Forgot to mention that the car will be 5 years old in May and only has 35K miles. Mostly a grocery getter...

Be aware when you change the battery by yourself, it also needs a registration on the module.
Read this, it's valid for all BMWs
More detailed explanation on battery registration - BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum - E90Post.com

any idea on cost of just the registration if done at dealer? I still gotta find myself a good local indy.

I don't have first hand experience but from what I've read, the stealer won't register a battery you don't buy from them.

Look for somebody able to code in your area, it's pretty easy. Go on the area section on E90post and ask for coders in your area:
USA - NY / NJ / CT / PA - E90Post - BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum

Actually try to get in contact with this guy, he codes for free:
Extending my free coding offer. Come on over and get your car coded for free! - BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum - E90Post.com

Update
 

I called the local dealer and talked with a service tech. He told me the orange light I was looking at was not the battery but the symbol for the radiator and I was probably low on coolant. I still had a low battery warning message though. He thought that was because we don't drive the car on long enough trips to keep it charged and now that the battery has some age, it's not able to keep up with the demands of the electrical system. I scheduled an appointment with the dealer for a new battery ($500 installed) for next Monday. I drove it for about an hour yesterday and sure enough all the battery warning messages went away. I'm thinking about cancelling my apointment now...although it probably wouldn't hurt to change it as it's going on five years old. There is also a check engine light on now. Left over from the battery being low??

clarification needed
 

I've read elsewhere on this forum that the black batteries are the older lead acid, and the white ones are the newer AGM type. My understanding is that you can replace the black ones with the same type and not have to register or reprogram, but if you replace it with the AGM type, you do. Not sure if this is correct. I wish someone would clear this up for me.

$500 for a battery replacement? Did they say how many hours because I'm sure it includes programming. God I should've stuck with my Isuzu - was $90 done myself in 20 minutes.

No, if your bmw has been built after 2005 (maybe 2006) then you have to register the new battery, even if you buy the same exact battery.
If you change battery type, then you need coding+registration.

Had the dealer replace the battery with the new AGM type. The color of the battery has nothing to do with the type. The new AGM from the dealer is also black. I had a coupon for 10% off service at the dealer so it ended up costing me about $435.00. But hey, they washed my car!