Motorola Rokr Phone Bundle Disappoints

Listening to music stored on your mobile phone wirelessly via a set of Bluetooth headphones sounds like a good idea, so why aren’t we blown away by Motorola’s new Z6 mobile phone and S9 stereo Bluetooth headphone bundle?

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The Motorkr Duo comprises of the Rokr Z6 phone and S9 Bluetooth Stereo Headphones that can be connected to the phone or any other devices. The slider phone has a 2-inch screen, push bar (for easy sliding), left soft key, right soft key, music library key, clear/back key, answer key, end/power key, 4-way navigation key (which second functions as a control song playback), and middle button up front. Users can find the volume keys and side select key on its left spine, while the voice command key, camera key, and mini-USB port can be found on its right. A 2 Mega Pixel camera sensor can be found at the back of the Z6, with the microSD card inconveniently placed inside the casing.

The S9 is a wireless headset that can be charged using its mini-USB port located at the back of the unit and comes complete with buttons (volume up and down button, call button, play/pause button, next and previous track button) for easy music control. It also has an indicator light that shows the status of the headphone.

 

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Performance:

The Rokr’s main menu is responsive and was easy to navigate. Pressing the right soft key or the middle button immediately brings up the main menu which consists of Music, Contacts, Office Tools, Web Access, Messages, Multimedia, Games, Help, and Settings.

Accessing the Music option allows a user to immediately access their music files in the Music Library or connect to the Motorola Aria Charts website. The Office Tools option displays recent calls, calendar, e-mail accounts, Motosync functions, download manager, file manager, alarm clock, world clock, SIM applications, calculator, dialling services, task list, and notes. Web Access launches the Motorola browser and provides mobile Internet access to users, while the Message menu displays text messages and retrieved e-mails. The Multimedia menu allows access to music, photo, and video files in addition to camera, video camera, and voice recorder functions. Users can also have fun with the Motorokr as it comes pre-installed with Tetris and Sudoku.

Despite touting itself as a ‘music’ phone, we were disappointed to find out that the phone only had a 64MB phone memory and a gigabyte microSD card. Moreover, the microSD card slot on the phone is not hot-swappable, forcing users to take out the back cover and battery before changing the memory card. The included Bluetooth headset (S9 Bluetooth Stereo Headphones) was very uncomfortable to use as it cannot be adjusted in any way — some of us found the headset to be too loose, while others found it too tight. It could have been better if Motorola gave users the chance to adjust the headset according to the size of their heads.

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The phone supports various music files (MP3, WMA, AAC, AAC+, and WAV) and can be transferred from the PC to the Rokr Z6 via the mini-USB port and Windows Media Player. The Music Library Key displays music files by Playlists, Artists, Albums, Genres, Composers, and even allows a user to search various songs. Users listen to loaded audio tracks by using the phone’s built-in speakers, the S9 Bluetooth headset, or the bundled wired headset. The S9 works without a problem so long as the headset is near the phone. Once it is moved further away from the ‘recommended’ area, users will experience drops, ‘fast forwarding’, and even Bluetooth interference.

The Rokr comes with a Voice Command feature that lets a user ‘tell’ the phone what to do. Although this feature is handy, we found it difficult to use. The unit was able to recognise some commands, but not all. It gets annoying when it doesn’t as it keeps asking you to repeat the command. It’s just a shame that you cannot calibrate the function, and program the Voice Command to recognise your voice and accent.

The photos we took using the Rokr’s 2-Mega Pixel camera were mediocre at best, but it’s good enough for taking candid shots between friends and loved ones. Advanced options like zoom adjustments (up to 8 times), photo style (black and white, antique, negative, reddish, greenish, bluish, colour), time/date stamp, exposure settings, and lighting controls can be easily accessed in the menu, while flash adjustments, auto-timer, and multi-shot settings can be set by going into the options sub-menu.

Conclusion:

While we were disappointed with some of the phone’s features and functions, the Motorokr Z6 is a phone still worth purchasing for its easy interface, clever functions, long battery life, and music functions. Add the S9 headset to the equation and you have a good wireless duo you can use during your daily commute.

Product Specifications:

Display Type: 2-inch, 320 x 240 262k TFT screen
Form Factor: Slider
Connectivity: Bluetooth, USB 2.0
Audio Files Supported: Windows WMA plus Janus DRM, AMR NB, XMF, MP3, AAC, WMAv10, WMAv9, AAC + Enhanced, AAC+, WAV
Camera: 2 Mega Pixel, Digital Zoom, Fixed Focus, Flash-LED
Memory: 64MB
Removable Memory: microSD card (1GB included)

Dimensions: 105.5mm x 45.5mm x 16mm
Weight: 115 grams

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Motorola Motorokr Duo (Z6 Mobile Phone and S9 Bluetooth Stereo Headphones) | $579 |  | www.motorola.com.au

For: Form factor; Bright screen; Easy to use applications; Bluetooth headset works well; Battery life
Against: A music phone with minimal memory; Headset cannot be adjusted; No way to use favourite headphones
Verdict: A music phone with limited memory for audio files.