Fans of the Motorola brand were looking forward to the release of the Motorola E1 phone, which is understandable, given the characteristics and capabilities of this device. The most unusual and unique feature available in E1 was the connection to Apple iTunes. Thanks to this, the ROKR E1 has opened a completely new line of music devices.
First impression
The release of Motorola ROKR E1 took place on September 7, 2005 at an exhibition in San Francisco. This product was the result of the activities of three large corporations:
- Apple's software development team,
- Cingular, a cellular service provider,
- Motorola, engaged in the creation of the device itself.
Initially, the experts had high hopes for this device, in connection with which the presentation of the Motorola E1 was almost the most anticipated event of that year. However, during the very first study of this phone, significant disadvantages became visible. For example, the E1 model lacked the ease of use inherent in Apple devices. Instead, you could see a rather confusing interface, a complex process of synchronizing with a computer and a restriction on downloading songs (100 pieces).
It is noteworthy that this limit remained relevant even when a memory card with the maximum permissible capacity was installed on the phone. However, even this did not cause the fans to disappoint - it really repelled and left an unpleasant impression on the appearance of the Motorola ROKR E1.
Specifications
After the debut of the phone, it immediately became clear that the first impression of it was not the best, and the only thing that could save the situation was the “insides” of Motorola E1. However, even here the device didn’t have much to brag about - by its characteristics, the device resembled similar phones of those years, without any visible differences.
This Motorola model had a built-in 32 MB memory, a built-in case planner, an alarm clock and a calculator, voice dialing and voice control functions. The device worked on one core, and access to the Internet was carried out using WAP 2.0 and GPRS technologies, which are now completely forgotten.
E1 supported MP3 melodies and regular polyphony, had a 0.3 megapixel camera, was “friends” with Java applications and could work in standby mode for 80 hours, but all this did not make it the “telephone of the future”, as its developers positioned the device. As a result, ROKR 1 suffered a crushing fiasco, in connection with which already in 2006 it was finally discontinued.
E1 VS iPod
After the Motorola E1 model could not surprise the world as a mobile device, it began to be positioned as a compact music player, the so-called tape recorder in your pocket. However, ROKR did not last long on this “throne”, because at that time the leading position in the market of music players was confidently entrenched in the Apple iPod.
IPhone predecessor
Some experts still call the ROKR E1 a bad iPhone rehearsal. In fact, there is some truth in this statement. At the beginning of the XXI century, it became clear that very soon the iPod would recede into the background, because a smartphone would appear on the market - a gadget, eliminating the need to carry both a phone and a music player at the same time.
Then Steve Jobs realized that he needed to beat his competitors by creating a compact and functional phone with music player support. At that time, the future genius did not yet believe in the strength of his company, and therefore concluded a contract with Cingular and Motorola - then leaders in the mobile device market. The result was the ROKR E1, which, unfortunately, or, conversely, fortunately, did not live up to the hopes of its creators.
Why "fortunately"? Yes, because, stricken by criticism of the public, Steve Jobs closed the Motorola E1 project and began developing his own device that can act as a mobile phone, camera and music player at the same time. So the first iPhone appeared, and how it influenced the world and the further development of the mobile industry is not worth mentioning again.