as a music player, it sounds like this year will be a good time to buy.

On a completely unrelated note, forecasters are predicting that Africa is about to see booming growth in cell phone use. Interestingly, one key driver for this growth is the need for Internet access. In many parts of Africa, land-line access is so lousy that a 3G cell phone is often a better option!