The Motorola ROKR (), the first version of which was informally known as the iTunes phone, was a series of
mobile phone
A mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, hand phone or pocket phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell, or just phone, is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link whi ...
s from
Motorola
Motorola, Inc. () was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, United States. After having lost $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009, the company split into two independent public companies, Motorol ...
, part of a
4LTR line developed before the
spin out
Spinout or Spin Out may refer to:
*Corporate spin-off, also known as a spin-out, a type of corporate action where a company turns a portion of itself into a separate business
*Spinout (driving), failure when braking
Entertainment
* ''Spinout (fil ...
of
Motorola Mobility. ROKR models were released starting in September 2005
and ending in 2009. They were notable for incorporating support of
media player features.
E1
Launched on September 7, 2005, in
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, the E1 is the first phone to be integrated with
Apple's iTunes music player, the next phone being the first
iPhone in 2007. The phone had been widely expected, with technology sites reporting on collaborations between
Motorola
Motorola, Inc. () was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, United States. After having lost $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009, the company split into two independent public companies, Motorol ...
and Apple as far back as December 2004.
Description and acceptance
The ROKR E1 is a re-badged Motorola E398
candybar
A candy bar is a type of candy that is in the shape of a bar. The most common type of candy bar is the chocolate bar, including both bars made of solid chocolate and combination candy bars, which are candy bars that combine chocolate with other ...
style phone (it was originally called the E790) with Apple-licensed technology to play back
iTunes Music Store purchased music. It features a music player with an interface similar to that of Apple's
iPod music players. Since hardware on
Motorola
Motorola, Inc. () was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, United States. After having lost $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009, the company split into two independent public companies, Motorol ...
E398 and ROKR E1 phones are the same, it is possible to crossflash Motorola ROKR E1's firmware to Motorola E398 using phone flashing software like flash & backup.
While the phone equipped an upgradeable 512 MB
microSD memory card (Max. 1 GB), its firmware allowed only up to 100 songs to be loaded at any time. The limit hurt the ROKR's appeal. Many users also discovered that transferring music to the phone was slow compared to dedicated players, due to lack of support for
Hi-Speed USB, and the E1 lacked wireless transfer. The Rokr was also criticized for being too much like the preceding E398. As a result, the Rokr E1 sold below expectations despite a high-profile marketing campaign.
Because of the
iPod Nano
The iPod Nano (stylised and marketed as iPod nano) is a discontinued portable media player designed and formerly marketed by Apple Inc. The first generation model was introduced on September 7, 2005, as a replacement for the iPod Mini, usin ...
unveiling on the same day, relations between Motorola and Apple were strained and Motorola CEO
Ed Zander
Edward J. Zander is an American business executive. He was CEO and Chairman of the Board of Motorola from January 2004 until January 2008, remaining as chairman until May 2008. His work in the technology sector included management positions at D ...
later accused Apple of purposely undercutting the Rokr.
The Rokr E1 was replaced by the E2 (
see below), which lacked iTunes support and was superseded by the iTunes-enabled
SLVR L7.
E2
The E2 was released in January 2006. Instead of
iTunes, the phone came bundled with
RealPlayer
RealPlayer, formerly RealAudio Player, RealOne Player and RealPlayer G2, is a cross-platform media player app, developed by RealNetworks. The media player is compatible with numerous container file formats of the multimedia realm, including MP3 ...
, supporting a larger variety of formats. It also featured a music control panel on the left side of the phone. Users can also listen to stereo FM radio with Motorola Rokr E2. By using
iRadio
iRadio is a music-driven youth radio station broadcast in the Border, West, Mid-East and Midland regions of Ireland. The station is one of four music-driven youth stations that were licensed by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland to challe ...
, FM radio programs can also be downloaded into the phone through internet, letting users listen to the radio at any time. The first public release occurred on June 22, 2006, in
China.
Features
* Talk time: up to 9
hours
* Standby time: up to 8
days
* Multimedia playback: MP3, AMR, MID, MIDI, SMF, MMF, XMF, IMY, WAV, RA, WMA, AAC, AWB, MPGA, M4A, 3GA, RM, RMVB, 3GP, MP4 by RealPlayer
* Audio connector: 3.5 mm headset jack
* Java support:
MIDP
Mobile Information Device Profile (MIDP) is a specification published for the use of Java on embedded devices such as mobile phones and PDAs. MIDP is part of the Java Platform, Micro Edition (Java ME) framework and sits on top of Connected Limi ...
2.0,
CLDC The Connected Limited Device Configuration (CLDC) is a specification of a framework for Java ME applications describing the basic set of libraries and virtual-machine features that must be present in an implementation. The CLDC is combined with one ...
1.1, HEAP 2mb
* Browser:
Opera 8.50 with
e-mail
Electronic mail (email or e-mail) is a method of exchanging messages ("mail") between people using electronic devices. Email was thus conceived as the electronic (digital) version of, or counterpart to, mail, at a time when "mail" meant ...
support
* Local connectivity:
As a
Linux
Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, w ...
-based phone, the open source community developed numerous modifications to the phone's software, such as quad band, EDGE, and support for a 4 GB SD card. Some have
overclock
In computing, overclocking is the practice of increasing the clock rate of a computer to exceed that certified by the manufacturer. Commonly, operating voltage is also increased to maintain a component's operational stability at accelerated spe ...
ed the processor.
E6
The E6 was released in
China on November 14, 2006, and subsequently worldwide on December 4, 2006.
The Rokr E6 is a direct descendant of the E680 and the
MING
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peop ...
, sharing the same
Montavista
MontaVista Software is a company that develops embedded Linux system software, development tools, and related software. Its products are made for other corporations developing embedded systems such as automotive electronics, communications equ ...
Linux
Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, w ...
operating system
An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware, software resources, and provides common services for computer programs.
Time-sharing operating systems schedule tasks for efficient use of the system and may also i ...
,
Intel
Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. It is the world's largest semiconductor chip manufacturer by revenue, and is one of the developers of the x86 seri ...
XScale
XScale is a microarchitecture for central processing units initially designed by Intel implementing the ARM architecture (version 5) instruction set. XScale comprises several distinct families: IXP, IXC, IOP, PXA and CE (see more below), with some ...
PXA270 series processors, and the
RealPlayer
RealPlayer, formerly RealAudio Player, RealOne Player and RealPlayer G2, is a cross-platform media player app, developed by RealNetworks. The media player is compatible with numerous container file formats of the multimedia realm, including MP3 ...
media player instead of the
iTunes player installed on the first Rokr phone. The E6 features a built-in FM radio, (but no radio recording). It also inherited the 2-megapixel camera with manual macro-switching and business card recognition from
MING
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peop ...
, enhanced with
QR Code
A QR code (an initialism for quick response code) is a type of matrix barcode (or two-dimensional barcode) invented in 1994 by the Japanese company Denso Wave. A barcode is a machine-readable optical label that can contain information about th ...
recognition functions. Additionally, the phone features a 3.5 mm headphone jack, allowing use of a standard-sized headphone plug.
It comes installed with
Picsel Picsel was a company and technology founded in Glasgow, Scotland and its trademark and innovations were used to develop products for handheld devices such as mobile phones and tablets. The founders and original team of Picsel produced award-winning ...
Viewer with the ability to read
Microsoft Office
Microsoft Office, or simply Office, is the former name of a family of client software, server software, and services developed by Microsoft. It was first announced by Bill Gates on August 1, 1988, at COMDEX in Las Vegas. Initially a marketi ...
and
PDF file formats.
Details
The phone is part of Motorola's line of phones running Linux, this one using a modified 2.4.20 kernel. This has upset some, as they broke the
GPL
The GNU General Public License (GNU GPL or simply GPL) is a series of widely used free software licenses that guarantee end users the four freedoms to run, study, share, and modify the software. The license was the first copyleft for general u ...
in not releasing the kernel source code. The software is an updated version of MING (Motorola A1200), with a different file system. Most of the apps that work on the MING work on the E6, but some may not due to the file system. Normally the phone only runs on tri-band GSM networks, though some have found an exploit to get it to run on Quad Band networks and over Edge. The radio channel frequency can also be modified beyond 88 MHz to 65 MHz, and the preset number of channels can also be modified.
Technical specifications
Z6
The Z6, originally known as the
Rizr Z6, was released on July 7, 2007. The Z6 features Motorola's new version of the embedded
Linux
Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, w ...
-based operating system,
MOTOMAGX
MotoMagx was a Linux kernel-based mobile operating system developed and launched in 2007 by Motorola to run on their mid-to-high-end mobile phones. The system was based on MontaVista's Mobilinux. Originally intended for 60% of their upcoming devi ...
. It also supports stereo
Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology standard that is used for exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices over short distances and building personal area networks (PANs). In the most widely used mode, transmission power is limi ...
technology (
A2DP) and features a 2-megapixel digital camera. The Z6 also supports synchronisation with
Windows Media Player 11
Windows Media Player (WMP) is the first media player and media library application that was developed by Microsoft for playing audio, video and viewing images on personal computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system, as well as on ...
, allowing playlists and audio to be transferred to the phone's internal memory, which can in turn be transferred onto a compatible microSD memory card. The phone does not support
3G or
HSDPA
High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) is an amalgamation of two mobile protocols—High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) and High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA)—that extends and improves the performance of existing 3G mobile telecommunic ...
, relying on EDGE for data.
Audio format support
The Z6 supports the following audio formats:
* Windows WMAv10 plus Janus DRM
*
MP3
MP3 (formally MPEG-1 Audio Layer III or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III) is a coding format for digital audio developed largely by the Fraunhofer Society in Germany, with support from other digital scientists in the United States and elsewhere. Origin ...
*
AAC
*
AAC+
High-Efficiency Advanced Audio Coding (HE-AAC) is an audio coding format for lossy data compression of digital audio defined as an MPEG-4 Audio profile in ISO/IEC 14496–3. It is an extension of Low Complexity AAC (AAC-LC) optimized for l ...
*
AAC+ enhanced
*
AMR NB
*
WAV
Waveform Audio File Format (WAVE, or WAV due to its filename extension; pronounced "wave") is an audio file format standard, developed by IBM and Microsoft, for storing an audio bitstream on PCs. It is the main format used on Microsoft Wind ...
*
XMF
Video format support
The Z6 supports the following video formats:
*
3GP
*
3G2
3GP (3GPP file format) is a multimedia container format defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) for 3G UMTS multimedia services. It is used on 3G mobile phones but can also be played on some 2G and 4G phones.
3G2 (3GPP2 ...
*
MP4
*
RealVideo
*
xvid
Xvid (formerly "XviD") is a video codec library following the MPEG-4 video coding standard, specifically MPEG-4 Part 2 Advanced Simple Profile (ASP). It uses ASP features such as b-frames, global and quarter pixel motion compensation, lumi mas ...
Z6m
The Z6m is the
CDMA
Code-division multiple access (CDMA) is a channel access method used by various radio communication technologies. CDMA is an example of multiple access, where several transmitters can send information simultaneously over a single communicatio ...
version of the Rokr Z6. The Rokr Z6m comes with an integrated music player, 3.5 mm headset jack, stereo
Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology standard that is used for exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices over short distances and building personal area networks (PANs). In the most widely used mode, transmission power is limi ...
, a 512
MB MicroSD card in its respective slot, a key lock switch, and a 2-
megapixel
In digital imaging, a pixel (abbreviated px), pel, or picture element is the smallest addressable element in a raster image, or the smallest point in an all points addressable display device.
In most digital display devices, pixels are the sm ...
digital camera. The phone supports up to 2
GB of removable storage.
Unlike the Z6, the Z6m does not run
MotoMAGX
MotoMagx was a Linux kernel-based mobile operating system developed and launched in 2007 by Motorola to run on their mid-to-high-end mobile phones. The system was based on MontaVista's Mobilinux. Originally intended for 60% of their upcoming devi ...
, a version of
Linux
Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, w ...
, but instead runs the
Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless
Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless (Brew MP, Brew, Qualcomm BREW, or BREW) is an application development platform created by Qualcomm, originally for code division multiple access (CDMA) mobile phones, featuring third-party applications such ...
operating system, also known as BREW.
U.S. Cellular was the first carrier to release the Rokr Z6m on October 14, 2007, alongside their Napster-to-Go service's launch.
Technical information
When connected to a computer via USB and the connection type is set to "Modem/COM", the phone acts like a USB serial peripheral, allowing
Motorola Phone AT Commands
Motorola, Inc. () was an American Multinational corporation, multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, United States. After having lost $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009, the company split into two independent p ...
to be sent. In this mode, sending "AT+MODE=8" will put the phone into a different state,
in which it no longer accepts AT commands but its P2K05 functionality is accessible.
W5
The W5 was released in September 2007. The phone features up to 2 GB through a
microSD slot, a 1.3-megapixel camera, Motorola's P2K OS, and a music player.
E8
The E8 was released in July 2008. It features a new keypad interface called ModeShift, which automatically changes the context of the keypad depending on the current function of the device. It also features a localized touch feedback system with
haptic technology
Haptic technology (also kinaesthetic communication or 3D touch) is technology that can create an experience of touch by applying forces, vibrations, or motions to the user. These technologies can be used to create virtual objects in a computer ...
that gives the feeling of real buttons, though the keyboard surface is smooth. It will sync with Microsoft Outlook, but not with Web or Mac based calendars.
Both E8 and EM30 uses the ModeShift technology and this enables the phone to switch from talk to music with one touch (special music keys light up when playing music) Coupled with in-build CrystalTalk technology (a Motorola patent), crisp and clear conversations is possible in noisy environments.
Carriers
*
T-Mobile
T-Mobile is the brand name used by some of the mobile communications subsidiaries of the German telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom AG in the Czech Republic ( T-Mobile Czech Republic), Poland ( T-Mobile Polska), the United States (T-Mobil ...
*
Rogers Wireless
Rogers Wireless Inc. is a Canadian wireless telephone company headquartered in Toronto, providing service nationally throughout Canada. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Rogers Communications. The company had revenues of just under $15.1 billi ...
*
Cellular One
Cellular One is the trademarked brand name that licenses services (radio frequencies for telecommunications) used by several cellular service providers in the United States. The brand was sold to Trilogy Partners by AT&T in 2008 shortly after AT ...
Specifications
The complete Motorola Rokr E8 list of specifications are:
EM30
The EM30, releasing in August 2008, was the lower-end version of the E8 (see above), without the FastScroll navigation wheel and the haptics feel.
EM30 is running on
LiMo Platform, a
Linux
Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, w ...
-based
operating system
An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware, software resources, and provides common services for computer programs.
Time-sharing operating systems schedule tasks for efficient use of the system and may also i ...
for mobile devices. It is the 22nd LiMo Handset.
Both E8 and EM30 uses the ModeShift technology and this enables the phone to switch from talk to music with one touch (special music keys get lighted up when playing music) The phone incorporated Motorola's patented CrystalTalk technology, providing clear conversations in noisy environments.
Specifications
*Messaging: MMS, EMS 5.0, email (POP3, SMTP, IMAP4), Motosync for corporate email support
*Connectivity method: Stereo Bluetooth Class 2, 3.5mm, USB 2.0 HS, Mobile Phone Tools, Over the Air Sync (OTA), PC Sync
*Dual Transfer Mode (DTM): Enables GPRS during call; operator dependent
*Camera: 2 MP, Digital Zoom, Fixed Focus, take up to 8 multi shot pictures
*Capture/Playback/Streaming: H.263, MPEG4, WMV v9
*Audio: MIDI, MP3, AAC, AAC+, Enhanced AAC+, WMA, WAV, AMR-NB, Real Audio (RA) v10
*FM Radio: with Radio Data System (RDS) 3
*Keypad: Backlight morphing keypad that changes color from phone mode to music mode
*Airplane Mode: Uninterrupted music up in the plane/play music
*3.5mm headset
*3D Stereo Sound
*Memory: 30 MB internal memory, optional 8 GB microSDHC support
*Microsoft Music Ecosystem Support (sync music with
Windows Media Player
Windows Media Player (WMP) is the first media player (application software), media player and media library application that was developed by Microsoft for playing sound reproduction, audio, video and viewing images on personal computers runnin ...
)
*Audio Playback: Target 16 hours (Airplane Mode)
*Crystal Talk technology for noise cancellation
*Text to speech recognition
Technical specifications
*Bands/Modes: Quad Band
*Dimensions: 115x53x10.6mm
*Display: 2.0˝ QVGA 240x320 262K TFT
*Form Factor: Bar with internal antenna
*GPRS Class 12: EDGE class 12
*Audio Playback Time: up to approximately 16 hours
*Size: 60cc
*Standby Time: up to approximately 300 hours
*Talk Time: up to approximately 360 minutes
*Weight: 100g
*Airplane Mode: listen to music, take pictures, play games on the plane, with the RF off
EM326g
The EM326g was released in January 2009. It is the first ROKR phone to be available pre-configured for use with a prepaid network (
Net10).
EM35
The EM35 was released in Q1 2009. It had a 3.15 MP camera, 110 MB internal memory, and a
microSD card slot supporting up to 16 GB.
W6
The W6 was released in April 2009.
ZN50/ZN500
The ZN50 was released in July 2009 as a high-end phone in the Rokr series. It featured a 3.15 MP camera with auto-focus, improved screen resolution, a
touchscreen
A touchscreen or touch screen is the assembly of both an input ('touch panel') and output ('display') device. The touch panel is normally layered on the top of an electronic visual display of an information processing system. The display is ofte ...
and storage expandable up to 16 GB.
EM25/EM325
The EM25/EM325 was released in July 2009, at the same time as the ZN50 (see above).
EM28/EM330
The Motorola EM28/EM330 was released in July 2009, at the same time as the ZN50 and EM25/EM325 (see above).
Specifications
* 1.3-megapixel camera
* Bluetooth
* Video Playback & Streaming Video
* Voice Recorder (60seconds limited)
* Calculator, Calendar, and Alarm Clock
* Vibrating, Games and Sync
* Volume Control
* Cellular Video
* SMS, MMS, EMS, and Chat
* Dual band GSM 850/1800/1900 MHz
* Weight: 90g (with battery)
* 65K colour, 128fg
* MMS
* Video Recorder
* FM Radio: RDS Radio
* MP3 Player (AT&T Mobile Music / MusicID)
* SMS text messages
* MMS messaging with pictures
* EMS
* Photo and data sharing with Bluetooth 2.0
* Mini-USB port for connection with PC
* WAP 2.0 web browser
* Battery: Lithium-ion
* Talk time: Up to 7 hours
* Stand-by: Up to 23 days
References
{{Motorola phones, 4ltr=yes, a=yes, android=yes, tablets=yes, c=yes, cdd=yes, e=yes, i=yes, international=yes, m=yes, mpx=yes, other=yes, q=yes, t=yes, tac=yes, v=yes, ve=yes, w=yes
Rokr
Mobile phones introduced in 2005
ITunes