Motorola ROKR E2 drops iTunes for iRadio
Unlike the ROKR E1 music phone, Motorola will not include Apple Computer's iTunes software on its forthcoming ROKR E2 handset and instead will use the phone to promote its own proprietary subscription-based music service, according to the New York Times.
The world's second largest cell-phone maker on Tuesday announced the service, dubbed iRadio, which will go on sale this year. It will cost about $7 a month, but the price may vary depending on which wireless phone service the subscriber uses, the company said.
The iRadio service will feature 435 commercial-free radio channels, including genres such as Heavy Metal, Rockin' Cowboys and Angry Women, according to the Times. Users will be able to download channels on the computer and transfer them to play on their phones or on car or home stereos, like satellite radio.
Motorola said the iRadio service will first run on the ROKR E2 handset, which, unlike the first ROKR phone, will not include Apple Computer popular iTunes music software.
Apple and Motorola introduced the original ROKR E1 music phone last September -- the same day Apple unveiled the iPod nano. Almost immediately the phone drew criticism from reviewers and buyers, who barked at its poor user interface, design and limited song capacity.
Many Apple watchers and analyst believe Apple may have deliberately withheld its hand in the design of the original ROKR because it has aspirations of making inroads into the cell phone market with its own handset. Analysts have dubbed the potential Apple cell phone project "iPhone" after the iPhone.org domain name which Apple appears to have registered.
The iPhone rumors received a further shot in the arm in late September when Motorola CEO Ed Zander, exhausted by questions about Apple's nano during a leadership conference, erupted by saying: "Screw the nano. What the hell does the nano do? Who listens to 1,000 songs?"
"We have the ROKR, and they have the nano. They are a competitor as well as a partner," Zander said. He was quick to add: "And we know that they are going to build a smart phone--it's only a matter of time."
Analysts believe an Apple-branded cell phone could emerge by the end of 2006, but details are few and far between.
"Apple hasn?t confirmed its phone strategy (or even acknowledged that one exists), but at our recent meeting management did suggest a) handset makers will eventually get an MP3 offering right and b) Apple?s strategy is to be an innovation leader," said Rebecca Runkle, an analyst for Morgan Stanely, in a research note released last month.
In the same note, Runkle noted that consumers planned to buy more iPods than cell phones during this past holiday season.
The world's second largest cell-phone maker on Tuesday announced the service, dubbed iRadio, which will go on sale this year. It will cost about $7 a month, but the price may vary depending on which wireless phone service the subscriber uses, the company said.
The iRadio service will feature 435 commercial-free radio channels, including genres such as Heavy Metal, Rockin' Cowboys and Angry Women, according to the Times. Users will be able to download channels on the computer and transfer them to play on their phones or on car or home stereos, like satellite radio.
Motorola said the iRadio service will first run on the ROKR E2 handset, which, unlike the first ROKR phone, will not include Apple Computer popular iTunes music software.
Apple and Motorola introduced the original ROKR E1 music phone last September -- the same day Apple unveiled the iPod nano. Almost immediately the phone drew criticism from reviewers and buyers, who barked at its poor user interface, design and limited song capacity.
Many Apple watchers and analyst believe Apple may have deliberately withheld its hand in the design of the original ROKR because it has aspirations of making inroads into the cell phone market with its own handset. Analysts have dubbed the potential Apple cell phone project "iPhone" after the iPhone.org domain name which Apple appears to have registered.
The iPhone rumors received a further shot in the arm in late September when Motorola CEO Ed Zander, exhausted by questions about Apple's nano during a leadership conference, erupted by saying: "Screw the nano. What the hell does the nano do? Who listens to 1,000 songs?"
"We have the ROKR, and they have the nano. They are a competitor as well as a partner," Zander said. He was quick to add: "And we know that they are going to build a smart phone--it's only a matter of time."
Analysts believe an Apple-branded cell phone could emerge by the end of 2006, but details are few and far between.
"Apple hasn?t confirmed its phone strategy (or even acknowledged that one exists), but at our recent meeting management did suggest a) handset makers will eventually get an MP3 offering right and b) Apple?s strategy is to be an innovation leader," said Rebecca Runkle, an analyst for Morgan Stanely, in a research note released last month.
In the same note, Runkle noted that consumers planned to buy more iPods than cell phones during this past holiday season.
Comments
iPod... meet video iPod.
Video iPod... meet iPhone.
iPhone... meet iWireless.
Of course E2 and iRadio will flop. It's way to little way to late. I was considering getting a Razor V3 w/ iTunes but no way now.
Okay, not all of their phones do, but in general I have found that to be true, and favoured Sony Ericsson and Nokia.
Originally posted by Robin Hood
I have said it before and I will say it again: Motorola phones suck.
Okay, not all of their phones do, but in general I have found that to be true, and favoured Sony Ericsson and Nokia.
Ummm...after a year of using my Sanyo, I must say the Motorola OS on my Razor is vastly superior. Teh only complaint I have is I cant have one contact entry with many phone numbers, other than that, it is perfect, wheres the downfall? what have I not seen?
Originally posted by a_greer
Ummm...after a year of using my Sanyo, I must say the Motorola OS on my Razor is vastly superior. Teh only complaint I have is I cant have one contact entry with many phone numbers, other than that, it is perfect, wheres the downfall? what have I not seen?
Compared to dinosaur of a phone like your older Sanyo, Moto's OS may be an improvement. But compared to more modern phone OS like Sony Ericsson or Nokia Series 60, Moto's OS is seriously lacking (in terms of usability, features, and cosmetic). Moto OS : Sony Ericsson OS = Windows 3.1 UI : Mac OS X.
Originally posted by a_greer
Ummm...after a year of using my Sanyo, I must say the Motorola OS on my Razor is vastly superior. Teh only complaint I have is I cant have one contact entry with many phone numbers, other than that, it is perfect, wheres the downfall? what have I not seen?
A no-name, antique oddball Asian phone even worse than a Motorola phone? Get outta here, who could have known! Wow!
I can see the iPhone a lot sooner than analysts say...
Originally posted by kmok1
I can see the iPhone a lot sooner than analysts say...
This month at a certain shindig in SF, perhaps?
Or would that conflict too much with the anticipated Intel-based offerings?
And while I think about it, what are the odds that the new Intel-based machines have the word 'Leap' in the name?
Interesting though that so much points to Apple testing the water in the phone space: the iTunes UI on the Rockr and the recent Safari browser on Nokia Series 60. Everything is indeed pointing to them releasing an "iPhone".
I can't wait.
a wireless itunes access would be sweet, but unless Data-Transfer-Speeds increase and Data-Transfer-Prices fall, no chance and (!) no need in my opinion. Together with a 2-year subscription the iphone could even be sold for under 100$ at least in Europe where handsets are still subsidized heavily.
Originally posted by a_greer
Teh only complaint I have is I cant have one contact entry with many phone numbers
Actually, you can. In the Phone Book menu, go to Setup and set View to Primary Contacts, and then it will list one contact per person, even if that person has multiple phone numbers.
Originally posted by filburt
Compared to dinosaur of a phone like your older Sanyo, Moto's OS may be an improvement. But compared to more modern phone OS like Sony Ericsson or Nokia Series 60, Moto's OS is seriously lacking (in terms of usability, features, and cosmetic). Moto OS : Sony Ericsson OS = Windows 3.1 UI : Mac OS X.
I can imagine Apple doing something even better. Imagine Steve on stage. He pulls out an iPod nano. But this is no ordinary nano. It's a full-fledged cell phone. The click-wheel, which is still better than any button-based MP3 player UI, now controls a phone as well. No more click-click-clicking to go through your phone book. Menu navigation becomes much less cumbersome. Just scroll through them with a finger slide, same as going through playlists. On the off chance you need to dial a number not in your contacts, the click-wheel acts almost like an old phone dial. Spin forward or back to a numeral and click. Repeat until done and press Send. Ditto with alphabetical characters. No more having to press a key three times just to enter an "S." Steve notes that one earbud is slightly longer because it has a mini microphone boom like a Jabra.
All of a sudden, the button clutter on every other phone on the market looks archaic.
Originally posted by Robin Hood
I have said it before and I will say it again: Motorola phones suck.
Okay, not all of their phones do, but in general I have found that to be true, and favoured Sony Ericsson and Nokia.
A-Goddamn-men!
Originally posted by Kolchak
I can imagine Apple doing something even better. Imagine Steve on stage. He pulls out an iPod nano. But this is no ordinary nano. It's a full-fledged cell phone. The click-wheel, which is still better than any button-based MP3 player UI, now controls a phone as well. No more click-click-clicking to go through your phone book. Menu navigation becomes much less cumbersome. Just scroll through them with a finger slide, same as going through playlists. On the off chance you need to dial a number not in your contacts, the click-wheel acts almost like an old phone dial. Spin forward or back to a numeral and click. Repeat until done and press Send. Ditto with alphabetical characters. No more having to press a key three times just to enter an "S." Steve notes that one earbud is slightly longer because it has a mini microphone boom like a Jabra.
All of a sudden, the button clutter on every other phone on the market looks archaic.
That would be the worst, ugliest, hardest to use phone ever. Sometimes it takes me a while to choose a song on an ipod because of all the spinning. And now you want to do that to select each number and letter? Do you know how long a text message would take me? No thank you!
Phones do not have to be so damn tiny. All we need is a nice, stylish flip phone that screams apple that would go along with a mini, powerbook, etc that has all modern cell phone features (records videos, text msg, basic games, etc) that also uses itunes and is flash based with 2 gigs of music storage and maybe 1 gig of regular memory for videos, datebook, contacts etc.
That would stomp the market. Put a 2 gig ipod nano into a phone, not a phone in a nano. Candy bar phones are crap and too delicate (something apple already has a problem with).
Unfortunately motorola already has the ideal basic design in the razr.
Imagine a brushed metal razr replace the "M" with a white apple and give that baby 2gigs of flash music storage. And you can make that small circle navigation inside the phone a small click wheel that way you can choose to use it as a 4 way style button with a middle part for "enter" or a regular ol' ipod click wheel via a change in the settings menu (obviously the default setting would be to act a click wheel). That would cater to all users I think.
Originally posted by ecking
That would be the worst, ugliest, hardest to use phone ever.
Really? My impression is that most people consider iPods sleek and beautiful. So how can something that looks just like an iPod be the ugliest ever? Especially since I've seen some of the ugliest phones ever. 1984 Motorola DynaTAC "brick," anyone?
Sometimes it takes me a while to choose a song on an ipod because of all the spinning.
And how many songs do you actually have on the iPod? A couple of thousand? Do you have that many contacts in your phone? Besides, Apple being Apple, I fully expect they would use iTunes and iPhoto-like folders to give contacts organization. Seems to me your big problem is you don't organize your songs by playlist.
And now you want to do that to select each number and letter?
Only for putting new entries into the phone and dialing new numbers. How often do you do that? The former shouldn't be done from a keypad anyway. It should be synced from your Mac.
Do you know how long a text message would take me? No thank you!
Are you absolutely certain it would take that much longer than tapping it out with one thumb on a keypad? You're forgetting there are only 26 letters, 10 numbers and only a couple of other symbols. It'd be lot easier to cycle through those than through hundreds of songs, especially if there's an on-screen keyboard display like quadriplegics use. Pushing buttons repeatedly and looking back and forth to the screen to make sure you've pressed the buttons enough times isn't exactly an optimal data entry process itself. At least with the iPod interface, you'd never have to look at the click-wheel. Not that most people care that much about texting anyway.