So is the ROKR E1 equal parts phone and iPod? Not really. From its description, the device is far closer to a full-featured phone than a typical Apple music player. Why? Because of some significant limitations imposed on the handset by Apple.

Here's the story:

With the to ROKR E1, users can transfer up to 100 songs directly from their Mac or PC iTunes jukebox. Owners may choose to load their handset with podcasts, audiobooks and (of course) music themselves or have their phone randomly filled. The ROKR E1 connects to a desktop computer via a USB cable or Bluetooth wireless; also useful for wireless headsets.

Should a call come in while your playing some music on the ROKR E1, the tri-band GSM/GPRS (850/1800/1900 MHz) phone automatically pauses the audio.

With the handset's 176 x 220 pixel color display users may view album art, ala Apple's color iPod music players. The 4.25 x 1.81 x 0.80-inch device integrates stereo speakers and bundles stereo headphones that double as a phone headset. There's also a built in VGA camera.


Motorola ROKR E1
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According to Motorola's specifications for the Cingular exclusive $250 ROKR E1, the phone should last for about nine hours of talk time on a battery charge. It is not known how long the device's battery can power the handset with music playing.

Juniper Research analyst Windsor Holden told internetnews.com a week ago that ringtones currently dominate the mobile music market, but full-track downloads will become an increasingly significant segment, with the total value of the mobile music market rising to $9.3 billion by 2009.

Another analyst firm, Pelorus Group, expects mobile data services via cell phones to surge from just over $1 billion in 2005 to $15.3 billion in 2010.

Worm In the Apple
Many in regard to the ROKR E1 have already expressed several caveats. First, one hundred songs simply won't cut it for a lot of potential users. And there's no way to add additional storage: the ROKR E1 lacks an expansion slot.

With memory cards cheaper than ever (and prices coming down every day), a slot would enable users to hold many more songs—just like nearly every smartphone and many of today’s feature cell phones even.

It appears Apple did not want the Motorola device to cannibalize its iPod sales. So they've basically crippled the storage capability of the ROKR E1 out of the block. Unless your loyalty lies exclusively with Apple and iTunes, you'll likely get far more musical bang for the buck through another handset.

Also, at this point it seems the only way to sync and add music to the ROKR E1 is through the USB or Bluetooth connection to your PC. What about letting people buy music through their phone and downloading it over the air? Surely, content providers (the music industry) would appreciate that capability.

Ovum analyst Roger Entner told internetews.com a week ago that letting users buy and download music over the air would be a critical component of the service for Cingular.

"That's how Cingular really makes money. Just having an iTunes phone and not the capability of selling songs over the air is pointless. Music will be such a significant revenue opportunity," he added.

In addition, Jupiter Research analyst Joe Laszlo pointed out that buying songs directly from a mobile phone from the iTunes Music Store (should that capability be enabled) might be a less than stellar experience. "A consumer looking for one particular track from one particular artist will be in for a lot of tapping and scrolling," Laszlo asserted.

"Down the road, I expect cell phones and digital content to work well for impulse buys, such as getting an SMS that says, 'We know you like Shakira; would you like to download a single from her upcoming album?' There's definitely some money to be made from that," he added. (The same corporation owns Jupiter Research and this Web site.)

Other Phone Music Platforms
Late last year (a few months after Apple and Motorola first announced plans for an iTunes cell phone) Warner Music Group unveiled a deal with Melodeo to allow consumers to download entire tracks from its music catalog directly to their mobile handsets.

Melodeo offers a distribution platform that lets patrons shop, preview, purchase, play, and store songs on their cell phone or smartphone. Wireless subscribers download the Melodeo client software, which offers stereo capabilities and music-store connectivity, or the software can be built into the handset at the point of manufacture. In addition, wireless operators may choose to deploy Melodeo technology on their networks.

The Melodeo-based service has not launched yet in the U.S.

Digital media management and content vendor GraceNote and BREW application developer MediaSocket enables the service.

It works like this:

When a user hears a song he likes, he pushes a Search button (available on certain KDDI handsets) to find out more about that song. Listen And Search automatically uses Gracenote Mobile MusicID solution to retrieve a match from a Gracenote database and delivers its name, artist, and album to the phone.

At the same time, Gracenote connects the recognized song to a commerce solution for the retail opportunities mentioned above.

Listen And Search is available now for three KDDI supported handsets: the Toshiba W31T, Sanyo W32SA, and Toshiba A5511T. It is not known when (or if) a similar service will eventually launch in the U.S.