Throwback Thursday: Motorola ROKR E1

By on Sep 2, 2010 at 2:25 PM
General September 2, 2010

Way back in September of 2005 — over one year before the launch of the iPhone — Apple and Motorola were jointly pimping a handset called the ROKR E1 (pronounced “rocker”). The ROKR was a candy-bar-style device that had the dubious honor of being the first cell phone with the ability to natively integrate with Apple’s iTunes music software. What did the ROKR’s stat sheet look like? Glad you asked… the phone had a 176 x 220 pixel display, VGA camera with flash, Bluetooth, stereo headset jack, 22 KHz stereo speakers, micro-SD card slot (support for up to 512 MB), iTunes compatibility, and a fancy feature called “rhythm lights.” Unfortunately, the phone’s music player was throttled (with software) and only 100 songs were allowed to be stored on the device. Just five years ago this sweet little package would have set you back $249.99 when signing a 2-year contract with mobile provider Cingular. It’s amazing what half of a decade does to prices and expectations, no? We can’t say we ever bought into the ROKR; although we did own the very sexy SLVR L7 (image after the jump) which also sported iTunes integration. How about you? Take a stroll down cell phone memory lane… what was the last device you owned before you bought a smartphone and what ridiculous monetary sum did it cost you?

BGR Throwback Thursday is a weekly series covering our (and your) favorite gadgets, games, and software of yesterday and yesteryear.

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  • fragility

    I’m proud to say I had one of these. I didn’t pay for it mind you, I actually won it working for Rogers. It was second prize in some sales contest. #1 was a razr. I thought this was actually a better prize. It wasn’t a bad phone… I had a Moto V635 before it and after it I made the transfer to a Blackberry 8700.

  • http://crichton007.blogspot.com crichton007

    This would have been pretty cool if Apple hadn’t put so many limitations in place. (Number of songs, throttling transfer speeds, etc.)

  • Brian

    i was still using the Original, unlocked, Nokia N-GAGE. I remember how much i had invested in a 512mb MMC card at the time, $120. Yikes how times have changed.

  • FRESHPRINCE

    the original iphone

  • Matt Thompson

    I had a Motorola i90 with NEXTEL. Then I got some cheapo Nokia with Virgin Mobile until launch day for the BlackBerry Pearl. Then upgraded the day the G1 went on pre-sale.

  • JoeP

    I still have one of these in perfect working condition. Its the phone I threaten my son with if he’s bad! JK of course. He has an iPhone and the thought of using that ROKR for even a day scares him pretty bad I think.
    Joe

  • Andy

    I owned one of the ROKRs as well. IT was actually a pretty decent phone although it felt a little chunky in my pocket. I still have it and it still works very well. Maybe I should sell it on ebay to a collector. I went back and forth between the Motorola RAZR and my ROKR for a couple of years before moving on to the iPhone on June 29, 2007.

  • Kakashihitake15

    I actually still have a slvr and its my everyday phone…….im ashamed of this phone and its falling apart lmao

  • zip

    Sanyo M1 it cost 199 after a 50 dollar mail in rebate

  • CGH

    This phone do brings back my favourite memories :)

    I love Stereo bass Speakers which you can’t find this in Any smartphones!

    ROKR rocks!

    Thank you BGR!

  • Josh

    I remember I had at first a nokia candybar, then a samsung flip, then a RAZR, and until 2 years ago an LG rumor. Now I have an iPhone 3GS.

  • Bboy

    my first phone was a samsung x426 6 years ago, then had k790i, w900i, sharp 902i, w800i, nokia n95 8gb, bb flip, iphone 3g, and the funny thing is i am back to using my first phone which does the job of calling just fine.

  • Kyle

    The sliver was my last bought unlocked from some shady site. Switched to bberry 8700 when it came out

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