Motorola ROKR E1 Review

Motorola ROKR E1 Review (Expert)

With a distinctly mediocre screen and camera, the Motorola ROKR E1's claim to fame is its iTunes support - yet it only stores 100 songs at a time and offers a bundled headset which is outperformed by its dual 3D stereo speakers. A user friendly menu system, extensive battery life and great keypad stand to counter these downsides, but the overall impression is nevertheless one of mediocrity. Still, although the handset cannot match the feature set of higher-end music phones, its lower price tag enables prospective buyers to purchase new earphones to get an overall experience close to the Sony Ericsson W550 in the mid-range. What's positive: Great keypad design and battery life; iTunes functionality What's negative: Mediocre screen; lousy earphones

posted by infosyncworld.com

With the recent popularity of the iPod and iTunes service, Motorola decided to seek Apple when designing a music phone. Perhaps the most hyped phone to date, a flurry of rumors came even before Apple officially announced the ROKR. Part of a new family of Motorola music-focused phones, the ROKR E1 is being the first phone shipped to store shelves. Resembling the Motorola E398 released last year, the ROKR E1 is virtually identical, except with the addition of Apple's iTunes software. Featuring basic functionality, a sub-standard camera, and a typical set of applications, the ROKR's features are mediocre. Even the focus of the phone, the iTunes software, was crippled; limiting the ROKR to only 100 songs. A byproduct of corporate negotiating, Apple didn't want the ROKR to take away profits from its iPod portfolio. About the physical size of an iPod Mini with the storage capacity of an iPod Shuffle, consumers seeking a music player should look towards Apple iPod products for more value and features. But, the ROKR more than just an MP3 player; convenience is the its greatest asset. As a communication device with iTunes functionality, users can easily purchase and download songs, seamlessly play them while text messaging or browsing the web, and pause when calls come in. Overall, due to the limited storage capacity and run-of-the-mill phone features, consumers who primarily want a music device or mobile phone should look elsewhere, as there are more capable products which focus on one or the other. But for users who want the convenience of an all-in-one device to take to the gym or the workplace, the ROKR would be an excellent choice.

posted by mobiledia.com

Incoming sound quality was excellent. The ROKR sounds very natural and has virtually no hiss. Maximum earpiece volume was average. As a side note, if you're listening to music through the headphones and receive a call you might find it disorienting to hear a call through both ears instead of just one. The speaker phone is loud and works really great. I found the outgoing sound quality to be slightly on the shrill side but is otherwise quite good. The E1 does a good job of cutting out background noise. RF was also quite good. The ROKR was only slightly worse than my 6230b. As an mp3 player, the ROKR is not as good as a dedicated iPOD but in my opinion it was good enough. While I was extremely peeved at how long it takes to transfer songs once I was away from my computer, the overall experience isn't that bad. Still if you're the type of person with 30GB of music on their iPod, the ROKR obviously isn't for you with it's 512MB of space and 100 song limitation. As a phone, the ROKR is basically an e398; a phone that's been out for over a year. Feature-wise the e398 is no longer that up-to-date but it's still better than many entry and mid-level phones. You get a TFT display, camera, Bluetooth, memory card slot, email client, PC synchronization and two of the most amazing speakers I have heard on a phone. So you can look at the phone in either two ways: either you'll find it lacks the latest features (such as a megapixel camera and support for EDGE) or you'll find it to be a nice mid-level phone. In the end, while I found the ROKR's implementation of iTunes to be too slow and slightly underwhelming, I still found it to be much more convenient than carrying around an iPod and a phone. On the plus side, the ROKR shows us that it isn't too difficult to integrate iTunes with a Motorola phone so it's just a matter of time before more Motorola phones with iTunes built-in, start coming out.

posted by howardchui.com

The Rokr is a decent phone and music player with outstanding battery life and a comfortable keypad. But as a music player, the sluggishness of the interface and the glacially slow music-transfer rates will disappoint those expecting the grace and performance of the Apple iPod. With the recent price drop to $150 with a two-year contract from Cingular, the Rokr makes for a decent music-phone option.

posted by newsfactor.com

There is much to like about the ROKR E1. Its stereo speakers, rhythm lights, and haptics system are great entertainment when hooked up with the iTunes application and the standard media player. But the 100 song limit on the iTunes app is going to be a real issue to some, and Motorola might have a hard time getting people excite over a VGA camera - even if it is a good VGA camera. Motorola's E398 is one of my all-time favorite handsets when it comes to being an all-around good phone. The ROKR is every bit as good. The difference is that the rest of the industry hasn't been sitting idle, and a minor software upgrade to a somewhat old design - even if that means you get iTunes synchronization, isn't going to impress everybody. But if you like your music on the go, and are looking for a rock solid phone, I can highly recommend the Motorola ROKR E1, but for somebody looking for a phone with a lot of wow factor that can stand up to devices like Sony Ericsson's W800, the ROKR E1 falls a bit short. Still, I give it a "Recommended" rating based on its overall performance.

posted by mobileBurn.com

Motorola ROKR E1 Review (User)

This topic discusses Motorola ROKR E1. Please post your review and opinion regarding Motorola ROKR E1 here.

posted by expert_21

Motorola ROKR E1 Votes

Design
Usability
Features
Your Vote	Design Excellent Very Good Good Average Poor Usability Excellent Very Good Good Average Poor Features Excellent Very Good Good Average Poor

Voting results gathered from a total of 16 votes.

Motorola ROKR E1 Popularity

Popularity results gathered from registered M9'ers.