ROKR E8 coming to rock SA with virtual keys

Looking for a great music player and willing to compromise on the phone/ Or vice versa? A new generation of phones promises to do both equally well, and Motorola hopes to lead the charge with the ROKR E8, now available in South Africa. It transforms from a phone-optimised device to a music-optimised player with the touch of a button. But it is a virtual touch, with the manufacturer also revealing its touch-screen credentials.

Motorola has announced regional availability of the award-winning ROKR E8, which transforms from a phone-optimised device to a music-optimised player with the touch of a button.

Using Motorola’s ModeShift technology, the device presents users with only the controls they need, at the time they need them. While its touch-screen suggests it is playing catch-up with the iPhone, the workings of the phone couldn’t be more different.

‚ROKR E8 does not compromise ‚ it’s both an MP3 player that makes great phone calls and a mobile phone with tremendous audio capabilities. With Motorola’s unique ModeShift technology, we’re dispelling the myth that mobile phones with music features are inferior to stand-alone audio devices,‚ said Michael Karasinski, Motorola’s general manager for Sub Saharan Africa.

‚We are confident consumers will embrace this ground-breaking device and we look forward to transforming their mobile experience by taking them from talk to music in just one touch.‚

This confidence was backed8 at the CES tradeshow in Las Vegas earlier this year, where the E8 was unveiled and received the CNET Best of CES Award in the Cell phones and Smartphones category, as well as CNET’s People’s Voice Award.

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.

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 navigation wheel from Motorola, a variable-speed touch control that lets users scroll through all of the content stored on the device. With a gentle slide of the thumb, the wheel quickly scrolls through music (music mode), contacts (phone mode), calendar (phone mode), or multimedia (imaging mode) content. Information is displayed on a landscape 2.0‚ QVGA display.

In music mode, ROKR E8 uses 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 headset1, or through a wired headset plugged into the 3.5mm jack.

ROKR E8 also helps users discover new music with a built-in FM radio and support for Song ID2*. The 2GB internal memory can store up to 1,600 songs**, and the external memory is expandable up to 4GB with an optional microSD card. Music transfers via 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.

In phone mode, ROKR E8 uses Motorola CrystalTalk technology. It can receive calls while downloading or playing music, text messaging**, surfing the Web** or taking pictures. Quality construction and materials help make ROKR E8 durable and reliable, and a high gloss front, aluminium soft touch back, spun metal side keys and engraved banding offer the modern style expected from Motorola.

Availability

The ROKR E8 handsets are available in South Africa for a recommended retail price of R2599. For more information on the product visit www.motorola.com

* Network and/or SIM card dependent feature, not available in all areas. Airtime, data charges, and/or additional charges may apply.

** Capacity based on 3.5 minutes per song in WMA format at a data rate of 48Kbps. Storage capacity is approximate and subject to available memory space: actual capacity varies by file format and content. 1GB = 1 billion bytes: actual usable memory after formatting is less.

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