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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While exploring the iTunes 6.0.3 binary file, Evan DiBiase found mysterious references to "upgradePhone" which eventually led to an iTunes screen offering an upgrade to the ROKR, for a price.

It's since been confirmed that the upgrade only applies to ROKR owners in Asia, whose phones only hold 50 songs.  The upgrade only boost the song count to...yup, 100 songs.  Ah well.

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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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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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Mac Daily News prints a few iRadio comparison facts regarding satellite radio:

"The iRadio service, which will let customers download 10 hours of content at a time, will be available at the subscription cost of about $5 to $7 a month. When not driving, customers can listen to content on a phone with a headset," Cohen reports. "By comparison, Sirius and XM charge about $13 a month for access to more than 100 channels; online music content provider Napster gets about $15 in the same period for unlimited downloads to a computer, or digital music player. Apple's iTunes music library charges about 99 cents per song."

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Mac Daily News prints a few iRadio comparison facts regarding satellite radio:

"The iRadio service, which will let customers download 10 hours of content at a time, will be available at the subscription cost of about $5 to $7 a month. When not driving, customers can listen to content on a phone with a headset," Cohen reports. "By comparison, Sirius and XM charge about $13 a month for access to more than 100 channels; online music content provider Napster gets about $15 in the same period for unlimited downloads to a computer, or digital music player. Apple's iTunes music library charges about 99 cents per song."

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