LAS VEGAS-Motorola Inc.’s next music-centric phone will support its new iRadio service but not Apple Computer Inc.’s iTunes software, the company announced.
The handset manufacturer said its upcoming music subscription service will launch nationwide later this year on the Rokr E2, with other handsets to follow. The iRadio service allows users to download streamed music, talk and podcasts from a PC to a phone via a USB cable, and then play the audio through a car stereo system with a Bluetooth connection.
Motorola’s first Rokr, which included iTunes software, resulted in reportedly disappointing sales after generating tepid reviews on its release last year.
The new radio offering is expected to cost about $7 month; iRadio-capable handsets likely will cost about $200. Users must also buy an in-dash Bluetooth adapter for $60 to $70.
Motorola, which quietly postponed its iRadio launch scheduled for late last year, is expected to offer the service sometime this quarter. IRadio will include 435 commercial-free radio channels, and will deliver daily updates over cellular networks for traffic information, breaking news and sports updates.
The Rokr E2 will hold up to 500 tunes with a 2-gigabyte removable memory card.
Motorola hopes to compete not only with wireless carriers in the mobile music market, but also with satellite radio service providers XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. and Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. The company has said it also may partner with XM or Sirius for audio content.
“Today, we’ve taken a giant leap beyond traditional and Internet-delivered radio by introducing a single service that incorporates incredible choice, the discovery of new music, impulse acquisition and seamless portability,” said Mike Gaumond, vice president and general manager of Motorola Digital Media Services.
The announcement was one of several Motorola made in advance of this week’s International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The world’s second-largest handset maker also touted a new cordless home phone that doubles as a wireless phone; a home Wi-Fi device for users with weak coverage; and a home digital video recorder that lets users share video, pictures and music.
