ROKR posts

ROKR E6: No iTunes

by Erica Sadun (RSS feed) on Dec 5th, 2006

The last Motorola iTunes-enabled ROKR phone ships this month according to Engadget. New ROKRs, currently available in Hong Kong, ship with SD card support and onboard Bluetooth but no iTunes integration. The ROKR will support MP3, MPEG4, AAC+, WAV and Real Audio. RealPlayer replaces iTunes on the phone, which will still be a media player as well as a communications device. Engadget suggests it will soon be released in the US and IndiaTimes reports that the ROCKR will hit Indian markets by mid 2007.

Tags: cell phone, CellPhone, iTunes, ROKR

Filed under: Audio, Hardware, Rumors

iPhone, if it exists, to be Cingular-only through mid-2007

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Sep 26th, 2006

I know, the Cingular-only bit is quite the shocker, but Think Secret has restated some previously rumored details on the iPhone, including a 3 megapixel camera, 2.2-inch display and, obviously, iSync support. The phone is also said not to be handicapped with the same 100-song glass ceiling like the ROKR and SLVR, though Think Secret's reliably anonymous sources don't have any word on what the iPhone's storage capacity will actually be.

Signs are now pointing to a January 2007 release, most likely at a newly expanded Macworld 07. Think Secret's insiders claim Apple is shooting for the stars, expecting to ship 25 million iPhones in 2007 alone. If true, this is a bit of a surprise since Motorola's incredibly popular and more widely appealing RAZR has taken over two years to sell 50 million units. Perhaps most interesting of all this rumor rehashing is Think Secret's report that Apple's exclusive Cingular contract for the iPhone only lasts into the middle of 2007 - meaning that other carriers could pick it up and finally get in on the as-yet awkward iTunes phone action.

Again, you know the drill: this is all hearsay from 'anonymous insiders,' so do what you will with it.

Tags: iphone, macworld, rokr, rumor, rumors, slvr, think secret, ThinkSecret

Filed under: Audio, Hardware, Software, Troubleshooting

iTunes 7 music purchases don't play on iTunes phones?

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Sep 19th, 2006

A reader linked us to an Apple Discussion thread where a number of users have listed problems with playing purchases from the iTS through iTunes 7 on their Motorola SLVR and ROKR iTunes phones. It seems these users can play regular music they ripped from CDs, as well as purchases made through iTunes 6 - just not songs bought through the new iTunes 7. The thread hasn't reached biblical lengths just yet, but there are enough comments on the thread that I felt it warranted a post at TUAW.

One commenter posted a link to this Apple Support doc which offers instructions for when this same problems happens to an iPod, and some of the procedures can easily be adopted for an iTunes phone (such as restoring/erasing the phone and deauthorizing, then reauthorizing iTunes). However, some users have already commented that the doc's solutions aren't fixing the issue either.

Are any readers experiencing the same hiccup? If you have any thoughts on what's going on, please share your thoughts in the comments and, if you're up to the task, drop the frustrated peeps over in Apple's Discussion thread a line too. I'm sure they'll appreciate it.

Thanks Anthony

Tags: audio, files, its, itunes, itunes7, music, purchased, purchases, rokr, slvr, songs

Filed under: iTS, Software, iTunes

iTunes phone upgrades only for non-U.S. phones with < 100 song limit

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Feb 16th, 2006

I hope no one ran out and bought a ROKR or slick new SLVR after last night's post about the ability to upgrade iTunes phones. Turns out it was more or less a false alarm - at least for those who already have a phone with a 100 song limit. Eddie Cue, iTunes' product manager, got in touch with Engadget to let them know that yes, the upgrade exists, but it's only for non-U.S. iTunes phones that unfortunately had a song cap set at less than 100. Apparently, some phones were set as low as 25 songs, so this upgrade was meant to bring everyone up to the same, yet highly limited, 100 song cap.

I have to agree with Ryan's Engadget post though: if Apple wants to make any headway with this whole musicphone idea, that silly 100 song cap needs to go.

Tags: 100, cap, iTunes, limit, phone, ROKR, SLVR, software, song, upgrade

Filed under: Hardware, iTS, Software, iTunes

Apple removing the iTunes phone 100 song cap?

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Feb 15th, 2006

I can neither confirm nor deny the legitimacy of this, but TUAW reader Jake sent us a tip with an iTMS screenshot detailing an upcoming possibility of removing the 100 song cap on iTunes phones. From the screenshot it looks like Apple might soon offer the ability to purchase what I would assume to be a software upgrade to remove the software-based 100 song cap on the phone.

Jake claims to have followed a number of code snippets he found in the latest iTunes update, version 6.0.3. Check out his post for the full details on the steps he took, and check out the actual page in the iTMS. For now, however, I don't know anyone with a ROKR who could take this one step further. If anyone can confirm this page in the iTMS is real, is brave enough to plug their ROKR in and click OK, feel free to sound off. If this is true, it could be a sign that Apple and Motorola are finally listening to the market and removing a silly limitation that should never have existed in the first place. One can only hope.

Tags: 100, cap, iTMS, iTunes, ROKR, SLVR, song

Filed under: Hardware, iTunes

Motorola SLVR with iTunes now available from Cingular

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Jan 31st, 2006

Motorola has unleashed the SLVR with iTunes for Cingular, a slim new candybar style phone that borrows from their runaway-hit RAZR design. As Engadget notes, it's selling for $199 (better than the ROKR's initial $249) with a 2-year contract, comes pre-installed with a 512 MB card and that oh-so-loved ceiling of 100 songs. Once again, Motorola included a non-standard headphone jack, forcing buyers to use an annoying little adapter in order to be able to plug in a regular set of headphones.

Even though the SLVR phone itself certainly seems to be a nice upgrade from the bulky and sluggish ROKR, it still doesn't strike me as a serious music phone offering. The many reasons and theories for this have certainly been discussed since the ROKR's introduction, so I'll spare you a rehash.

While some might be quick to bash Motorola for breaking their promise that the ROKR 2 won't suck, just remember: this isn't technically the ROKR 2, so there's still hope. But what do you TUAW readers think of this? Is this the killer iTunes phone you'd sell your own dog to get your hands on? Or did Motorola and Apple miss the train again?

Tags: Cingular, iTunes, music, phone, ROKR, SLVR

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Hardware

ROKR disappeared from Cingular's phone list

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Jan 9th, 2006

Being that my family just switched to Cingular over the holidays, I've been poking around their site to see what it all can do. To my surprise (and delight), I no longer see the ROKR in their list of available phones. Now this could just be an issue in my zip code, but I verified with a couple friends across the US and they don't see it either. What this means, I don't know. Coincidence? Stock shortages? Some kind of event going on soon? I'll let y'all decide on that one.

Tags: Cingular, Engadget, iTunes phone, ItunesPhone, ROKR

Filed under: iPod Family, iTunes

Engadget CES iTunes Phone coverage

by C.K. Sample, III (RSS feed) on Jan 4th, 2006

Engadget is over at CES today / this week, so make sure you check over there for some gadget goodness. They currently have a few posts on some gadgets that were once known as iPhones: the Motoroa SLVR with iTunes and the ROKR E2. Check out both posts for a slew of cool pics, and check back later with Engadget for more details on all these devices and more.

I, for one, don't like iPhones. Give me a Razr and an iPod and keep them away from each other so they don't cause interference, and I'm happy.

Tags: iphone, itunes, motorola, rokr, slvr

Filed under: Hardware, Multimedia, iTunes

ROKR E2 dumping iTunes for an iRadio service?

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Jan 3rd, 2006

MacRumors picked up on a New York Times report that the forthcoming ROKR E2 will be dumping iTunes in favor of a new subscription-based iRadio service, featuring over 400 channels of commercial-free radio. So basically: instead of a phone that can freely play all of your music, you can pay a reported $7/month for what is basically XM/Sirius in your phone. For those of you still waiting for an iTunes-based ROKR successor, the recently-announced RAZR v3i sounds like it won't dissappoint. In my opinion though, following up the less-than-stellar ROKR with a new version that doesn't even support playing my music is two steps in the wrong direction.

But what do you guys think of this? Do you want a ROKR phone with a radio-on-steriods in it, or are you already yelling "I want my iTunes library!"

Tags: E2, iRadio, iTunes, library, music, phone, radio, ROKR, subscription

Filed under: Hardware

ROKR E2

by Scott McNulty (RSS feed) on Dec 29th, 2005

Engadget thinks that the phone to the left might be the new ROKR E2, the followup phone to the not so successful ROKR 'iTunes phone.'

Anyone out there have an orignal ROKR? What do you think of it?

Tags: cellphone, motorola, rokr

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