Motorola ROKR ZN50
Overall
One of the best phones Motorola have produced in a while, the aptly named ROKR is a fantastic music player that also squeezes in enough extras to warrant a second look.
Featuring a resistive touchscreen, Android-esque user interface and all the GPS, Bluetooth and other features you´d expect of a phone these days, the ROKR also manages to look absolutely fantastic too. If you´re looking for a touchscreen phone that isn´t clunky and brick-like, this could be exactly what you´re looking for.
Specs
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3.2MP camera
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Secondary VGA camera
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GPS with A-GPS support
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SKT T-Map Navigation
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Organizer
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Voice memo
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T9
Details
Harking back to the days of the RAZR, when it seemed like Motorola could do no wrong, the ROKR is an extremely stylish phone that also manages to be a decently functioning handset as well.
Running on a unique 3-panel homescreen system, the so-called Panorama interface bares a resemblance to Google´s superb Android. Giving you the opportunity to create up to three different homescreens and to customise each, this is a great way to make sure you have everything you need at your fingertips, whatever mood your in. For example, you could place on one screen all the shortcuts and widgets for media playing – such as links to the music player, the camera, and the TV tuner option. While on another screen you could have links to all the things that will make your day-to-day life easier, such as the organiser, calendar and mapping software.
But it´s in the looks department that this phone excels. With the alpha-numeric keypad tucked away under the main phone, this thing looks not far short of a spaceship with its crisp lines and nice coloured trim surrounding the lovely 3.2” screen. And even with the keypad out, it still holds its own thanks to the impressively sleek design of the keys themselves. Some might take a little while to get used to the no-ridges keys, but in no time at all you´ll be tapping away.
Conclusion
Quite simply the best offering from Motorola for some time, the ROKR is hopefully a sign of things to come. It seems like years ago that the RAZR set a new standard for mobile phone design and we´re glad that this phone harks back to those days by proving that touchscreen phones don´t need to be bulky and ugly.
But don´t be blinded by those good looks, there´s also enough going on under the hood that you can be safe in the knowledge that you´ll be enjoying what this phone has to offer for many months to come. And if you´re a keen music player then, as the name suggests, the ROKR is going to make your ears very happy indeed.