– never made it to the European and American markets, and the Z6 was classified in this series with some reserve. The phone we will talk about today is an excellent music model, and also with a strong image component. Looking ahead, I would like to note that the words of Motorola's vice president of marketing, Jeremy Dale, spoken at a press conference at CES 2008 about the E8, “it's a great phone when you want it to be a phone, and a great player when you want it to be a phone.” you want him to be a player” are not far from the truth.
The appearance of the musical monoblock is rather unusual. The non-standard orientation of the screen, the considerable width of the body and the beveled ends of the phone, which give it dynamism, are immediately memorable. However, one of the most interesting design features is the “monolithic” front panel of the E8. There are no boundaries between the display and the keyboard block, the entire surface of the candy bar is absolutely flat, with the exception of small “dots” on the number keys, the navigation “wheel” and the hole for the speaker for conversation.
The phone has a two-inch QVGA TFT display, quite standard for the manufacturer, displaying 262 thousand colors. Due to its landscape orientation and the proportions of the phone, it seems quite small, many point out this as the main drawback of the E8. In reality, the screen size does not cause any particular discomfort, but the brightness, picture quality and color rendition are pleasantly pleasing. Horizontal viewing angles are quite large, vertical viewing angles are somewhat smaller due to the characteristics of the protective coating. In the sun, the display fades somewhat, but the information remains readable. The dimensions of the screen working area are 30.8 x 38.6 mm, the side size of one pixel is 0.219 mm.
Along the edges of the front surface of the phone there is a fairly wide line of a slightly darker color than the color of the keyboard and the turned off display. In the upper part of the case there is a speaker for conversation, in the center of which there is a manufacturer’s logo made of metal. The speaker itself is protected from dirt by a mesh.
The keyboard block occupies most of the phone and, judging by the number of innovations, can be considered the main feature of the E8. In the center of the case there is an unusual control element, called the Omega Wheel internally for its resemblance to the letter of the same name in the Greek alphabet. The marketing name of this part – FastScroll Wheel – more fully reflects its purpose. Using FastScroll, you can scroll through menu items, contacts in the directory, rewind songs, search for radio stations, etc. Based on the principle of its operation, it is a little reminiscent of the well-known “wheel” from the iPod, with the only difference that if you bring your finger to its edge , scrolling will continue until it is removed. At the same time, the speed of rewinding or scrolling through a list in this mode depends on how quickly you ran your finger over it before it stopped. This control element is very convenient; it often allows you to avoid using the navigation key and largely shapes the final appearance and impression of the phone.
In the center of the FastScroll Wheel there is a five-way navigation key, which can be somewhat inconvenient to use due to its small size. Its central button protrudes somewhat above the others, and is easy to find even “blindly”. Other buttons are marked with small raised “dots”. The surface of the navigation key is matte, unlike the rest of the keyboard. The location of the functional buttons is quite standard; to the left of the FastScroll Wheel there is a player start button, to the right is the “back” button, which can also be used to erase typed text.
The keyboard used in the E8 is the first to implement morphing technology. Another name for this technology from the manufacturer is ModeShift, which can be translated as “mode change.” Behind all these names lies a common essence - the image on the key depends on what action it is currently performing. When the phone is turned off, the buttons are completely devoid of any labels; in normal mode, only the upper part of the keyboard is active, and the number keys turn on when dialing a number or having other input fields on the screen. If you start the player, numbers and letters will “disappear” from the keyboard and they will be replaced by keys for rewind, play/pause, and activation of random or repeat playback modes. When the camera is running, buttons for zooming, switching to video recording mode and going to the gallery are available. All these metamorphoses with the keyboard look very unusual and attract attention. To understand how it all works, just look at the phone from an angle: on the entire block with the keys you will see small paths leading to stencils with images that light up only when the key is active. These tracks are especially noticeable around the FastScroll Wheel, where they form a rather interesting pattern. Thus, there is no talk of any display under the keyboard; only pre-prepared stencils can be displayed on it. It is quite natural that with this technology, the backlighting of the keys is uniform and comfortable under any lighting conditions. In bright direct light, the backlight color changes from greenish-white to orange, which does not in any way reduce the readability of the symbols on the buttons.
Another interesting feature of the E8 is that the keyboard block is completely motionless, so it is incorrect to talk about any key travel. The entire keyboard is a large tactile sensor that responds when you press only the active keys. For example, in player mode, you simply physically cannot press an unused part of the keyboard. If you touch an area with a highlighted icon, the entire plane of the keyboard will create an interesting tactile effect that simulates pressing a regular button. That is, you can always feel whether you succeeded in pressing the button or not. In terms of ease of use, this keyboard is in no way inferior to classic ones; your fingers do not get tired when typing.
Additional buttons are located on the ends of the phone. On the left is the volume rocker, which has a slightly curved shape, and a smart key. On the right side there is a keyboard lock slider. If you move it up, it locks and the phone stops responding to key presses. This is quite convenient because you can lock the keyboard in any application without having to go back to the idle screen like in other phones. If you move the lever down for a while, the phone will turn on or, conversely, turn off.
Slightly above the lock slider there is a plug that covers the Micro-USB connector. The plug is not very firmly fixed to the body and gets in the way a little when the cable is connected. Despite the fact that the plug’s fastening does not seem to be the most reliable, I never lost it. The connector itself is already becoming standard, but the cable for it is quite difficult to find on the open market. In addition to a computer USB cable, you can also connect a charger and a wired headset to it. However, the latter is unlikely to be useful to anyone due to the presence of a standard 3.5 mm headphone jack in the phone. You can insert either a branded stereo headset with a microphone into the connector (in this case, the fourth contact on the plug is used), or any headphones from players. The sound quality is very decent, but more on that later. The headphone jack is also covered with a plug, the fastening of which allows you to easily remove it or later return it to its place.
The microphone is located at the bottom end of the case, and the hole for attaching the strap is in the upper left corner. The sides of the phone are made of plastic, but at the same time they have a very high-quality coating, somewhat reminiscent of enamel, applied to them, which is quite difficult to scratch.
Almost the entire back of the phone is occupied by the metal battery cover. It opens quite easily, you just need to move it up. Due to this fastening design, the cover opens quite often when you take the phone out of your pocket. Most likely on commercial samples of phones this problem will be solved. The lid has a special coating that feels like Soft-Touch plastic. At the bottom there are 2 icons emphasizing the features of the phone (in this case it is a player and 2 gigabytes of built-in memory), higher up is the manufacturer’s logo with concentric circles cut out of metal that play in the light. Closer to the upper edge of the cover there is a hole behind which there is a protective glass of the two-megapixel camera module; slightly to the left there is a light bulb that blinks red when recording video and taking photographs. At the very top there is a stop for easy opening of the lid. There is a slot made in it, covered with a rag mesh.
Under the cover there is traditionally a slot for a SIM card. You can insert and remove the card only if there is no battery; this procedure does not pose any difficulties. To the right is a smaller slot for a MicroSD card. It is also impossible to change the memory card with the battery inserted. Unfortunately, there is no talk of hot swapping. The included BK60 battery has a capacity of 930 mAh and provides a fairly noticeable increase in the phone's operating time compared to previous models. The entire space under and above the battery is made of metal, this is a kind of “strength frame” for the phone.
Below the cover there is a hole for the speakerphone (it is also intended for playing music). The rather long slot is covered with thick red fabric to prevent dirt from getting inside the case. Along the edges of the hole there are 2 small protrusions that slightly lift the phone from the surface on which it lies so that the speaker does not close and the sound does not become quieter.
No matter how loud it may sound, the external E8 once again proves that Motorola is one of the leaders in the industrial design of mobile devices. You don't have to be an expert to guess the manufacturer of this phone; all the features of the corporate identity are obvious. The phone inherited the beveled corners of the case and the side keys, but otherwise its upper part suspiciously resembles. Thanks to the navigation wheel, the E8 is also somewhat similar to the much larger iPod nano of the previous generation. The contact paths on the keyboard look very cool; at times it can be fun just to look at them. Well, the keyboard itself and the FastScroll Wheel play a decisive role in the perception of the device and make it interesting. To be fair, I note that not all the people I interviewed liked the appearance of the E8 so much; they questioned the size of the display, the unusual appearance of the navigation wheel and the dirtyness of the front surface. You don’t pay much attention to the last problem when you actively use your phone, but if you really want your phone to look like new all the time, you’ll have to carry a cloth with you. Based on objective indicators: such as build quality (not counting the back cover - let's make allowances for the fact that an engineering sample took part in testing) and the materials used - there are no complaints about the phone. The physical dimensions of the monoblock are 115x53x10.6 mm with a weight of exactly 100 grams.
The hardware of the ROKR E8 is based on the MXC275-30 solution from Freescale, in this regard it is similar to the Z6, V8 and. You can read more about the features of this platform in, but here we note only some facts. The ARM1136JF-S main processor runs at 532 MHz for fast user interface and pre-installed applications. The two-gigabyte NAND flash memory installed in the phone is manufactured by Toshiba and has fairly good speed. The space on this module is completely at the disposal of the user (not counting some part, which, as usual, was “eaten” by the file system markup); a separate chip with memory is used to store the operating system and pre-installed programs. The amount of RAM has also not changed and is 55 megabytes.
A number of changes in the program part of the phone led to a change in the version of Linix-Java software (commercial name - MOTOMAGX) from LJ6.3 to LJ7.1. Since the first digit in this designation corresponds to the year the development of the platform began and does not mean anything else, one cannot expect any special changes even with such a significant increase in the version number. In reality, the bulk of the changes are of an intra-system nature and are not of particular interest to the average user. In particular, the old one has been replaced by a new, more serious kernel module to protect the phone from attempts to install third-party native (this does not apply to java applications) software on it before the release of the official SDK and other “illegal” actions. In addition, the browser now supports Flash Lite and the video player has been updated.
Finally, I would like to bring some clarity to what kind of system is installed in Motorola Linux phones, in view of the widespread mention of Montavista in this context. The named company has a very third-party relationship with the software of these models; it mainly made patches for the kernel (in this case, 2.6.10) of the Linux system (the kernel itself is open, and its source code is officially available). It is equally wrong to say that the E8 interface represents Qt. Qt is a library standard for most Linux systems (it is also available in E8), and the Linux-Java phone interface was developed by Motorola itself.
Main menu
In standby mode, the screen displays the time and date, as well as the current network and phone status. At the top of the display there is a strip with icons displaying the signal reception level and battery charge, GPRS or EDGE availability, the current notification profile and other parameters. Some of these icons appear in the corners of the screen, no matter what application you are in. You can assign shortcuts to the navigation key deflections to launch up to four different applications; they will be displayed in the center of the display. The operating parameters of this function are configured in the context menu, accessible by pressing the left soft key. In addition, using this menu you can quickly access the main functions of the phone: setting an alarm, changing alert styles or creating messages.
The non-standard screen orientation certainly led to some changes in the phone's interface. Despite the obvious advantages of this arrangement (more convenient browsing of Internet pages and reading messages), there is also a serious drawback. Those menus that previously fit entirely on the display now do not fit in height, as a result of which scroll bars have appeared in many places. However, you get used to the horizontal display very quickly, and then it’s even somewhat unusual to return to phones with a standard screen orientation.
Like the U9, the E8's main menu features a new "spinner" display mode. In this mode, a large icon of the selected application is displayed in the center of the screen, and small icons of programs adjacent to the selected one are displayed at the bottom. Moving through the menu is done by tilting the navigation key to the side and is accompanied by a simple animation that makes it seem as if the large icons are located on a rotating disk (hence, apparently, the name “spinner”). You can no longer create new folders in the menu, but all icons can be rearranged.
In addition to the “spinner”, the main menu can be represented by a set of 3x3 icons or a list. In the first case, the selected icon becomes larger and lighter than the others, the name of the application appears above it, and a kind of “stand” appears below it. There are no abbreviations in application names at all. When the menu is displayed as a list, the font of the selected line is much larger than the others, and the corresponding icon is displayed on the right side of the screen. All list items are numbered, allowing you to use numerical sequences for navigation.
Directory
Contacts from the directory, depending on the settings, can be displayed on the screen as a simple list or a list with photographs of the subscriber. Like the U9, the phone book takes a somewhat unusual approach to storing entries. If previously you could choose where to store a contact - on the SIM card or in the phone memory, then in E8 the main entry is created in the phone memory, and a backup copy of the contact is on the SIM card. In this case, repeated contacts stored both on the SIM card and in the phone’s memory are “glued” into one entry in the list. On the one hand, this is convenient for those people who often change phones (there is no need to transfer the entire directory), on the other hand, not all contacts have room on the SIM card. However, the last problem is very conditional, because when creating a new entry, you can refuse to save a copy to the SIM card.
The list in the phone book can be sorted by frequency of use, the presence of an email address, as well as by categories, the list of which can be expanded independently. A quick search in the phone book works; to do this, just start typing the name you are looking for on the keyboard. At the same time, on the E8, to start searching through contacts, it is not at all necessary to go to the directory; when you normally dial a phone number, the screen is conditionally divided into 2 parts, the lower of which displays contacts whose names correspond to the pressed buttons. Directory entries can be sent via Bluetooth or messages, copied from the SIM card to the main memory, or deleted.
When creating a contact on a SIM card, you can write several phone numbers under one name, indicating their type. In this case, several records are actually created on the SIM card, but when viewed, the phone combines them into one, which is quite convenient. When creating an entry in the phone's memory, you can specify much more data, all of them are grouped on four tabs. On the first tab, in addition to the first and last name, up to 4 numbers of different types are also stored (mobile, home, work, fax, other), two E-mail addresses, a nickname, and the subscriber category. There is also a checkbox that cancels the creation of a backup entry on the SIM card. On the second tab, the work and home addresses of the subscriber are indicated, on the third, you can select a picture that will be displayed during a call and set up an individual ringtone. On the last tab, you can enter a text note, as well as save information on the work (company, position, names of the manager and assistant). In addition, the birthday is saved, by which the phone automatically determines the zodiac sign, the names of the children and the spouse. When viewing the created record, all data is also distributed by bookmarks, it is not difficult to find the necessary information.
Messages
Work with all types of messages using one application. The main program window provides access to incoming, outgoing, draft and E-mail messages, as well as to voice mail. User mail folders and templates are included in separate list items. There are 19 templates for SMS and 10 for MMS, you can easily increase their number by creating your own. All messages are displayed as a list, the first line of which shows the date of sending / receiving and the name of the corresponding subscriber, and the second - the beginning of the text. The list can be sorted by date, size, contacts and memory type.
When you create a new message, your phone automatically detects its type (SMS/MMS), but you can also specify it manually. When you add one of the valid attachments (picture, melody or video) to the text, the phone will switch to MMS mode. Hyperlinks, directory entries and text templates can also be added to regular SMS. Multi-page multimedia messages are supported. A message can be sent to several selected subscribers at the same time; to do this, just tick several people in the contact list. The settings of the current MMS indicate its subject, copies (regular and hidden), priority, read and delivery notifications. Separately, you can set a service profile, reports and download restrictions. In the SMS settings, a permanent delivery report is enabled, new profiles of SMS service centers are specified, or the option of sending via GPRS is activated.
Switching between text input modes on the phone within one language layout (standard, with predictive input, symbolic, numeric) is done by pressing the “pound” button. To change the language, just hold down the “hash” for a couple of seconds, and then select it from the list that opens. In a similar operation with an asterisk, a table with service symbols and punctuation marks is displayed on the screen. The “0” key changes the case of letters.
In normal input mode (“Tap”), to type the desired letter you need to press the corresponding key several times; when iTap is turned on, you just press the button once, after which the phone itself will select the desired letter using the built-in dictionary. As you type, the phone offers new options for ending the word. You can select another ending option by pressing the “up” and “down” buttons, and refuse to complete the word by pressing the “OK” button. Initially, the phone's vocabulary is quite extensive, it is replenished automatically, and you can turn it off if you wish. For more detailed information about this function, a small help is provided in the menu.
When you launch your email client for the first time, the Account Setup Wizard will open. The setup is automatic; you just need to enter your email address and password. In most cases, the program correctly determines the connection parameters with the server; they can later be corrected in a special menu. Other application settings include restrictions on the volume of downloading a letter (the entire letter, only the header, the first 1/5/10 KB), deletion options (delete messages only from the phone, or also from the server), settings for signatures, notifications and Internet profile - connections. Sending and receiving E-mail can be done in the background.
Inside the email client, all messages are divided into incoming, outgoing, sent and drafts into the appropriate folders. You can create additional categories and transfer letters to them. All messages are displayed on the screen in a list, on the first line for each email the date of receipt/sending and the name of the sender/addressee is indicated, on the second line - the subject. The list is sorted by size, addresses, priority and date. Unread messages are shown in bold. If the settings are set to download only headers, then you can download the rest of the letter by clicking on the corresponding button when opening it. All attachments are opened in the appropriate applications (emails with html formatting - in the browser), they can be saved to the phone's memory or transmitted in messages and via Bluetooth. Messages can be forwarded.
When creating a new E-mail, you must specify the addressee, enter the subject and text of the message. The menu allows you to configure copies of the letter, its priority, read and delivery notifications. Pictures, melodies, videos, directory entries, or simply any files from a flash drive or phone memory can be used as attachments. Before sending a message, you can save it in drafts. The built-in E-mail client is easy to use and quite functional.
Calendar
The built-in organizer comes standard with three viewing modes – by day, week and month. In the latter case, white dots appear on the dates for which an event is scheduled, and if the date is marked as someone’s birthday, a horizontal gray stripe appears (the phone can automatically enter this data into the calendar if it was entered in the directory). A similar system is used in other viewing modes, but a more detailed table of events is displayed on the screen with a time scale accurate to the hour; this interval can be changed in the settings. In addition, working time parameters are configured (number of days off and length of the working day) and automatic deletion of events after a certain period of time. Events can be deleted, copied and transferred via messages or Bluetooth.
The input fields available when creating a new calendar entry are divided into 4 tabs. The first one can store information about the type of event (meeting, presentation, conference call, breakfast, anniversary, plane flight, party, etc.), topic and location, start and end time, and notification method. For example, you can specify in advance that for the duration of a future meeting, the phone should automatically turn off the sound and go into vibrate mode. You can use melodies, voice notes or video clips as a signal. The remaining tabs contain notes, a list of event participants, your plans for this time (busy, free, out of place) or the type of event (personal, private or confidential). The event repetition parameters can be configured separately; these settings are also quite flexible.
Task list
Another application allows you to create fairly simple lists of tasks and put a mark next to each entry about its completion. Each note can have a title, priority, due date, or simply add comments. The list can be sorted by task completion, priority, or completion date. Recordings can also be sent via Bluetooth or messages.
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Calculator
A standard calculator allows you to perform calculations with twelve-digit numbers. Basic arithmetic operations are assigned to the deviations of the navigation key; the menu calls up the calculation of the reciprocal value, square root, and currency converter. Storing and recalling results from temporary memory is supported.
Alarm
The phone can simultaneously store up to three alarm clocks for constant use. Their settings, in addition to the ringtone and volume, include settings for repeating the alert - daily, on weekdays, or on randomly selected days. Additionally, you can specify the time during which you are going to “sleep” after the call: if you do not turn off the alarm clock, but put it on “pause,” it will ring again in a few minutes. The alarm goes off even when the phone is turned off.
World time
For the convenience of calculating the current time in other cities, the phone has a separate application. The main window of the program displays the current time in three settlements selected from a fairly detailed list; you can indicate which of these cities you are in at the moment. In addition to the comparative mode, there is also a small map on which the corresponding time zones are marked with multi-colored vertical lines.
Internet
MOTOROKR E8 is the second (after U9) phone to have the Motorola Symphony 1.1.0 browser installed, developed by the company independently. The browser is based on the open source KHTML engine and is not much inferior in its capabilities to Opera 8.5, which it replaced. The application copes well with displaying large html pages and supports javascript. One of the main advantages of the browser is its high speed, scrolling pages is carried out without jerks or delays.
The program supports multi-window operation; the selected link can be opened in both a new and current window. There are two ways to format a site: in one column and “as is”. The last mode reveals the only serious difference between Symphony and Opera, which can compress text blocks to fit the width of the screen for ease of reading. There are also problems with the not entirely correct layout of individual sites, but we can attribute them to the fact that a non-commercial phone sample was involved in testing. In the settings you can disable loading images and animations, change the font size, and also configure the display of pop-up windows. The browser supports hotkeys, which is very convenient. For example, to switch to full-screen mode, simply press the hash mark on the keyboard.
Flash player
As noted in the introduction, one of the most important innovations in the E8 is support for Flash Lite (which, by the way, has been in some Motorola CDMA phones for a long time). Using the library installed on your phone, you can watch simple animation videos and play some games. All this is integrated with the browser and is displayed on the page along with other content. Naturally, there is no talk of any support for YouTube and other video hosting sites. Interestingly, swf files transferred to the phone first open on a blank page in the built-in browser, from which you can open the file in the flash player itself. This application allows you to change the quality of the video, scale it without losing quality, and scroll vertically and horizontally if it does not fit entirely on the screen. Active elements of a clip, such as buttons, are highlighted with a rectangle, after which they can be clicked. Application performance is not very high, but quite acceptable.
Download Manager
All files downloaded from the Internet or received via Bluetooth are displayed in the Download Manager application. All downloads are divided into two tabs depending on how the transfer was carried out. At the top of the list, files that have not yet been downloaded are displayed; when they are selected, a bar appears on the screen showing how many percent have already been downloaded. Background downloading is supported. A nice feature is the ability to download files in formats not supported by the phone, which can later be transferred to a PC.
games and applications
The JAVA virtual machine installed in the phone provides fairly high speed for third-party applications. Let’s immediately make a reservation that due to the non-standard orientation of the display, some games that were originally created for a resolution of 240x320 and not 320x240 may not work correctly on the phone. In particular, the right side of the phone screen may remain blank, and the “bottom part” of the game simply does not fit on the display. With popular applications such as Jimm or Opera Mini, such problems do not arise. In the settings of each application, you can specify an Internet profile for accessing the network, as well as set permissions or view information about the midlet. In full-screen mode, the application takes up the entire display space, without an information bar at the top of the screen. Applications can be minimized, but unfortunately, it is still not possible to run several MIDlets at the same time.
By default, two fairly simple games are installed on the phone, the essence of which is clear from their name - somewhat updated, but familiar to us from the Z6, "Football" and "Sudoku". The table below contains JBenchmark testing results. We will make a reservation right away that on commercial samples, the test results will be much higher.
| JBenchmark: 4267 | Jbenchmark2: 280 | JB 3D HQ: 327 | JBenchmark4 HD |
| Text: 776 | Image: 431 | JB 3D LQ: 344 | Smooth tr: 87194 |
| 2D Shapes: 1030 | Text: 160 | Triang. ps: 29666 | textured tr: 66819 |
| 3D Shapes: 867 | Sprites: 396 | KTexels ps: 3083 | Fill Rate: 1063 |
| Fill Rate: 593 | 3D Transform: 721 | Gaming: 245 | |
| Animation: 1001 | UI: 87 | Gaming: 8.2 fps |
File Manager
To work with files stored in main memory or on a flash drive, the E8 has a convenient file manager installed. The program supports 4 ways to display files and folders: a simple list, a detailed list (in this case, the date of its creation and size are displayed under the file name), icons (for images, their thumbnail is displayed instead of icons, and for videos recorded by the phone, the first frame is displayed) or “area” viewing". In the latter case, the screen is divided into 2 parts, the top of which also displays a reduced (perhaps even excessively reduced) copy of the picture or clip, and the bottom one contains one and a half lines with the names of the files. The thumbnail viewing mode is also not particularly convenient, since 4 pictures fit entirely on the screen, and another 4 only fit halfway. The list can be sorted by name, creation date, size, and type. One or more selected files can be sent via Bluetooth or via message. In addition, you can create new folders, delete, copy, move and rename files, as well as view their properties.
Media search
For quick access to pictures, music tracks, videos and other multimedia files stored on the phone, the E8 comes pre-installed with the Media Search application. The program indexes files from the main memory of the phone and from a flash drive and allows you to “filter” them using fairly simple means. Videos and pictures are grouped into categories: downloaded, taken by the phone itself, or both. There is also a sorting mode by year and month of file creation.
Music library, player
Audio files are indexed by a separate Music Library application, whose capabilities are much wider. For quick access to this program, a key with a note is provided on the phone's keyboard, however, it can also be accessed from the Media Search. All music tracks are sorted into their respective categories based on the information stored in their tags. Library updates are very fast and can be done in the background. Selecting a desired song can start with the author, album, genre, or composer. Separate menu items are provided for quick access to playlists or recently played songs, here you can also quickly start listening to random songs. When the player is turned on, the name of the song being played is displayed on the top line of the “library” menu. Once you have selected one or more songs, you can view their properties, delete them, send them in a message or via Bluetooth, or add them to your current playlist.
If you start the player, then all numbers with letters will disappear from the keyboard, and they will be replaced by keys to control the media player: pause / continue, next and previous track (long holding these buttons rewinds the song), as well as turning on or off the repeat and shuffle modes. When playing a song, information about the file name, creation date and size, as well as the contents of the main tags, is displayed on the screen. At the bottom of the display, information about the played and total time of the song is displayed, graphically it is duplicated by the horizontal progress bar. Rewinding is uniform, its speed depends on how quickly you slide your finger on the FastScroll Wheel. The "forward" and "back" keys rewind the song much more slowly, so you can find the desired fragment of the song without problems and with high accuracy. Album Art is supported, with album art displayed on the left side of the display. For unknown reasons, the size of this picture is very small.
In the player settings, repeat and shuffle modes are activated, and the sensitivity of stereo effects such as "surround sound" is also adjusted. The built-in equalizer allows you to turn on one of a couple of dozen sound processing schemes corresponding to various musical genres. Changing these settings has a significant impact on sound quality. Now you can adjust the volume with much smaller steps than in previous models, if earlier the phone had 7 volume levels, now there are 20 of them. The most comfortable sound level in in-ear headphones is close to the maximum. The sound is not very loud, despite this, the phone can be easily listened to in the subway. In this regard, E8 can be considered as a serious alternative to a conventional player, because the sound quality in this model is one of the best on the market, the noise level is quite low, and the bass is quite noticeable and natural. It is pleasant to listen to the phone in good headphones, since the standard connector allows you to choose them yourself.
The player works fine in minimized mode, while the bottom of the "home" screen displays the song title, playback time, total track duration and icons with a hint which key is responsible for which action. The operation of the player in minimized mode does not significantly affect the performance of other applications, you can safely play games and use the browser. The phone perfectly copes with the playback of the following formats: AMR, AAC (AAC+, eAAC+), MP3, PCM, WMA with a recommended bit rate up to 320 kilobits, as well as various versions of Real Audio with a bit rate up to 192 kilobits and 128-instrument MIDI with a maximum number of tools in 24.
Radio
A very nice feature of the E8 is the ability to listen to FM radio stations. Your phone supports the standard FM 1, FM 2 and FM 3 bands, for each of which you can create separate lists of your favorite radio stations. The search for a range can be carried out both automatically and manually, using the forward and backward keys, or the FastScroll Wheel. The radio works with any connected wired headphones, the reception quality is very high, the sound volume is slightly higher than in the player. Sound can also be output to an external speaker.
Video player
The interface of the video player is similar to that of the music player, with the only difference being that the clip itself is displayed instead of tags. By default, the video being played occupies almost the entire screen, except for a small strip with labels for soft keys at the bottom. The player interface (labels for control keys and indication of the played part and total duration of the video clip) is translucent and is displayed directly on top of the video. A few seconds after the start of viewing, all service inscriptions disappear and the video “expands” to full screen. In order to return the inscriptions to the screen again, just press any button. Rewinding during playback is supported. In the settings, you can also set scaling parameters and specify in which direction to rotate the image so that it is convenient to view it in full screen mode. It is possible to arrange a slide show of video clips. Overall, the player is very pleasant, there is progress compared to previous models, although there are still unpleasant restrictions on the maximum file bitrate. The following codecs are supported: MPEG4, H.263, H.264, WMV 9 and Real Video 8, 9.
Dictaphone
You can record voice notes or conversations using the Sound Recorder app. The recording time, unless a limit of 60 or 150 seconds is specifically set in the settings, is limited only by the free space in the phone memory or on a flash drive. In the parameters you can also specify the type of memory for storing files and their header prefix. The recording format is amr, the created files can be transferred via Bluetooth or set to a call. Due to the characteristics of the microphone, designed for recording speech at short distances to the speaker, the sound recording quality is not always good, however, this application is quite useful and copes with its duties.
Images
In addition to basic full-screen viewing and slideshow capabilities, the built-in Pictures app lets you zoom in from a size that takes up the entire screen to 200% zoom. This is done using two keys with magnifying glass icons that appear on the keyboard when you start this program. Scaling occurs in steps of 1-5%, after which the enlarged image can be scrolled in any direction. In this case, two rectangles are displayed on the screen, one of which corresponds to the original size, and the other to the relative scale and position of that part of the picture that is currently visible on the screen.
The program also implements several simple functions for editing images: pictures can be cropped, resized with pixel precision, applied color filters or rotated at right angles. Printing via Bluetooth or USB is supported (in this mode the phone is detected as a digital camera). All image operations are performed very quickly thanks to the use of a powerful hardware IPU (image processing unit). When quickly scrolling through images (more than 3-5 files per second) in full screen mode using the FastScroll Wheel, the images are not fully loaded and their thumbnails are displayed in slightly degraded quality. If you stop scrolling, the picture is immediately drawn in full quality. The maximum size of the opened image is 5000x5000 pixels.
Camera
When the camera is turned on, the keyboard also changes, and buttons appear on it for zooming (it’s digital, maximum magnification is 8x), switching to video recording mode or to the picture gallery. Most of the screen is occupied by the viewfinder image; status icons are displayed at the top of the display, displaying, for example, the number of pictures for which there is space left in memory, the type of memory for storing pictures (flash drive or phone), and the selected resolution. At the bottom there is a circle corresponding to the navigation key. Using the "up" and "down" buttons you can switch between types of settings (styles, night mode, lighting state, exposure, tag), the "left" and "right" buttons change the setting value. In general, the controls are quite convenient and logical. The supported photo styles are not so interesting (negative, black and white and several color filters, such as “bluish”, “greenish”, etc.), the exposure changes in steps of 1 from -2 to 2. Changing the lighting type settings (automatic, solar , cloudy, at home and in the office) significantly changes the color rendition. There is also a MiltiShot mode, which allows you to take several frames one after another, and timer shooting. The tag function allows you to write one of the tags previously entered in the settings to a file. In addition, in the settings you can change the file name prefix, memory type, resolution (240x320, 480x640, 960x1280 and 1200x1600), compression quality and recording sound.
The photos taken by the E8 look great on the screen of the phone itself, but when viewed on a computer, significant flaws are revealed. The quality of all images is average; the most successful shots are traditionally taken in sunny weather. Under less favorable shooting conditions, photographs produce a lot of noise in the area of objects of similar color (for example, densely planted trees). A significant number of pictures are characterized by blurriness, but there are no special problems with color rendition. The camera module installed in the E8 can focus on an object from a distance of 8-10 centimeters, which allows you to photograph, for example, texts without any problems. You can get a better idea of the quality of the shots by looking at sample photos. Let’s say in advance that there is a high probability that the quality of pictures on commercial phones will be higher.
 Camcorder The camcorder's interface is not much different from that of a photo app, and the viewfinder also takes up most of the screen. While recording video, you can change color styles, zoom (maximum magnification - 4x) and turn on night mode. In the program settings, you can disable sound recording, select one of two resolution types (128x96 and 176x144), compression quality and duration (MMS or maximum). All videos are saved in 3gp format and are characterized by a bitrate just above 150 kilobits and a refresh rate of 13-14 frames per second. The recording quality is acceptable, the only disappointment is the low resolution.
Connections Settings for all types of wireless and cable connections are collected in one application. Here you can choose how the phone will be detected when connected to a computer via USB - as a modem, a player (for synchronizing songs and playlists with Windows Media Player 11), or a removable disk, or as a camera. The latter mode makes it quite easy to print captured photographs using the PC operating system. USB data transfer speed is very high and ranges from one and a half to five megabytes per second. According to this indicator, the phone is one of the fastest on the market. In the Internet connection settings, you can edit one of the existing connection profiles or create a new one.
Bluetooth All Bluetooth devices are divided into two tabs: those that were paired and those that were not. To connect to a device, just select it from the list. The search for new devices can be carried out taking into account their type (“all”, “headset”, “PC”, “phone”, “PDA”, “printer”). In discovery mode, the phone will be available to connect new devices within 3 minutes. In the menu you can configure access rights for third-party devices, as well as change your Bluetooth name. Full support for A2DP and AVRCP profiles allows you to connect wireless headphones to your phone. The sound in the stereo headset is of good quality and good bass, and the remote control buttons for the player work. The phone supports the Bluetooth 2.0 Class 2 specification.
Synchronization When you first launch the data synchronization utility, the setup wizard will prompt you to specify the type of connection - via cable to a computer or via the Internet to a remote server. When you select the first option, the program will inform you that it is not needed for this, you just need to launch Mobile Phone Tools and connect the cable. At the same time, note the fact that there is no charge for data transfer via a USB cable. If synchronization must be carried out via the Internet, you will need to specify the server address, partner name, login and password. In the next step, you can select which data should be updated (contacts, calendar, or notes) and specify the path where it is stored on the server. Before saving the account, the phone will check the connection to the server.
Settings All phone settings are traditionally located in a separate item in the main menu. Among other things, in this menu you can change the parameters of existing sound profiles and create new ones. You can switch between already saved profiles using the list available by pressing the volume rocker.
The settings for each profile include a name, alert style (silent, ring only, vibrate only, vibrate and ring). On three additional tabs you can specify the volume of signals, keyboard and music, as well as melodies for various system events (all types of messages and calendar).
A separate section of the settings menu is also provided for changing screen skins. Our sample came pre-installed with only one skin, the design of which combined black, white and red shades. This shell matches the design of the phone very well, and I personally had no desire to change it. Theme options, in addition to skins, include ringtones for various calls, wallpapers, screensavers and a picture to turn the phone on or off.
The remaining settings allow you to change shortcuts and the appearance of the clock on the home screen, call settings, network and phone security (different passwords and blocking of individual applications), and so on. You can view information about the installed software, change the language, time and date, set the brightness and time the phone is active, and enable the Talking Phone function.
One of the most interesting features of MOTOROKR E8 is voice control. The application has lost the separate hardware key that launched it on previous models, and now appears on the screen when you long press the call key. The phone is able to recognize several dozen commands, regardless of the speaker’s voice. Using voice commands, you can call any contact from the directory, dictate a phone number, change the call profile, find out about missed calls and new messages, check the time, or simply launch an application. No training or learning of the function is required; recognition works very accurately and in most cases does not even depend on background noise. The practical usefulness of this application is quite high, since this method of controlling the phone is almost indispensable in a car. But the voice capabilities of the E8 are not limited to this; in addition to speech perception, the phone can also “speak”. The simplest use of this function is to read the headings of menu items, numbers when dialing a number and respond to voice commands (for example, when calling a contact by name, the phone repeats the recognized text and asks you to confirm it, and, if several numbers are recorded for the subscriber, it additionally asks you to specify type of number). Moreover, the phone can read SMS and E-mail messages out loud, and it does a good job of it. Although the Russian speech performed by E8 sounds quite funny, it is not difficult to understand what is being said. Unfortunately, if there are English words among the Russian text, the phone reads them letter by letter.
Challenges The full call log is available not only from the main menu, but also from the home screen by pressing the green key. All calls are sorted by categories (outgoing, incoming, missed, all and frequent), which you can switch between using the tabs located at the top of the screen. The last filter is very convenient for quickly calling the contacts with whom you communicate most often. Each category can store more than 150 numbers; duplicate entries are not merged. There are 2 log viewing modes - in the form of a list with contact names or in the form of an extended list, when the date and time of the call is displayed on the second line. More detailed information about the call can be viewed by clicking on the selected entry. Information about the total duration of calls and Internet connections is available from the menu.
When there is an incoming call, the caller's photo occupies slightly less than half the screen in height; in addition to it, the contact name and the incoming call icon are displayed. There are no problems checking the balance using short numbers starting with an asterisk; network USSD services work. Access to SIM card applications (such as “beeinfo” or “MTS-info”) is carried out from the “Organizer” folder of the main menu; there are also no complaints about their operation.
Conclusion The quality of voice transmission and the level of signal reception do not cause any complaints; the E8 is not inferior to other modern phones in these parameters. The proprietary Crystal Talk technology ensures good audibility even in very noisy places, thanks to digital sound processing. The volume of the main speaker is more than enough in most cases, so you don’t have to worry about missing a call. The vibrating alert is slightly above average in terms of power. In Moscow networks, the phone works without problems for about 2 days with an above-average load (up to 30 minutes of calls, several SMS, up to 2 hours of using a browser (when connected via EDGE) and other functions, several hours of listening to music). In this parameter, progress compared to the previous generation of Linux-Java devices is obvious. True, this is a merit not only of software and hardware optimization of the phone, but also of a more capacious battery. In the mode of listening to music, the battery will last for about 14-16 hours. As a result, we have a unique solution, unlike other music phones. The design of the E8 plays a huge role in this case; it is unusual and gives the device an image component. And it’s not just about the innovative keyboard, which is interesting to even watch, not only about the convenient and thoughtful controls using the FastScroll Wheel, but about the overall impression of the phone, which brings something new to the market. The build quality and materials used leave the most pleasant impressions. When comparing a meager set of characteristics, the E8 will not be fundamentally different from competing solutions, but at the same time it will not be at all similar to them. Apparently, for this he received several awards at CES 2008, including “exhibition visitors’ choice.” However, there are many people who will not be impressed by the new ROKR, or will be completely deterred from buying it for the reasons described in the review. The phone can be perceived very differently.
From describing personal impressions of this model, let’s move on to more meaningful characteristics. MOTOROKR E8 copes fully with its function as a music phone; the sound quality in this model is truly one of the best; this candy bar can be considered as a full-fledged replacement for a regular player. The user initially receives 2 gigabytes of built-in memory, which can be subsequently expanded (claims support 4 GB memory cards, however, most likely, larger cards will work). Among other advantages, I note high operating speed, a convenient operating system, a full-fledged browser, support for FM radio, and, of course, a standard headphone output. The cost of E8 at the beginning of sales will fluctuate around $400, but it is worth that kind of money. Although MOTOROKR stands apart from other models in its segment, we still note the solutions that indirectly compete with it. These primarily include (his), as well as the youth line of music phones from Nokia XpressMusic with devices like. The phone will hit the market within the next two months, and subsequently updated models will appear that will also implement some of the technologies and solutions used in this all-in-one. For my part, I can only recommend holding the MOTOROKR E8 in your hands and watching it work if you don’t have a complete impression of it after reading this review.
© Aleksey Ivanov, Test laboratory |
Some mobile phones, due to their charisma, can be sold quite successfully without much advertising. Bright and stylish appearance, touch control method, music component and low price - this is what attracts interest in the Motorola E8 ROKR. Why is this futuristic mix interesting for the average user?
Since the start of sales in September 2008, Motorola ROKR E8 is still interesting, thanks to unusual control scheme and clear musical direction. The fact is that E8 has a touch keyboard. This fact captivates many buyers. At the same time, the display of the phone is quite normal.
In addition, the body design contains materials that add attractiveness: metal with a special velvety coating, glossy plastic, chrome buttons and so on.
The Motorola device does not have some modern features, such as support Wi-Fi, GPS, 3G. And the camera installed is budget - only 2Mpix. But this does not hinder his popularity.
Dimensions and equipment
id="sub0">Motorola E8 dimensions are 115x53x10.6 mm, weight - 100 grams. The dimensions of the device are comfortable. The phone may seem quite wide to some users, but after a few hours of use, this feeling passes. The device can be put in a jeans or trousers pocket without any problems, or carried in a bag. The phone doesn't get lost in your hands, but doesn't look massive either.
The scope of delivery includes:
- Battery BK60
- Charger
- Stereo headset [3.5mm mini-jack]
- Software disc
- Instructions
- Quick Guide
Design, construction
id="sub1">Motorola ROKR E8 - stylish phone made in a classic form factor. The device is available in two color options: black and dark blue.
Motorola designers almost always have a fresh look at the appearance of mobile devices. ROKR E8 is no exception. Strict features, futuristic design and a variety of body materials- this is just a small part of what the user can see.
Look unusual beveled ends of the device. The front edge is flat glossy plate. Unfortunately, it gets dirty quite quickly, so you need to be careful to carry a special cloth with you. Curiously, in the off state, the front panel almost flat, only the silver half circle of the touch control is highlighted. And the keyboard is given out small points. If you look at them at an angle, metal tracks and thin threads of contacts will become noticeable.
Back of Motorola ROKR made of aluminum. It is covered with soft soft-touch plastic, which does not allow the device to slip out of your hands. In addition, it leaves a very pleasant tactile impression. Motorola E8 does not want to let go.I
Located on the front surface speaker for voice calls, blue Bluetooth indicator [it flickers effectively while receiving or transmitting data], color TFT display. Speaker volume thanks to CrystalTalk technology is comfortable in all conditions. CrystalTalk technology is a set of software and hardware solutions that allow suppress noise and improve the quality of the transmitted voice signal. At the output, the user receives good sound quality, this is especially true for our transport and the streets of large cities.
Keyboard E8, as noted above, is made of transparent plastic. She sensory. Thanks to ModeShift™ technology, your mobile phone quickly transforms from a communications device to a multimedia player to a camera. Touch keyboards rarely provide the same user experience as mechanical keyboards. However The ROKR E8 keyboard is very comfortable. When you press the buttons, the device responds with a slight vibration. White keyboard backlight. Its intensity is regulated by a special sensor located in the upper left part of the keyboard.
In addition to the numeric buttons, there are also two soft buttons, a player call key, a back key, accept and end keys, and a five-way navigation button. In addition to the five-way button, it is used as a navigation element touch wheel Omega Wheel. It scrolls through menus and lists. In music player mode, the Omega Wheel makes it very easy to rewind and flip through tracks.
Below the keyboard unit there is a microphone, as well as the logo of the Motorola ROKR music sub-brand.
On the right side of the phone there is a switch responsible for Keypad lock and on/off. Here you can also see the microUSB interface connector, covered with a plastic cap. It allows you to synchronize your phone with your computer.
On the left side of the Motorola E8 there are volume keys, as well as a button that opens the standby mode launches the camera. In other cases, it can be used to confirm a particular action [as an alternative to the “OK” key].
ROKR E8 has 3.5mm mini jack for an external headset, it is visible on the top end. The hole is covered with a rubber plug, which must be protected like the apple of your eye. The strap hole is built into the top left corner of the phone.
2 Mpix camera without autofocus and without flash located on the back side. A speaker for playing polyphony and mp3 is also located here. The volume and quality of the multimedia speaker is quite acceptable. Most of the rear surface is an anodized aluminum battery cover with a velvety finish. Underneath it is a battery, a mount for a SIM card and a slot for microSD memory cards.
The test revealed no serious design flaws. The build quality of the Motorola E8 is at the highest level. The device is reliable. The sample tested was manufactured in China.
Graphics capabilities
id="sub2"> Screen diagonal is 2 inches. Unlike the standard layout, the display orientation is horizontal [landscape]. This dictates its own characteristics in terms of interface organization. The E8 screen is at a high level in terms of color rendering quality, contrast and picture vibrancy. In the sun it fades a little and begins to go blind. But in the premises he has no equal. Considering that we have a device in the mid-price segment, the question of a small display size becomes meaningless. History does not know the subjunctive mood.Interface and navigation. Functionality
id="sub3">The software is platform based MOTOMAGX L7.1. We tested a phone with software version R6713_G_71.02.06R.
In standby mode the user sees desktop picture. Indicators of network operation, packet data availability, battery charge, and bluetooth activity are displayed at the top left and right. The operator's name is located on the left side, and the time is displayed in the upper right corner. The date and inscriptions of a particular action for which the function keys are responsible can be seen at the bottom of the display. In addition, application tips are displayed in the center, which can be launched using the navigation key [“ Calls", "Internet", "Messages", "Contacts"]. While the music player is running in the background, information about the current track and playing time is displayed.
The menu of the phone under test is represented by ten items. In this case, the user has the right to choose one of three options for presenting the main menu: icons[2x5 matrix], list or spinner[carousel menu].
Because the Motorola E8 is positioned as a musical, the first item in the main menu “Music”. This section is essentially a music player. The application allows you to listen to AMR-NB; AMR-WB; AAC; AAC+; Enhanced AAC+; MP3; 8-bit Linear PCM; 16-bit linear PCM; 8-bit A-law PCM; 8-bit mu-law PCM. It is possible to create your own playlists. The external display is optimized for ergonomic player control. Instead of an alphanumeric keyboard, touch control keys are activated. Navigation wheel Omega Wheel It's easy to rewind tracks. The E8's target audience will appreciate this feature.
IN "Contacts" Detailed information about telephone numbers and subscribers is stored. You can choose one or another data presentation option. From the same point you can send SMS messages. The user has access to four tabs, which are grouped thematically: general information [telephone numbers, e-mails, etc.], location [addresses, etc.], photos, ringtones and personal information [birthday, personal information, notes and so on.].
The next main menu item is "Challenges" is a call log that contains information about received, dialed, missed calls and events. Lists are displayed in horizontal tabs. For the convenience of the user, a list of the most popular calls is highlighted.
In point "Messages" contains all the options and options for working with e-mail, SMS, MMS and voice mail. The settings for the listed options are also located here.
The phone has a built-in FM receiver until recently it was a novelty for Motorola. But times are changing, and the Motorola E8 has a separate menu item for radio. “Radio” can only be listened to with a headset connected, which also serves as an antenna. The application interface is quite simple, it provides manual and automatic search for radio stations. There is RDS support.
IN "Multimedia" there are sub-items responsible for entertainment functions: “Music library” - music player, “Camera” - switch to photographing mode, “Video camera” - switch to video recording mode, “Sound recording” - voice recorder. It is possible to sort by file type, name, creation date, etc.
Camera in Motorola ROKR E8 has a resolution of 2 Mpix. It allows you to take pictures in four resolutions - high, medium, low, very low. There is no flash or autofocus. There is an option for shooting using a timer, etc. The quality of shooting is clearly rather weak.
Zooming, as well as switching to video mode and the gallery are carried out using touch buttons, the symbols of which appear instead of the regular numeric keypad.
"Internet" combines a built-in Wap browser, network tags, navigation history, favorites, browser settings, etc.
"Organizer" includes applications such as Calendar, Email, MOTOSYNC, Download Manager, Alarm Clock, World Clock, Calculator, Task List, Notes, SIM Menu and other help information. In the same menu item there is “File Manager” - a file manager for viewing the phone’s memory.
To subsection "Settings" includes all settings related to call service, call forwarding, phone functions, its personalization, network operation and many others.
In subparagraph "Connections" The settings for GPRS/EDGE, synchronization via Bluetooth, data cable, MotoSync and data networks via IP protocol are concentrated.
Next are "Games": here is a list of all installed applications and games. By default, “Tetris”, “The Sims DJ” and the “Song ID” program are installed. The phone supports Java MIDP 2.0; all applications in this section were created using this technology.
Memory and speed
id="sub4">For storing files and other data in Motorola E8 allotted as much as 2 GB. But memory doesn't stop there. Thanks to support for microSD memory cards, the capacity can be increased up to 8GB.
Motorola E8 has an ARM11 processor with a frequency 500 MHz. As for performance, the device does not slow down and works quite quickly.
Communication capabilities
id="sub5">The main communication tools in Motorola E8 are microUSB cable and bluetooth. USB connection is supported in three modes: “Data transfer”, “Memory card”, “USB printing”. The first mode allows you to exchange files and data. The second means that only the memory card will appear on the computer as a separate drive. In the “data transfer” section you can configure the device synchronization settings. While connected to a computer, the phone is charged.
The model supports packet data transfer across technologies GPRS and EDGE class 32, while there is no support for third generation networks.
Duration of work
id="sub6">Motorola E8 has a lithium-ion battery with a capacity 930 mAh. According to the manufacturer, the device's talk time is up to 6 hours; standby time up to 12.5 days. Under testing conditions with a number of calls of 10 - 15 minutes per day, listening to mp3 The machine worked for three days. In continuous music listening mode, the device worked for just over 10 hours. The battery charges in two hours.
04.10.2008
I came back from vacation and decided to write a detailed report on the use of ROKR E8, which I bought with my vacation money immediately in the salon of the all-Russian network "D". During my vacation I got to know this phone well. How we will work ☺ . According to the "A y" principle. This is not just absolute knowledge, but a comparison of two similar phones. Independent storytelling encourages comparisons (no advertising obligations). First, I’ll talk about one phone, then we’ll talk about another right away, so that we can see all the features of the phones in relative terms.
I am a music lover, I have good ☺ taste (Brian Adams). I think it was interesting to find out who writes opinions and stories about the experience of using the E8 and to present the style of music and the corresponding requirements imposed first on the audio path, headphones, and then on the entire phone. And in addition, I’ll tell you about modern Motorola models RIZR, ROKR, PEBL, RAZR. Because there was a competitive struggle between them specifically for my wallet. I do not affect only MING A1200. And that's why. . . . are built on the MotoMAGX platform - this is the new version, and the A1200 is on the old one - EzX. However, their main difference, although almost indistinguishable without special software tools (sometimes complete disassembly of the phone may be required), is the support for widgets, Linux applications and installable third-party programs.
The scope of delivery is not surprising, but not unsatisfactory either. Headset, universal micro-USB-USB data cable (should also work with some Nokia phones and other devices with a micro-USB connector), two-GB memory card, battery, CD, instructions. And the W880i included HPM-75 vacuum headphones with a sealing silicone “skirt” with a “Fast-port-3.5 stereo” adapter, a data cable, a 1 GB M2 memory card, and only one battery, there was no additional batteries, disk, charger, instructions.
TFT display 320*240 (landscape) 2 inches, 262 thousand colors, 10 lines (10 is a lot for a landscape display, the same Z10 UIQ with a 2.2-inch diagonal portrait screen holds 9 lines). And the W880i has a TFT display 240*320 (portrait) 1.8 inches, 262 thousand colors, 8 lines. The K550i has 6 screens (everywhere in this paragraph I indicate only the natural, so to speak, number of lines of text - using the phone in normal mode with factory settings, not in third-party programs specially adapted for reading, and not in browser applets, where you can force font sizes to change to almost any value) lines of text due to large font size. Due to the smaller display of information lines, the K550i has a visually fast line-by-line interface when the menu is presented in lists, but this does not mean that the phone is fast. There are always pros and cons. Should we stop there? Question.
Photos and videos
There is an unconfirmed second opinion that, when testing Linux for the first time in Russia, they simplified this LJ OS as much as possible. It is on the MotoRIZR Z6 that version 6.3 is installed, and it already has a heavier Linux L7.1 package; we have an estimated increase to 7.3, accordingly, we expect a decrease in speed characteristics, which is very likely.
Third guess: maybe the internal graphics accelerator hardware chip is installed. The NVidia GoForce video accelerator is integrated (I did not find any mention of NVidia on the E8).
And the last, fourth hypothesis - all this taken together contributes to such a wide spread of performance data on the same processor.
The choice is wide. From hypotheses and theories we move on to quotes or the fifth assumption. I cannot call these facts, since the words “apparently”, “seemed”, “would” are present. Where does this data come from? I do not have the opportunity to reprint from English primary sources. So, the first quote from Mobile-review (www.mobile-review.com), in square brackets are my comments:
That's all. I remembered, wrote down all my experience in using (and not only), wrote a conclusion, made a recommendation, and all that remains for you is the final choice or conclusion.
P.S. Google has produced and, finally, is already selling (I just found out about the start of sales, today) their own phone on their own (the company that produces software for phones was purchased in 2005) open OS “Android”. They (Google) are wedged between Nokia on the one hand and between Apple on the other hand at a very, very low dumping (still a trend) price, guaranteeing a bright future for this keyboard 3G-device, "Android Phone", in the form of winning a fairly large 4% (400 thousand devices) sector of the market (forecast development of the market situation for the remaining 3 months of 2008). The long-term construction is preparing for release in the third quarter of this year - its first Nuvifone phone - the company Garmin, known for its GPS solutions for navigation. It seems that this fall and early winter there is no need to rush to conclusions and choices ☺ .
Developed by Motorola, the ROKR E8 redefines communication and music. Motorola's unique ModeShift technology, four-band frequency range with GPRS/EDGE support and essential control keys that can only be accessed at the right time turn your phone into a music player, photo or video camera with one touch. Use the FastScroll navigation wheel to search for music (Music mode), contacts (Phone mode), calendar entries (Phone mode), and media files (Shooting mode). The ROKR E8 phone features an amazing combination of design and technical solutions, a glossy body, and a touch keyboard that responds to pressing virtual keys.
MAIN TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Nutrition
Battery capacity: 970 mAh Battery type: Li-Ion Talk time: 5 h Standby time: 300 hAdditional Information
Features: ModeShift support - the backlight of the touch keys changes depending on the current operating mode of the phone; Crystal Talk support Date of announcement: 2008-01-14 Contents: phone, battery, microUSB cable, wired stereo headset, charger, instructionsGeneral characteristics
Type: phone Weight: 100 g Control: navigation key Case type: classic Number of SIM cards: 1 Dimensions (WxHxT): 53x115x11 mm SIM card type: regularScreen
Screen type: color TFT, 262.14 thousand colors Diagonal: 2 inches. Image size: 240x320 Pixels per inch (PPI): 200Calls
Type of melodies: 64-voice polyphony, MP3 melodies Vibrate alert: yesMultimedia capabilities
Camera: 2 million pixels, 1600x1200 Camera functions: digital Zoom 8x Video recording: yes Audio: MP3, AAC, WAV, WMA, FM radio Headphone jack: 3.5 mm Games: yes Java applications: yesConnection
Interfaces: Bluetooth 2.0, USB Internet access: WAP 2.0, GPRS, EDGE Standard: GSM 900/1800/1900 Synchronization with a computer: yes Use as a USB drive: yes Modem: yes Protocol support: HTMLMemory and processor
Number of processor cores: 1 Built-in memory capacity: 2 GB Memory card slot: yes, up to 4 GBMessages
Additional functions SMS: text input with dictionary MMS: yes EMS: yesOther functions
Airplane mode: yes A2DP profile: yes Auto redial: yesNotebook and organizer
Organizer: alarm clock, calculator, task scheduler Book search: yes Exchange between SIM card and internal memory: yes| Screen | |
|---|---|
| Screen | TFT |
| Diagonal | 2 " |
| Color reproduction | 262144 colors |
| Permission | 240 x 320 pixels |
| Memory | |
| Built-in memory | 2048 MB |
| Call and multimedia | |
| FM tuner | |
| Data transfer | |
| Bluetooth | 2.0 |
| GPRS | Class 12 |
| MMS | |
| Camera and video | |
| Number of pixels | 2 million pixels |
| Battery | |
| Talk mode | 6 hours |
| Standby mode | 300 h |
| Dimensions and weight | |
| Width | 53 mm |
| Height | 115 mm |
| Thickness | 10.6 mm |
| Weight | 106 g |
