Camera

Not much has changed in the past year with Motorola camera phones, which is not a good thing. Featuring the same 0.3-megapixel camera found on the V600 ages ago, the ROKR E1 can only take photos up to 640 x 480 px in size. Rather disappointing when other manufacturers are pushing the 2-megapixel limit and above, the ROKR's camera is only good for multimedia messaging and photo wallpapers.

In Camera Mode, the screen becomes the viewfinder, also displaying available memory and user settings. Photo quality can also be adjusted between QQVGA (160 x 120 px) and QVGA (320 x 240 px) resolutions, and the joystick controls the 4X digital zoom (Up / Down) and brightness levels (Left / Right).

Including a Flash, low-light conditions are made marginally better, while the camera mirror allows users to get into the shot. Bundled with additional camera settings include Effects, Exposure, and Self-Timer.

For times when photos aren't enough, the ROKR can record up to 30 seconds of video at 7.5 frames per second (playback at 15 fps). Supporting MPEG-4, H.263, and AMR Audio formats, sizes include Sub-QCIF 1 (88 x 72 px), Sub-QCIF 2 (128 x 96 px), and Full QCIF (176 x 144 px) resolutions.

Basic Features

Being released for Cingular Wireless, the Motorola ROKR E1 is built on a tri-band GSM 850 / 1800 / 1900 network, allowing it to be compatible with most GSM networks in North America, Europe, and Asia, provided the phone unlocked. International models are likely to come in GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900.

Including Airplane Mode for times when wireless phone use is prohibited, travelers can still enjoy the iTunes player and other non-calling features.

Rating the ROKR's Li-Ion battery at a whopping 9.33 hours and 230 hours of phone talk and standby times respectively, Motorola also reports music time lasts for 15 hours using wired headset, up to 6 hours using surround sound.

However, those are under optimal conditions. When manufacturers and carriers list talk and standby times, they usually include disclaimers about variable performance and often refer to the times they publish as maximum times. Actual times are lower.

Screen

Delivering an impressive 262K-colors, the spacious 176 x 220 px resolution LCD is wonderfully bright and clear indoors and out. Built with advanced TFT (Thin Film Transistor) technology, refresh rates are fast and responsive. Compared to other phones on the market, the ROKR's screen is one of the best.

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