Review of GSM-handset Motorola ROKR E8

Mobile-review have posted their Motorola ROKR E8 review. Here is the final impression.

Impressions
The reception quality of the E8 was never an issue, for it is a typical Motorola-branded phone. The loudspeaker’s volume is pretty average, though you won’t miss calls when the handset is in your clothes; the vibro alert is moderate strength-wise or a tad better than that.

The ROKR E8 is sublime as far as sound quality goes, but all in all it is quite a mixed bag. And you know why? Price. This device will retail for around 400 USD at best when it starts shipping early in March, and that’s without a memory card, meaning that the user will end up with bare 2 Gb of bundled storage. For a pair of pretty mediocre default headphones and a couple of extra accessories, this is steep. By the time the ROKR E8 arrives, many offerings from other manufacturers will have already got equally hefty price tags or slipped below this level, whereas ‘sound quality’ is always elusive and can’t be assessed while the phone still sits on a shelf. So many will be looking at design and price, and on these fronts, the Motorola ROKR E8 doesn’t have anything special going for it. Expect to see the ROKR E8 in stock no earlier than late in February.

And it is a pity, especially seeing that the ROKR E8 hasn’t changed at all since the time of my first hands-on session with it back in February, 2007. A year was spent in anticipation of a miracle, which, after all, was meant to happen, and realistically, what miracle we were expecting to come? The company’s management can’t comprehend the basics of the mobile phone market and this sad fact keeps giving birth to outdated projects like this one with at a frightening rate. As far as the Motorola E8 is concerned, the best way to go would be to keep its functionality, yet dump the bundled storages, the Omega Wheel, obviously an expensive component, and include a big memory card into the handset’s package. In other words, it is the way of creating advantages that would be apparent to consumers.

And the last thing of note is that the ROKR E8 employs the L7.1 platform, although functionality-wise it is the same as the MOTO U9 with its version L6.3, so I’m quite befuddled what new abilities this release brings.

P.S. It is sad to witness how, month by month, Motorola’s management team destroys every last bit of what used to constitute the company's spirit, instead of trying to find a way to turn the tides and take the maker out of the crisis. Problems keep piling up, and they don’t see the real market, preferring the world of numbers and facts that exist only on paper. That's the bitter truth and it is hard to escape from it - if the company doesn't give its future a deep thought, then its tomorrow may not come. But that will be the topic for a separate write-up.