Motorola ROKR E8 Rated 3.5 out of 5 by Wireless and Mobile News
After reviewing the top reviews of Motorola ROKR E8, the consensus is that the ROKR E8 rocks as a music phone looks cool, and falls short in other features.The touchscreen keypad that morphs for different functions as a phone, music, player and camera is so different with haptic feedback, it takes a while to get used to using. Some reviewers liked the touch interface and others found it tricky. Audio features such as music playing and call quality were excellent across reviews.
The screen, although small, was called brilliant, clear and easy to read. However, the software user interface was often referred to as sluggish and didn't keep up with the slick design. Lacking fast 3G data, web browsing is s-l-o-w and email support is limited to POP 3 and text only. Although the ROKR E8 syncs in Windows Media Player, you can't sync video.
With new phones getting the iPhone acid test, the ROKR E8 doesn't have all the features of the iPhone but has its own unique personality that you may like. Because the interface is also unique, you might want to meet the ROKR E8 in person and see how she feels and appeals to you.
The ROKR E8 costs $199.99 with a two-year contract, the same price as iPhone 3G, LG Dare and more than the Samsung Instinct. To see specs and summary of all the reviews reviewed continue reading. One reviewer suggests that Nokia 5310 @ $49.99 with a contract does almost everything the ROKR E8 does and costs less.
Kent German at CNET rated the Rokr E8 7.3 out of 10 which recevied the CNET Best of CES Award for Cellphones, calling it a "solid choice" for a music phone. The morphing ModeShift keypad works great for music, navigation is with on screen scroll wheel was tricky. Positive aspects of the Rokr E8 are display quality(320x240), top-notch music player and good call quailty. However, the Rokr E8 is missing 3G, enterprise e-mail, and wireless music loading. The Talking phone feature that says menus and contacts is effective but can get annoying, Music playing and transfer includes many features including Song ID. Photo quality was decent. The web browsing was slow and rendered for the screen.
Sascha Segan at PCMag rated the Motorola ROKR E8 3 out of 5, notes that the hardware is top-notch but the software is uninspiring. He liked the futuristic look of the phone, birght mode-shift display with sharp keys and "best-ever" haptic touch. The noise cancellation didn't totally eliminate background noise while calls were clear and worked with Bluetooth headsets. Internet connectivity was not great, lacking Gmail and only suppling POP 3 text access with a s-l-o-w browser. Software was slow responding to menu choices. Although you can sync music with Windows Media Player, you can't sync video. Photos were reddish and soft in the center. There are better T-Mobile choices such as the Nokia 5310, RAZR2 V8 or BlackBerry Curve.6
Todd Haselton at Laptop rated the ROKR E8 3.5 out of 5 for innovated eye-catching design and robust audio for music playing and FM radio. He liked the on screen scroll wheel and found it moved through menus quickly and enjoyed it as a music player. The keypad changes according to function and makes you think it's that device such as a camera, phone or music player. The UI was sluggish. He noted the music quality is better than the Nokia 5310 while browsing was worse and slow. Photos were crisp, call quality was excellent and the overall phone experience fun.
Basics
Size: 4.5 x 2.1 x 0.4 inches
Weight: 3.5 ounces
Included battery: 970 mAh Lion
Talk time: up to 7.5 hours
Standby time: up to 12.5 days
Band (frequency): 850 MHz;900 MHz;1800 MHz;1900 MHz
Included
Accessories
* Battery
* Charger
* USB Cable
* Stereo Hands-Free Headset
* 1GB SD Card
* Carrying case
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Music Player with External Controls | Play your music without going through your phone's menus to find it. With external controls, you can just slide on your headphones and push play. |
| Stereo Bluetooth® wireless technology | Connect your phone to your computer or stereo headset without any wires. |
| 2.0 megapixel camera | Take high-quality pictures from your phone that you can enlarge or print |
| Video capture/playback | Capture and play back short video clips. |
| MegaTones®, Wallpaper, HiFi Ringers®, & Games* | Download new games, sounds and voices from hot artists, instrumental versions of songs, and wallpapers. |
| myFaves capable* | Get unlimited any-network calling to any 5 people with a myFaves plan. |
| Alarm clock | Handy reminders help you stay on schedule. |
| Calculator | A handy way to check your figures. |
| Calendar | Keep track of appointments and even set reminders to make sure you're on time. |
| Instant messaging* | Send and receive instant messages with AOL®, Yahoo!®, Windows Live Messenger®, and Google Talk®. |
| Picture messaging* | Send pictures from your phone to others. |
| Text messaging* | The quick, quiet way to stay connected. |
| Voice-activated functions | Control your phone with your voice. |
| Easy text input | Predictive text input anticipates what you're typing to make sending messages faster and easier. |
| Speaker phone | Put down the phone and keep talking with a convenient speakerphone. |
| Micro SD memory slot | Add more memory for multimedia files, data, and more. |
| T-Mobile Address Book | Lets you store your phone book on T-Mobile's network so even if you lose your phone, you don't lose your contacts. |
| FM radio | Listen to your favorite stations from anywhere. |