Now this is more in line with what people may have been expecting out of the Motorola/Apple collaboration.
After the ROKR phone's lukewarm reception, Motorola has unveiled the latest phone offering with iTunes support: the RAZR V3i. Some will say this is what the ROKR should have been. While the ROKR is essentially an older Motorola brick-style phone with new software, the V3i sports the buzzworthy RAZR form factor along with iTunes, expandable memory via MicroSD and TransFlash, POP3/IMAP email client, and a 1.23 megapixel digital camera. The RAZR V3i is slated to ship, along with 3 other new RAZR phones - two that are pink and blue, and one that supports CDMA/EV-DO - in Q4 of 2005.
The Bluetooth connectivity is present in the V3i, although the current RAZR models are compatible with Apple iSync for USB only. However, the ability to use Bluetooth as a mobile internet connection for your laptop via the phone, and of course Bluetooth headset capability are present in the RAZR V3 so this will likely be the same in the RAZR V3i. Here's to hoping that the Bluetooth abilities will be expanded upon, though I wouldn't hold my breath. Until this hits the shelves we won't get much more information than this, but the important point is that the ROKR's unfortunate debut may not have put a damper on the future of mobile iTunes. Time will tell- the ROKR television ads are still airing frequently, so perhaps the jury is still out on the ROKR as well. Rejection by the early-adopter tech crowd does not mean commercial failure overall... many a Slashdot reader can recall the infamous line "No wireless, smaller than a Nomad. Lame." that was their verdict on the original iPod.
Motorola announces new RAZR with iTunes
Now this is more in line with what people may have been expecting out of the Motorola/Apple collaboration.
After the ROKR phone's lukewarm reception, Motorola has unveiled the latest phone offering with iTunes support: the RAZR V3i.
Some will say this is what the ROKR should have been. While the ROKR is essentially an older Motorola brick-style phone
with new software, the V3i sports the buzzworthy RAZR form factor along with iTunes, expandable memory via MicroSD and TransFlash, POP3/IMAP email
client, and a 1.23 megapixel digital camera. The RAZR V3i is slated to ship, along with 3 other new RAZR phones - two that are pink and blue, and one
that supports CDMA/EV-DO - in Q4 of 2005.
The Bluetooth connectivity is present in the V3i, although the current RAZR models are compatible with Apple iSync for USB only. However,
the ability to use Bluetooth as a mobile internet connection for your laptop via the phone, and of course Bluetooth headset capability are
present in the RAZR V3 so this will likely be the same in the RAZR V3i. Here's to hoping that the Bluetooth abilities will be expanded upon,
though I wouldn't hold my breath.
Until this hits the shelves we won't get much more information than this, but the important point is that the ROKR's unfortunate debut
may not have put a damper on the future of mobile iTunes. Time will tell- the ROKR television ads are still airing frequently, so perhaps
the jury is still out on the ROKR as well. Rejection by the early-adopter tech crowd does not mean commercial failure overall... many a Slashdot
reader can recall the infamous line "No wireless, smaller than a Nomad. Lame." that was their verdict on the original iPod.

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