I got really pumped for the new Motorola phone thinking, "Wow, if they are going to support iTunes, maybe for once they will let you sync wirelessly with bluetooth." Apparently on Cingular's website it says, "Bluetooth Capable for voice calls". So does this mean that it can't sync wirelessly? Also does anyone know for a crack for existing Motorola phones that have bluetooth for isync? If no one can answer I am going to bring my PB with me when I go to get a new phone on the weekend.
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Motorola Still isn't compatible
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I know it isn't posted on Apple's iSync page, but I can't imagine Apple would neglect such an important feature... I'm sure by the time you have the ROKR in your hot little hands, it will work with iSync, if it doesn't already.
ColoJohnBoy said:
I disagree. As much as I'd like to think it would befully syncable over bluetooth, there is NO mention of it anywhere. Don't you think Stevezy would've said something like:
"Oh, and one more thing- we've designed this phone to sync flawlessly with your contacts and calendars, just as your iPod does. Why do it any other way?"
Steve said nothing of the sort. This is not the kind of detail he'd leave out.
Unfortunately, I think Apple had little to do with the designing of this phone, evident in its physical appearance and lack of features. Apple's involvement (as far as I can tell) stretchd only so far as to allow itunes functionality and integrate a mobile iTMS.
This phone is a bad idea.
It's only v.1, so I'm sure it will get better with time. For now, we don't know. it could work fine, could need third party software, might not work at all. I'd be disappointed if it didn't, but not surprised. BT and syncing have along way to go yet from what I've seen, but here's hoping Apple helps get out all the bugs that I'm sure Moto has given us.
This is some of what iLounge had to say about the phone.
We were not especially impressed with the ROKR phone, which is quite clearly a generic Motorola industrial design with an interface taken directly from the companys recent V-series (V600, RAZR V3) phones rather than evolved and improved in any significant way. The integrated iTunes Client software feels like it has been grafted onto an existing phone - with all of its interface flaws - rather than evolved into a new phone design. Consequently, ROKR doesnt feel as much like an iPod Phone as a phone that happens to play songs transferred from iTunes.
The headphones are silver in color and feature a clear cord with silver interior metal. Photographs of the phone showed orange, Cingular-style ear foams being used, but these foams were not available on the units on the show floor. You will be able to use your own headphones with an included 2.5mm to 3.5mm conversion cable, which will be short in length, Cingulars representative said.
ROKRs Bluetooth support is incomplete from a musical standpoint. According to a Cingular representative on the show floor, you cannot listen to music via Bluetooth headsets - a statement that we were surprised to hear, and may prove incorrect on special stereo headsets, but proved accurate on the monaural HS820 unit we brought for testing. However, audio played through the units integrated speakers and included headphones sounded at least adequate. Well reserve final judgment for our upcoming review.
The biggest disappointment of the iTunes Phone (ROKR) was its interface, which primarily because of the baggage of the Motorola operating system was clunky and confusing. In attempting to demonstrate its ability to resume playback after a phone call, Apple CEO Steve Jobs could not get the feature to work, saying that he had pressed a wrong button. We found the same problem to be fairly common when using the handset in person, as Motorolas own menus overlaid with Apples iTunes Client commands led to a less than satisfying overall experience. In retrospect, it was not a surprise to see that Apple is describing ROKR as an phone plus an iPod shuffle, as the experience is not nearly as good as a phone combined with a full-sized iPod or nano.
That said, most of the functionality of a color-screened iPod was present in ROKR. Album artwork, ratings, song scrubbing and volume were all available, but the implementation of each feature was far less precise than with the iPods Click Wheel. Volume stepped up in large jumps rather than smoothly, and the transitions between songs and from screen to screen of the interface were slower than iPod users are accustomed to. A small joystick permitted sort of iPod shuffle-like access to menu, track, and volume changes, and a dedicated iTunes button brought up the music functionality no matter where you were in the phones menus.
We were not especially impressed with the ROKR phone, which is quite clearly a generic Motorola industrial design with an interface taken directly from the companys recent V-series (V600, RAZR V3) phones rather than evolved and improved in any significant way. The integrated iTunes Client software feels like it has been grafted onto an existing phone - with all of its interface flaws - rather than evolved into a new phone design. Consequently, ROKR doesnt feel as much like an iPod Phone as a phone that happens to play songs transferred from iTunes.
The headphones are silver in color and feature a clear cord with silver interior metal. Photographs of the phone showed orange, Cingular-style ear foams being used, but these foams were not available on the units on the show floor. You will be able to use your own headphones with an included 2.5mm to 3.5mm conversion cable, which will be short in length, Cingulars representative said.
ROKRs Bluetooth support is incomplete from a musical standpoint. According to a Cingular representative on the show floor, you cannot listen to music via Bluetooth headsets - a statement that we were surprised to hear, and may prove incorrect on special stereo headsets, but proved accurate on the monaural HS820 unit we brought for testing. However, audio played through the units integrated speakers and included headphones sounded at least adequate. Well reserve final judgment for our upcoming review.
The biggest disappointment of the iTunes Phone (ROKR) was its interface, which primarily because of the baggage of the Motorola operating system was clunky and confusing. In attempting to demonstrate its ability to resume playback after a phone call, Apple CEO Steve Jobs could not get the feature to work, saying that he had pressed a wrong button. We found the same problem to be fairly common when using the handset in person, as Motorolas own menus overlaid with Apples iTunes Client commands led to a less than satisfying overall experience. In retrospect, it was not a surprise to see that Apple is describing ROKR as an phone plus an iPod shuffle, as the experience is not nearly as good as a phone combined with a full-sized iPod or nano.
That said, most of the functionality of a color-screened iPod was present in ROKR. Album artwork, ratings, song scrubbing and volume were all available, but the implementation of each feature was far less precise than with the iPods Click Wheel. Volume stepped up in large jumps rather than smoothly, and the transitions between songs and from screen to screen of the interface were slower than iPod users are accustomed to. A small joystick permitted sort of iPod shuffle-like access to menu, track, and volume changes, and a dedicated iTunes button brought up the music functionality no matter where you were in the phones menus.