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Motorola finally launched the ROKR E2 yesterday...but only in Singapore.  No news on the US release.  A 1.3 megapixel camera, FM radio, 3.5mm port for headphones, and other goodies...all for $458 (with operator contract).  CNET gives it mixed reviews here.  As expected, it's NOT using iTunes, but instead, a proprietary player...possibly iRadio? 

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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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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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Hey look, ROKR.com is for sale.

SLVR.com, PEBL.com, and RAZR.com are all being used.  Watch for a bidding war between Motorola and Apple.  :)

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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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Apparently, the iRadio feature on CNBC was moved to today at 12:00 ET.  Motorola's CEO, Ed Zander, will be showing off iRadio on a ROKR E2.  (However, I still don't see Motorola on the Power Lunch guest list for today...perhaps just a mishap?)

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Engadget interviewed Rob Glazer, CEO of RealNetworks to discuss music subscription services, what's holding them back, and what it will take for them to succeed going forward. A nice overview of Real's strategy in the space, including the Rhapsody Web Services Initiative and Rhapsody.com releases.

Rob hammered away at the idea of "interoperability" being critical, and why Apple's strategy of end-to-end control isn't sustainable. While talking about music phones, Rob vented a bit, mentioning HP's and Motorola's experiences with Apple:

ROB: "Since we’re not a portable device company, we don’t have it out for Apple in any abstract sense because Apple has already said: “Hey, they want end-to-end control of everything. It’s not worth it for them to support compatibility with other people.” Go talk to the people at HP on how their partnership with Apple worked out. Go talk to people at Motorola, if you can, because they still work with them, and talk to their director about how their partnership with Apple worked out."

It will be interesting to see how future ROKR versions perform, versus iRadio-compatible phones. I imagine iRadio phones will be feature rich relative to their ROKR cousins. If iRadio takes off, will Motorola maintain its relationship with Apple?

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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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