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Apple and Motorola Finally Launch iTunes Phone

Article Comments  100+  

Sep 7, 2005, 12:59 PM   by (staff)

updated  Apple today launched the first phone that will sync with their iTunes software. The Motorola ROKR E1 is almost exactly the model expected after months of leaks and rumors. It is based on Motorola's E398 phone and shares the same hardware features: a VGA camera with flash, tri-band GSM/GPRS, 176 x 220 display and microSD (TransFlash) memory card slot. It also has stereo speakers, a stereo headset jack, and a lighted bezel the syncs to ringtones. The difference is that the ROKR syncs to iTunes, like any other iPod, via a USB cable. It can play tracks from the iTunes Music Store and can be filled with iTunes Autofill. Most carriers, including Cingular, will ship the phone with a 512 MB memory card included. Although a card of that size can hold up to 120 songs at low quality, the iTunes phone sofware is limited to 100 songs. Like the Sony Ericsson Walkman phone, the ROKR will feature an airplane mode to listen to music with the phone off. The ROKR will be available exclusively on Cingular in the US, and should be in their stores this weekend.

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nextel18

Sep 7, 2005, 2:24 PM

Would you guys buy it? YES or NO

please state why.
No.

Synching via usb is dumb. If it was over EDGE and then UMTS (when it's available) I would want it more.
...
yes i am going to get it. i do have a ipod already. but like you said nextel18, i dont like carring my phone and ipod. ok 100 songs is not great...but cmon i am not going to listen to 100 songs in one day..you could always change the songs..so i could...
(continues)
No,

all i like about this phone is its design and name, but i rather stick with my razr...i dont really care about carrying my cell and ipod at the same time....i have a 60gb ipod photo which i keep on its holster and my razr which i keepin my poc...
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No question about it, I will pick this up as soon as I can get my greasy mitts on one, but I do have one problem with it potentially...I hope it is able to act as an iPod without having the phone on at the same time, if that makes sense. Sometimes its...
(continues)
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Nah I wouldn't buy it. Mostly because I dislike Apple. If I put that aside though, I might consider the phone because I did like the E398 when it first came out. Although since then I used the A630 and have really learned to hate Motorola's phonebook....
(continues)
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I wish I could, but two things say NO to me.

1) I work for VZW. Can't beat our employee plan with Cingular's consumer plan.

2) Unfortunately, the ROKR has issues. http://www.macworld.com/news/2005/09/09/rokr/ index.php
I've also heard lots o...
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JohnnyRocket

Sep 13, 2005, 7:49 AM

100 song limit might be software cap after all

At least, that's what they say here:

http://davesipaq.com/news/rokr_crippled_100_apple.html »

Terrible news if true. Why buy this for $250 when I can get a REAL iPod for a few bucks more that has no limits? Shame on you, Apple....
SB2002

Sep 7, 2005, 3:02 PM

Why does Cingular always get the good Moto phones?

Motorola would sell a lot more phones if they didn't lock themselves down to Cingular. I'm with T-Mobile, and I'm sick and tired of Motorola always ditching T-Mobile. By the time it's released to T-Mobile, a new phone will be out - and odds are, Cingular will get that one first too.

Shame on Motorola for shunning all of the other big and small carriers. Guess I'll be buying the N91.
It is carrier playing the game, not moto. If you are in europe or japan, you will understand.
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I told ya a month ago but i was criticized for it. I'd been told from a moto rep Cingy would get it but no-one beleived. Ha. 🤣
OK, now that i've got that out of my system, its not that moto wants to sell phones, they want to make money. Cin...
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phnlvr04

Sep 7, 2005, 2:51 PM

Should have used another phone

I think Motorola and Cingular should have chose the new SLVR L7 or the V8 to use with iTunes. Any thoughts on this?
at least more memory, but it is just the first step.
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The SLVR V8 hasn't been released yet. What they can do is charge top $$$ for the SLVR because of size, and top $$$ for the ROKR for the function. THEN, they can meld the two together and charge top $$$ for the combo. Excellent for the business, bad fo...
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The choice to use the E398 actually makes good sense when you think about it.

The 398 had already been out for a while, and was a solid phone, but wasn't a widely adopted model as no carrier had picked it up. It had already recieved FCC approval, ...
(continues)
bem1

Sep 8, 2005, 8:34 AM

100 songs? Gimme a break....Get a Windows Smartphone

From the day it was born, the ROKR was trouble. Steve Jobs even had some trouble getting it to work the right way on stage—Jobs says he hit the wrong button, but people in the know say that the feature that lets you resume play after a phone call doesn’t work properly. What’s more, the iTunes client has been surgically connected to the Motorola V-series interface and the scars are showing. The screen isn’t wide or colorful enough to do the music store justice. The orange headphones shown in the Cingular ad weren’t the phones used for today’s unveiling. There is no support for Bluetooth headphones.

Windows SmartPhone = 300 songs on 1gb memory stick + movies + windows apps.....enuf said.
check out Sammy's new window's phone - HARD DRIVE!!!

http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000403056285/ »

this thing looks cool. I'd rather get anything other than this phone: Sony W800i, Nokia N91, or the above mentioned sammy
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its a novel idea, but its sad that its limited to itunes. eck. i'll wait to a better phone comes out.
nextel18

Sep 7, 2005, 1:15 PM

Very Nice!!!

It is very good looking and i think it will do quite well.

opinions?
this phone is old...when did the E398 come out, 2003? they should have made the camera better or something...the itunes thing w/ the mp3 player...what do u need it for? if u have itunes, u have an ipod so why would u want to listen to music from the p...
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You have to check its speaker. It has 3d surround sound. It is quite amazing!!!!!
...
nextel18 said:
It is very good looking and i think it will do quite well.

opinions?


Yes, it's Motorola, and unfortunately "good looking" and "quality" don't go hand in hand with the company. We'll see.
...
nextel18

Sep 7, 2005, 1:37 PM

Interesting Article about music and carrier's profits

i don't think i would pay $2 for a song i can get for a buck elsewhere, but if they bundel it with a ringer or two and a pic of jessica simpson in her daisy dukes, i'm game - even for $4
...
sammyrocks

Sep 7, 2005, 2:12 PM

VGA camera?

Maybe I expected too much...VGA camera is a huge dissapointment in this phone. What is this, 1999?
Its focus is on MUSIC, not pictures and not being an all in one. Besides, name one Moto GSM phone that has ACTUALLY BEEN RELEASED in the last year and a half, that's not a smartphone that has more than a VGA camera?

Ever tried sending an MMS with ...
(continues)
...
I couldn't agree more. The SE W800i has a 2mp camera - Plus, with my W800i, I can buy up to a 2 gig memory stick duo card. I'm glad I bought the W800.
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sammyrocks

Sep 8, 2005, 12:23 PM

not in the same class as the w800

IMHO, spec-wise, this is a huge disappointment. VGA camera, visually boring, smallish screen, no edge, crippled bluetooth, etc etc etc

The only advantage it has over the w800 is GSM850, but this isn't important to everyone...

Obviously, this phone hasn't been reviewed, or even seen by many people, yet. We'll see then.

BTW-why don't phone manufacturers include an in line remote on thier headphones with music-oriented phones? The "end call" button is fine for business phones, but this is different.
Rsxguy02

Sep 7, 2005, 6:17 PM

In Most Stores Tomorrow!!!

I work at a Cingular store in CT. We will have the ROKR's as soon as tomorrow. Just looked it up in my inventory system and found out they are being overnight shipped from the warehouse. $249.99 with a 2-year contract. Not a bad deal for a phone, iPod, camera, bluetooth, and all that other cool stuff.
Do you know what price will it be if I buy it without a contract.
...
 
 
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