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Motorola ROKR E8 gets checked out
Boy Genius scored a Motorola ROKR E8, so if you're stoked about this funky morphing handset, he has the pics. We've seen the specs, but it's nice to get real world confirmation that the keypad actually works and that it apparently delivers key presses with haptics, not just a vibration. Though the language on the handset's OS is clearly English, we're totally digging the virtual keys with the alien inscriptions on them, and how purdy it seems to look in the right lighting. While we still haven't heard a date here's hoping it lands stateside soon.
More shots of Motorola's crazy morphin' MOTOROKR E8
It's not available for a few months yet, but far be it from that little snag to stop a few enterprising individuals to get their paws on a MOTOROKR E8 early (and, of course, being close to the country of manufacture probably helps). The lack of 3G is a real dream killer for us, but that wild keypad still looks like it could be a winner. Enough tactile feedback? Only time'll tell.[Via Just Another Mobile Phone Blog]
Alltel slides out Motorola MOTOROKR Z6m
It's been kicking around for most of this year, so we're glad to see that Alltel finally saw fit to get Motorola's rather attractive Z6m slider out and into customers' hands (a Z6tv it ain't, but you'll save a little coin). Anyway, the slider's a solid choice for mobile music on account of its 3.5mm headphone jack, stereo Bluetooth support, microSD slot, and USB 2.0 connectivity. Alltel's very own Celltop system is naturally supported, as is TeleNav GPS -- and if that's not enough to convince you, maybe the "tattoo" across the keypad and rear will (we have to admit, it really doesn't look that annoying). Get it starting today for $129.99 on contract after rebate.[Thanks, Dizzy]
Motorola makes PEBL-ish U9 official
It's real! Motorola has made official its latest PEBL-esque device -- though there's no actual PEBL branding to be found on this one -- the U9. Think of the U9 to the original PEBL what the V8 and V9 are to the original RAZR, rocking Motorola's "CrystalTalk" noise reduction tech, microSD expansion, and a 2 megapixel camera. Media's the focus here with support for syncing with Windows Media Player 11; WMA, MP3, AAC, AAC+, and AAC+ enhanced files are all good to go, while the stereo Bluetooth support and "floating" external display with touch sensitive controls certainly don't hurt. Look for it to hit in the fourth quarter of the year in Asia, Latin America, and Europe. No North American release plans have been outed at this point, but it's a quadband GSM / EDGE phone, so we'd expect to find its way onto importers' shelves (and probably Motorola's own online store) right quick.
Come and get your love: Alltel's upcoming lineup?
With major releases like the Motorola RAZR 2 V9m and BlackBerry 8830 in its rear-view mirror, Alltel's been doing a commendable job keeping up with its larger, national rivals -- and if our intel's accurate, we can expect the trend to continue. In the smartphone department, the Palm Treo 755p should be launching pretty shortly (alright, granted, they're a little late on this one) along with the 8130 variant of the so-called Pearl 2 from RIM, a nice stablemate for the more businesslike 8830. One wildcard that we're hearing about here is the UTStarcom 6850 -- it's not clear what this device is, but given the UTStarcom branding on HTC's PPC-6800, it's conceivable to think that this could be some sort of mild refresh. Then again, it could be some totally boring low-end device sourced from a generic ODM, so we'll just have to play the waiting game on that one. From Motorola, look for two: a U5 (likely a new CDMA PEBL, given the "U" prefix on the model number) and the MOTOROKR Z6m. Not bad if it all pans out, eh?[Thanks, dizzy]
Two new Moto handsets outed: say hello to the RIZR Z10 and ROKR E8
Motorola is expecting a couple new and rather glossy additions to its family, namely the RIZR Z10 (pictured on left) and the ROKR E8. The E8's face will between various modes based on what you're doing, from keypad to music controls for example, it also has some tactile feedback so you know you've actually input something on its smooth black surface. The ROKR E8 has a multi function "Omega Wheel" for zooming through your tunes and navigating, 2GB of internal storage, expansion via microSD, and the sad word -- rumor of course, so we can hold out hope -- that it won't feature 3G connectivity. The RIZR Z10 is a Symbian 9.02 handset sporting the ever so lovely UIQ 3.2 interface, quad-band GSM / EDGE, HSDPA in some alien frequency, a 3.2 megapixel shooter, 90MB of internal storage with the old standby, microSD, if you need more space. The E8 should be landing Q1 of 2008, and the Z10 should be shipping Q4 this year for round about €400 (about $550).Read - Motorola ROKR E8Read - Motorola RIZR Z10
Motorola's ROKR U9, U3 and W5 pictured / detailed
While whispers and supposed shots of Motorola's ROKR U9 have been around for a tick, the PEBL-icious handset -- along with the similarly styled U9 and the W5 clamshell -- are finally getting detailed. Reportedly, the U9 will tout a 1.4-inch 160 x 128 resolution OLED (externally), two-megapixel camera, GSM / GPRS / EDGE connectivity, a 1.8-inch QVGA screen (internal), microSD expansion slot, USB, Bluetooth, and "touch sensitive keys." The U3 looks to be an entry-level sibling with a less attractive external display and a VGA camera, while the ROKR W5 will purportedly include a 1.3-megapixel camera, a 1.9-inch 220 x 176 resolution display, 20MB of internal storage, a microSD slot, 96 x 85 pixel external screen, miniUSB, Bluetooth, A2DP support, and quad-band GSM connectivity. No word on pricing or release dates just yet, but do click on for a few more pictures.Read - ROKR U9Read - ROKR W5Read - ROKR U3
Is this the Motorola MOTOROKR E7?
Kinda looks like a Photoshopped E6 to us, but Chinese site ZOL is touting this bad boy as the MOTOROKR E7 with a very impressive set of specs. Like, unrealistically impressive -- especially for a phone that looks virtually indistinguishable from the far less impressive E6: VGA touchscreen, 5 megapixel cam with xenon flash, integrated GPS and WiFi, 2GB of integrated storage, HSDPA, you get the idea. If legit, the device will apparently be powered by Linux -- Moto's MOTOMAGX platform, we imagine -- the very same one that we've heard can't presently handle HSDPA speeds. So needless to say, we're skeptical here; hopeful that Moto really does have something this hot up its sleeves, yes, but until we get more confirmation, skeptical.[Via Mobilewhack]
Better shots of the Motorola MOTOROKR U9?
Okay, look, we know the original PEBL had its fair share of detractors -- but seriously, this thing looks pretty neat, yeah? Following up on a previous rumor and accompanying picture, we're seeing more details now on Motorola's supposedly upcoming MOTOROKR U9. Czech site iDNES.cz reports the U9 is set to sport a QVGA primary display, stereo Bluetooth, 25MB of onboard storage with microSD expansion, and a 16.4mm thick case. If we had to venture a guess, we'd figure the internals are largely based on the V8 variant of the RAZR 2 on account of its massive external touch display and alleged EDGE radio sans 3G. Sucks, yeah, but at least that means the odds are good of it rocking four honest-to-goodness bands of service. Bring it on, Moto![Via Slashphone]
Motorola's bizarre MOTOROKR E8?
So apparently magical keypads are going to be all the rage in the next couple years. Taking a cue from Optimus Maximus, perhaps? Following the Firefly flyPhone we saw a few weeks ago comes word from China of this rather bizarre Motorola prototype, apparently dubbed the MOTOROKR E8. Besides an illuminated, dynamic keypad that can change modes to provide dedicated music controls, the candybar is supposed to feature 2GB of onboard storage, the typical microSD expansion and miniUSB jack, and a 3.5mm headphone connector. The UI is brought to you by Motorola's Linux-based JUIX (MOTOMAGX?) platform powering a QVGA display. We're skeptical about the goodness of that keypad until we get our hands on it, but we guess it could be cool. Moto, care to send one over (FedEx Saturday Delivery, please)?[Via phoneArena]
The PEBL lives: Motorola to add ROKR U9
Though the original PEBL didn't get quite the love Motorola may have liked (Maria Sharapova special edition notwithstanding), it seems they're looking to give it at least one more go with the upcoming U9 model. Presumably designed to slot in alongside the RAZR 2 V8 / V9 models, Phone Scoop reports that the U9 will be ROKR branded, indicating a strong music tie-in. Other details are sketchy, though there's speculation that the "9" designation in the model number indicates that 3G is in the cards; for Motorola's sake, we hope that's true.
Motorola's four CDMA multimedia cellphones: ROKR Z6m, RAZR maxx Ve, W385 and W355
Motorola just went official with four new CDMA handsets ready to hit before July: the MOTOROKR Z6m slider (left), MOTORAZR maxx Ve clam (right), and mass market W385 and W355. First up, the RAZR maxx Ve king headed to Verizon which Moto has been teasing us with for a few months. It's what we expected: ultra-thin, EVDO, and 2 megapixel camera with integrated music player and touch-sensitive controls. The Z6m slider (which looks like a CDMA RIZR Z3) hopes to shake the original (E1) ROKR's fumbled hype. The Z6m multi-modal slider packs a 2 megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth or 3.5-mm headphone jack to get tethered, and up to 2GB of removable memory. The W385 and W355 bring multimedia on a budget with a mix of GPS location services, Bluetooth, and FM radio. Now go ahead, check the gallery for all the pics -- don't cost nothin'.%Gallery-2314%Read -- MOTORAZR maxx Ve Read -- MOTOROKR Z6mRead -- W385Read -- W355
Motorola's ROKR E2 reviewed: welcome, what took you so long?
Sure, the ROKR E1 musicphone never quite lived up to the hype. Not by a long shot. Still, don't count Moto out of the musicphone game just yet. Mobile Burn got their hands on the followup ROKR E2 and come away "really happy" from the review. For starters, this "solidly built" tri-band GSM / EDGE candybar features Motorola's new JUIX (a Java / Linux mashup) user interface which Mobile Burn swoons over due its new tabbed menus and overall speed. In particular, the address book has been improved "by leaps and bounds" over other Motorola phones. Even better, the much maligned 100-song cap in iTunes is gone, as is the iTunes software. Instead, a new "integrated player" (hint: it supports RealAudio) is used to playback music loaded onto your favorite SD card -- up to 2GBs now supported. Music sounded "excellent" with adequate bass and the dedicated music controls along the side of the phone worked well. And like all good musicphones, it features a standard 3.5-mm headphone jack for use with any off-the-shelf cans, an off-line mode for listening to music on an airplane, and the ability to play music in the background while using other phone functions. The keys were a "joy to use" with good tactile feedback and the 2-inch TFT screen was found to be "really sharp and bright." With such a positive review, all we can say is this: welcome back to the game Moto.
ROKR E6: No iTunes
The last Motorola iTunes-enabled ROKR phone ships this month according to Engadget. New ROKRs, currently available in Hong Kong, ship with SD card support and onboard Bluetooth but no iTunes integration. The ROKR will support MP3, MPEG4, AAC+, WAV and Real Audio. RealPlayer replaces iTunes on the phone, which will still be a media player as well as a communications device. Engadget suggests it will soon be released in the US and IndiaTimes reports that the ROCKR will hit Indian markets by mid 2007.
Motorola's ROKR E6 released in China, US next?
Well hot damn, looks like Motorola went and sprung their smokin', linux-based ROKR E6 upon China today. Better yet, we now know that this 14.5-mm thinster delivers the much appreciated GSM 900/1800 bands in addition to the 1900 band we saw tested and approved in the FCC filing. That makes it of limited use (but use nonetheless) here in the US as long as you stay within the T-Mobile network. The phone delivers a 2.4-inch, 260k color QVGA touch-screen with stylus, a 2 megapixel camera and push-to-talk capabilities in addition to handwriting recognition, a QR code (barcode) scanner, business card reader, and document viewer for PDF and the most common MS Office apps. And unlike the first gen ROKR, this pup drops iTunes in favor of RealPlayer which means support for MP3, MPEG4, AAC+, WAV, and RealAudio formats -- fine and all, but most importantly, no artificial song cap -- so load up that 2GB SD card to your heart's content kid. Rounding things out on the audio front is the native 3.5-mm headphone jack and support for Bluetooth stereo audio (A2DP), integrated FM radio, dedicated music controls along the side, and a USB 2.0 jack up underneath for quick data transfer. When not lapping up the media you can talk for up to 7 hours or just sit and stare at the E6's clean lines for about 235 hours on standby. Yours for 4,280 chinese yuan or $545 retail if you can track 'er down. [Thanks LordFarkward]
Motorola ROKR E6 gets FCC blessing
We certainly don't want to get anyone's hopes up over a possible US release -- because frankly, with GSM 1900 the only American band in the box, we don't see it happening -- but Motorola's Linux-tastic ROKR E6 just breezed through the FCC. The stylus-based device shares the design cues used extensively through Motorola's mainstream lineup, coming off with a polished look. Add in the 2-megapixel cam and the media capabilities foretold by its "ROKR" moniker, and this is a little bundle of open-source joy that we definitely wouldn't mind seeing hop the pond -- if Moto can find it in its heart to pack in a UMTS radio or two.
iPhone, if it exists, to be Cingular-only through mid-2007
I know, the Cingular-only bit is quite the shocker, but Think Secret has restated some previously rumored details on the iPhone, including a 3 megapixel camera, 2.2-inch display and, obviously, iSync support. The phone is also said not to be handicapped with the same 100-song glass ceiling like the ROKR and SLVR, though Think Secret's reliably anonymous sources don't have any word on what the iPhone's storage capacity will actually be.Signs are now pointing to a January 2007 release, most likely at a newly expanded Macworld 07. Think Secret's insiders claim Apple is shooting for the stars, expecting to ship 25 million iPhones in 2007 alone. If true, this is a bit of a surprise since Motorola's incredibly popular and more widely appealing RAZR has taken over two years to sell 50 million units. Perhaps most interesting of all this rumor rehashing is Think Secret's report that Apple's exclusive Cingular contract for the iPhone only lasts into the middle of 2007 - meaning that other carriers could pick it up and finally get in on the as-yet awkward iTunes phone action.Again, you know the drill: this is all hearsay from 'anonymous insiders,' so do what you will with it.
iTunes 7 music purchases don't play on iTunes phones?
A reader linked us to an Apple Discussion thread where a number of users have listed problems with playing purchases from the iTS through iTunes 7 on their Motorola SLVR and ROKR iTunes phones. It seems these users can play regular music they ripped from CDs, as well as purchases made through iTunes 6 - just not songs bought through the new iTunes 7. The thread hasn't reached biblical lengths just yet, but there are enough comments on the thread that I felt it warranted a post at TUAW.One commenter posted a link to this Apple Support doc which offers instructions for when this same problems happens to an iPod, and some of the procedures can easily be adopted for an iTunes phone (such as restoring/erasing the phone and deauthorizing, then reauthorizing iTunes). However, some users have already commented that the doc's solutions aren't fixing the issue either.Are any readers experiencing the same hiccup? If you have any thoughts on what's going on, please share your thoughts in the comments and, if you're up to the task, drop the frustrated peeps over in Apple's Discussion thread a line too. I'm sure they'll appreciate it.Thanks Anthony
Wild speculation: iPhone to launch in August?
Alright, dear readers, you know the drill: proceed with caution. We have no confirmation here, but sometimes a tip is too juicy not to share, no matter how suspect it might be. A reader is reporting to us that a coworker's tech-unsavvy friend, who is regularly hired by Apple to do marketing photo shoots, was recently brought on to take some shots of "the sleekest, sexiest damn phone he's ever seen." The launch date? "Some time in August." Yeah, not a typo -- August. Now, to be perfectly clear, we don't know what the iPhone (if it exists) will be actually called, we've never seen a real pic of the elusive beast, and this doesn't really jive with the time frame suggested by Peter Oppenheimer's recent comments -- but we want to believe, and we don't have to wait very long for this one to get debunked or confirmed.
Apple on iPhone: "We're not sitting around doing nothing"
Apple's been dogged with rumors of an iPod / phone hybrid (the real deal, not a rehash of a Moto E398 with iTunes support) for nearly as long as the iPod's been kickin' around. Apparently looking to beat the dead horse yet again, an analyst mentioned Sony's success with their Walkman line of music-oriented phones during Apple's Q3 earnings call, prompting CFO Peter Oppenheimer to respond with a fairly solid non-denial: "As regards cell phones, we don't think that the phones that are available today make the best music players. We think the iPod is. But over time, that is likely to change. And we're not sitting around doing nothing." Knowing Apple, of course, this is about the biggest admission we'll get until the iPhone actually drops, so relish in the moment, keep your eyes peeled in a year or so, and if you're really hard up, you could fashion your own, like the pictured Nokia 6680 makeover.[Via MacDailyNews]
