You know hype is getting a little out of control when all the recent rave revolves around a product prototype whose predecessor has yet to be released.  In any case, Engadget scored a few first hand pics of the ROKR E3 yesterday, which includes a faux iPod-like music wheel, and a few other features:

Tentative ROKR E3 Features (Official Specs not available):

• GSM/GPRS/EDGE
• 512MB of internal memory
• Bluetooth
• 1.3 megapixel camera
• TransFlash memory card slot
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• Multimedia software (not iTunes -- perhaps iRadio?)

Veeery interesting.  But let's not forget about the ROKR E2, which should be out in mid 2006...

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Don't ask me how, but I ran across this Cingular forum post about iRadio on ROKR E1:

When I browsed to the security settings, and showed the list of lockable applications, one of the options was iRadio. Now I know what this is, as I had it on my old phone. My question is that since they don't make a supportable adaptor for the ROKR E1, at least that I have heard of, if I use an adaptor not specifically designed for it will it work?

But even better, does anybody know where to get a headset specifically for the ROKR to get the iRadio to work?

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Ferrari designer, Pininfarina, will design dozens of phones for Motorola over the next three years.  The amazing success of the RAZR has demonstrated the value of unique, ground breaking design.  Moto's looking to repeat.

We've already seen the iRadio Solstice.  Will we see an iRadio Ferrari out of all this?

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Motorola announced the release of the Motorola W220, which is basically an FM Radio-enabled RAZR with most of the RAZR's features ripped out.  The lower price point will make the RAZR's thin design accessible to those with shallower pockets, but may also begin to reduce the value of the RAZR.

Motorola W220 Features:

• Clamshell handset
• Stereo FM Radio
• Browser (WAP 2.0 compliant)
• Messaging:  MMS, SMS, NSM
• Downloadable media capability
• 600 contacts
• Dimensions: 46 x 95 x 16.6 mm
• Weight:  93 grams
• Screen:  128 x 128 px
• Battery:  497 minutes of talk time, 293 hrs stand-by

The Motorola W220 will be available in Q3 2006.

...So let's see...now Moto fans will need to choose between iRadio phones, FM Radio phones, Windows Media phones, and iTunes phones...  It's gettting a little complex, no?

(via MobileBurn)

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I love it.  First Motorola announces that the ROKR E2 will run iRadio instead of iTunes.  Then Motorola announces at 3GSM that it will be developing a line of music phones using Windows Media technology instead of iTunes.  Too funny.

Unlike the ROKR E1, the new phones will be able to download music over the as well as through a PC, and will be able to transfer music between devices freely.  The phones may also support the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) standard, but that has yet to be determined.

Motorola will continue to produce iTunes phones alongside their Windows Media alternatives, but the Windows Media phone may be favored by mobile telecom operators looking to create their own music stores.  Operator support is crucial for a phone to succeed, since 80-90% of mobile phones are sold as part of mobile telecom operator subsidies in most markets.

It's probably another reason Apple may be looking to sell mobile services through Mobile Me and the mePod...

(via Reuters, Financial Times, MocoNews)

UPDATE:  You can check out the full press release here.

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Motorola is releasing a slider version of the RAZR, called the MS600 RAZR Z, in Korea.  Check it out at MobileMag and MobileGazette.  Features:

• 1.3 megapixel digital camera
• MP3 playback
• 14.8 millimeters thick
• 2.2 inch color display
• 128mb of internal memory
• Sold through SK Telecom
• Price: $516-619 USD

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Did anyone see the PEBL SuperBowl ad?  Not too shabby.  If you mised it, a meteor crashes into earth, is eroded by elements over time, is lost at sea, then found one day on a beach, having taken the shape of the new Motorola PEBL.  Visually appealing, tells a story, good stuff.

I also enjoyed the commercials for CareerBuilder.com (monkey office), ESPN Mobile (sports stuff surrounding the mobile user), and Fedex (caveman delivery etc).

I was definitely rooting for Pittsburgh, having spent a couple years there for grad school.  Great game!

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Motorola and JBL, a 'leading provider of audio products for the computer industry,' will jointly develop and market accessories for Motorola's mobile music devices.  They'll work to combine MOTO's sleek phone design with JBL's high-fidelity sound technology.

Let's see some cool iRadio schwag, people.  More at Mobiledia.

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Motorola continues to add “sticky” features that will make their phones more attractive to users.  At CES last week, Motorola announced the launch of Motorola Share in partnership with Avvenu, a photo storage and sharing service available on a number of web-enabled mobile phones, including the RAZR, ROKR, and V557.

Motorola Share features:
* Users can view images stored on their computer
* Users can send email via mobile to friends with a link to any image
* Users can view low/high res images; images are automatically scaled to fit screen
* Load time and storage space is conserved, since images sit on computer

It’s a nice feature.  Combined with Motorola iRadio, Motorola phones are on their way to becoming media control centers.  It’s a smart move to provide value-added services that iPods cannot currently offer.  It’s that whole “seamless mobility” thing.  Network, network, network.

An aside, RussellBeattie compared the three remote-access services of Avvenu, Orb, and SoonR, and concluded that Avvvenu was by far the best.  Sounds like a good partnership choice by MOTO.

Related News:

Silicon Beat:  "Avvenu snags funding for new file-sharing idea"

B Cell Phones:  "Motorola and Avvenu announce new mogile service for Image Sharing on the go"

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Several bloggers were able to snap up pics of the ROKR E2:

MobileBurn:  Live Photos of Motorola's ROKR E2

Engadget:  Hands-On with the Motorola ROKR E2

Palm Addict:  Motorola ROKR E2 Hands On at CES 2006

Motorola Press Release:  Motorola ROKR E2

Do you have any pics to share from CES 2006?  Let me know...

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The Motorola ROKR E2, the first iRadio phone, was recently unveiled.  The specs seem to change slightly every time I see them (note the specs I published from Apple Insider yesterday), however, this new list is now the latest.  Check out the features:

ROKR E2 SPECS:

• Removable SD card
• FM radio with 30 presets
• 3.5mm headset jack
• 262k color TFT QVGA (240x320) resolution
• 1.3 megapixel camera with flash and video capture
• USB 2.0 connection
• Linux-based operating system (No iTunes!)
• Store up to 500 songs, manage playlists
• Dedicated music keys (play/pause, skip, hold)
• Bluetooth audio connection
• “Airplane Mode” (safely listen on planes)
• SCREEN3 technology

The ROKR E2 will be available in the first half of 2006...leaving plenty of time for Motorola to change the specs yet again.  :)

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Happy New Year, everyone!

In case you're interested, ABC takes a shot at listing the best phones of 2005.  It's more of a review of each cell phone makers best and brightest.  Onwards to 2006!

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TheStreet.com gives a run down of 3rd Quarter cell phone sales performance. Nokia and Motorola seem to be at the top.

For kicks, I checked out the Top Selling Phones at Amazon, a list which is updated hourly:

1. Motorola RAZR V3 BLK Phone (Cingular)
2. Motorola E815 EV-DO Phone (Verizon Wireless)
3. Motorola RAZR V3 Phone (T-Mobile)
4. Motorola RAZR V3 Phone (Cingular)
5. Motorola V276 Phone (Verizon Wireless)
6. Motorola V330 TMO to Go Prepaid Phone (T-Mobile)
7. LG VX8100 EV-DO Phone (Verizon Wireless)
8. Nokia 6010 TMO to Go Prepaid Phone (T-Mobile)
9. Nokia 6102 Phone (Cingular)
10. T-Mobile Sidekick II Phone (T-Mobile)

The RAZR is all over the place...

UPDATE: Funny, Mobile Tracker pointed out the same list above, but also mentions WireFly's Top 10 Cell Phone list, which is a static, cumulative list.

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A little birdie dropped a Motorola SLVR L7 with iTunes in Engadget's lap. It's an interesting next step that may attempt to leverage Motorola's success with the RAZR to strengthen its iTunes-enabled cell phone line. The date of release has not yet publicly known.

Establishing leadership in the music mobile area will be critical for successfully launching Motorola iRadio in January...

(via MobileMusicBlog, via Engadget)

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The Motorola Razr is tearing up the mobile space.

Motorola profits more than tripled in the third quarter of 2005, mostly due to the spectacular performance of the ultra-sleek ‘n’ sheek Motorola Razr. The exact tally? Try a profit of $1.75 billion in the third quarter of 2005, compared with $479 million in the same quarter of last year. Wow. (That represents an increase from 20 cents per share to 69 cents per share, for all you Motorola stock holders)

Mind you, this is in the face of a disappointing start for the Motorola Rokr. However, CEO Ed Zander qualified the disappointment, pointing out that the phone exceeded their expectations by selling 250,000 units in the first month.

The Razr;’s success will help establish a strong foothold within consumers’ mindshare, which in turn will help Motorola iRadio launch to an attentive audience.

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Does the e1 Motorola Rokr have a chance?

One must wonder, with Motorola focusing on its iRadio service, and Apple focusing on an iPod nano launch.

Sales may have been better if the launch had not been delayed in March, and momentum had not been lost. Or perhaps the phone's just sub-par..?

It's interesting to note that development of iRadio took place in Tempe, AZ, to reduce the influence of other Motorola divisions. Will the Rokr and Motorola iRadio ever share a future? Or is iRadio stand-alone, secret weapon?

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