1. Home
  2. Electronics & Gadgets
  3. Cell Phones

Motorola ROKR E8 Profile: Morphing Keypad, Music

Touch-sensitive keypad only displays what you need when you need it

By Adam Fendelman, About.com

Motorola ROKR E8

Motorola ROKR E8

Image © Motorola
What you need only when you need it? Now that’s novel for a music cell phone and that’s what you get with the morphing keypad on the Motorola ROKR E8.

But you’ll have to pay an arm and part of a leg for the fancy finger work and incredible battery on this T-Mobile handset.

The handset is Motorola’s foray into haptic touchpad world. The word haptic is defined as the branch of psychology that investigates skin-sensing data.

Such a touchpad is also found in the Samsung Instinct, which is known as the iPhone 3G rival.
The face of the Motorola ROKR E8 brings alive vibrating, tactile feedback when the user touches virtual buttons.

Price

Premium features on the ROKR E8 translate into interested users needing to pay a premium for them.

Following a suggested retail price of $349.99 from T-Mobile, a $150 instant discount and then a $50 mail-in rebate, the E8 comes down to a price that may price some people out of its consideration: $149.99.

Feature List

  • Morphing keypad (the controls you need when you need them)
  • Music player with external controls
  • FM radio (optional 3.5-millimeter headphones must be plugged in)
  • Song ID feature recognizes and displays music information
  • Compatible with Windows Media Player 11 on the PC to transfer music
  • 2.0-megapixel camera with 8X zoom and a multi-shot feature
  • Bluetooth short-range wireless (i.e. for a wireless headset)
  • Text messaging, instant messaging and picture messaging
  • Airplane mode to play uninterrupted music in the air
  • Alarm clock, calculator, calendar and address book
  • Ringtones, wallpapers and games
  • Video capture and playback
  • Full HTML Web browser
  • Voice-activated functions
  • Predictive text input
  • Speaker phone
  • Quad-band technology
  • Expandable microSD memory storage to 4 gigabytes (1 gigabyte memory card included)
  • Talking phone offers a voice readout of text messages while dialing a number or when receiving a call
  • FastScroll navigation wheel (scrolling through songs, contacts and images with the slide of a thumb)
  • myFaves capable (unlimited any-network calling to any five people with a T-Mobile myFaves plan)
  • Motorola ROKR E8

    Motorola ROKR E8

    Image © Motorola
    Battery

    While many cell phones don’t go beyond 5 hours of rated talk time, the Motorola ROKR E8 found a way to pack in an incredible 7.5 hours of rated talk time and up to 12.5 days of standby time when not using the handset.

    Size, Weight

    The ROKR E8 measures in at 4.5 inches by 2.1 inches by 0.4 of an inch and weighs in at a relatively light 3.5 ounces.

    Differentiation in the Marketplace

    While the Motorola ROKR E8 is a cell phone, music phone and imaging phone, the handset makes no mistake in its marketplace differentiation: a morphing touchpad and a longer-lasting battery.

    Your Two Cents: Have a comment or question related to this Motorola ROKR E8 cell phone profile? Chime in on this thread!
    User Reviews Write Review

    Explore Cell Phones

    About.com Special Features

    Family Tech Center

    Stay connected and entertained with reviews on tips on the latest HDTVs, cellphones and more. More >

    How to Buy a BlackBerry

    Sleek and trim or loaded with extras? Select the right smartphone for your lifestyle. More >

    1. Home
    2. Electronics & Gadgets
    3. Cell Phones
    4. Cell Phone Reviews/Profiles
    5. Motorola Cell Phone Reviews
    6. Motorola ROKR E8 Profile - Cell Phone Profile of the Motorola ROKR E8 for T-Mobile>

    ©2009 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

    All rights reserved.