The Motorola Rokr E2 MP3 Phone
Motorola Scraps iTunes for iRadio With a Much Improved New Handset
There’s no way to sugar coat it, last year’s Motorola Rokr was an inferior piece of technology. This phone lacked the features that make the new generation of convergent tech handsets worthwhile. However, the Rokr E2 appears to be a dramatic improvement over last year's model. This time Motorola has dropped the 100 song limit and iTunes feature in favor of its own online music service iRadio.
The Phone
The Rokr E2 seems to have a nice enough tri-band phone. It can use GSM 900/1800/1900 compatible networks with voice dial. The Rokr does not come equipped with EDGE or G3; therefore, you’ll only get 32 – 48 kbps transfer rates. The rounded, candy-bar shaped Rokr E2 comes with a 256K color 240x320 pixel TFT. Moreover, Polyphonic, MP3 and AAC ring tones are fully supported on this phone.
Motorola has dispensed of its clunky, old interface and traded in for a fresh and snappy Linux based mobile operating system. Motorola’s new operating system is far easier to use and will work with software like Opera. You’ll find a whole community of Opera for Motorola online. You get SMS, EMS, MMS and E-mail for your mobile messaging as well as your choice of a WAP 2.0/xHTML browser or an Opera based HTML browser.
Play with your Rokr
The Rokr will play downloadable games. It’s Java MIDP 2.0 compliant and even has a built in FM radio, calculator, organizer and it is Bluetooth 1.1 compatible. The Rokr gives you plenty of opportunity to play around, but that’s not the main reason you get a Rokr. You have to be able to rock out of course! With a hot swappable SD memory slot capable of up to 2Gig of storage, you can pack it in with a library of songs, videos, and/or pictures. Rokr E2 also gives you a standard 3.5mm headphone jack to fit any standard headphones. As well, dedicated music controls, located on the side of the phone make controlling the music easy.
Rokr E2 Features:
- Dedicated music controls on the side
- Industry standard 3.5mm headphone jack
- SD memory slot capable of up to 2Gigs
- USB 2.0 Connectivity
- 2" 240x320 display at 256K colors
- Bluetooth 1.1
- Motorola’s SCREEN3 technology for access to online premium content at the click of a single button
- Browser, instant messaging, email.
- 1.3 Mega pixel camera
- Playback and capture video at 15fps
Extras
Motorola’s new Rokr can connect to your PC with USB 2.0 for high speed access to music and media. Bluetooth wireless compatibility means your new Rokr can use any Bluetooth compatible peripheral gear. Use Bluetooth to stream music to your Rokr E2, turning it into a wireless music client. Motorola’s SCREEN3 gives you instant access to the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment news online.
One of the most significant changes with the Rokr E2 was its abandonment of Apple iTunes. Motorola's iRadio is in direct competition with satellite music services like XM and Sirius. iRadio will provide around 435 ad-free radio stations complete with genres tailored to a wide variety of musical tastes. iRadio will cost about $7 a month and will let users download channels to a computer, allowing them to transfer the files for playback on mobile devices such as Motorola’s own phones or home audio equipment.