Motorola ROKR E8 phone unveiled

Motorola introduced the ROKR E8, a new phone which will be released in Q1 2008.

"ROKR E8 is a no compromises device -- it's both an MP3 player that makes great phone calls and a mobile phone with tremendous audio capabilities. With our unique ModeShift technology, we're dispelling the myth that mobile phones with music features are inferior to stand-alone audio devices," stated Stu Reed, president, Motorola Mobile Devices. "Rounding out our ROKR portfolio, our new music accessories provide consumers with a number of ways to enjoy their music."

Motorola designed ROKR E8 to deliver an uncompromised consumer experience for music or talk. Using breakthrough ModeShift technology from Motorola, the quad-band GPRS/EDGE device presents users with only the controls they need, at the time they need them, instantly transforming from music player to phone with the touch of a button.

When powered off, the surface of ROKR E8 is smooth, with no visible keys. Power on the device and it presents a virtual numbered keypad on the front surface. With one "press" of the virtual music key, the phone keypad disappears and control keys for the music player -- play, pause, fast forward and rewind -- appear in its place.

Yet, ROKR E8 is more than just a "touch"-operated device. Using innovative vibrating haptics technology, the device provides the tactile feedback consumers expect from a traditional keypad, providing confirmation they have pressed a virtual key.

ROKR E8 also marks the debut of the new FastScroll navigaton wheel from Motorola, a variable-speed touch control that lets consumers easily scroll through all of the content stored on the device. With a gentle slide of the thumb, the wheel quickly scrolls through your music (music mode), contacts (phone mode), calendar (phone mode), or multimedia (imaging mode) content. Information is easily viewed on the landscape 2.0" QVGA display.

In music mode, ROKR E8 delivers great sound through a three-dimensional stereo feature that enhances two-channel audio and an on-board equalizer. Music can be enjoyed on the built-in speaker, with a compatible Bluetooth enabled stereo headset, or through a wired headset plugged into the 3.5mm jack.

ROKR E8 also helps consumers discover new music with a built-in FM radio and support for Song ID . The 2GB internal memory can store up to 1,500 songs, and the external memory is expandable up to 4GB with an optional microSD card. Music transfers quickly with USB 2.0. The device is compatible with Windows Media Player 11 on the PC, which also provides access to more than 200 online music stores.

ROKR E8
Dimensions	115x53x10.6mm
Band	Quad Band; GPRS/EDGE class 12
Weight	100 grams
Battery	970mAh
Display	2.0” QVGA 240x320 262K TFT
Features	ModeShift technology transforms the device from phone to music player to imaging device with thetouch of a button FastScroll navigation wheel allows for scrolling through songs, contact and image library with theslide of a thumb Innovative haptics technology provides tactile response when a virtual key is pressed 2GB internal memory4; optional external memory support up to 4GB capacity Microsoft™ music ecosystem support 3.5 mm stereo headset jack, stereo Bluetooth wireless technology (A2DP)³ 2.0megapixel camera with 8x zoom, multi-shot feature, video capture and playback Airplane mode to play uninterrupted music in the air, even without a SIM card Talking phone offers a voice readout of text messages while dialing number or whenreceiving a call MIDI, MP3, AAC, AAC+, Enhanced AAC+, WMA, WAV, AMR-NB, Real Audio (RA) v10 Crystal Talk™ technology Full HTML browser
Connectivity	Stereo Bluetooth Class 2, USB 2.0 Hi-speed, GPRS Class 12, EDGE Class 12