Motorola Rokr 2: Missing iTunes, still ... running well

After the bitter defeat of the first iPod phone ROKR, Motorola decided bye-bye Apple to turn to Linux, with the finished product ROKR E2 launched 3/1.

Many of ROKR 1's weaknesses have been overcome in ROKR 2, only one absence - it is iTunes. ROKR 2 is released under 2 versions: white and black.

Looking at it, its form is not much different from that of the ROKR E1 phone, which is heavily criticized for its speedy music transfer, cramped interface and "stingy" memory. But at E2, you'll be able to stream music using a USB 2.0 interface, much faster than USB 1.1, extending memory to infinity thanks to a 2GB Secure Digital memory card and a Linux open source operating system.

Other features of ROKR E2 include 320x240 resolution screen, Opera Web browser, video capture 1.3-megapixel camera, integrated FM radio, Bluetooth wireless technology (can play wireless music to stereo Bluetooth headphone). ROKR 2's built-in headset has the standard sound quality of an MP3 headphone, not an "amateur" phone headset. For comparison, ROKR E1 does not have a Web browser, the screen is darker, dimmer and only has a VGA camera.

But the biggest drawback to many "freaking" is the absence of iTunes. Despite the aforementioned drawbacks, E1 is still the most easy-to-use music phone ever, as it is seamlessly integrated with Apple's popular music download service. However, the relationship between Motorola and Apple has fallen into "The rice is not healthy, the soup is not sweet" right from the launch party E1, mainly revolving around the imposition of 100 songs for this cricket.

Without iTunes, E2 is compatible with a variety of music file formats, and you can drag and drop songs from the music download service to your phone. Motorola itself has just launched iRadio digital music service to support this baby E2.

According to Motorola, ROKR E2 will be available in the middle of 2006, with prices ranging from 199 to 249 USD. ROKR E2 is the only important product that Motorola announced at CES this year. The remaining items are a Bluetooth keyboard that, when connected to a Motorola phone, makes messaging more smooth and some Bluetooth headsets.