After much thought I did buy the Moto ROKR U9 on the 18th of July,2008.And I must say that I’m very satisfied with my purchase.
Currently I own some other fones like Nokia N82 (used mainly for net,clicking pics),Samsung SGH-i710 (used for modding since its WM).So it was a tough decision for me as to which fone I’m gonna buy.This time I wanted to buy a fone which i wud use specifically for listening to music.Naturally the SE Walkman series were pretty good contenders here,so was theNokia 5310 Xpress Music, Samsung SGH-i450 & ROKR E8.But finally I settled for the U9 due to various reasons.They reasons r:
1>ROKR E8 has the best music quality,but its morphing keypad is hard to use.u tend to get confused in the long run.b4 buying checked out the music quality of both E8 and U9 and believe me both were equally good.Sound quality was tested using the Motorola S705 Stereo Bluetooth handsfree and SE HPM-70 headfones.Track was a 320kbps VBR mp3.
2>Didnt buy SE cuz the U9 sounded better than the W580i that i tested.cudnt test any others cuz all the others were sealed.Same goes for the 5310.
3>Last but not the least just cudnt resist the freebies being supplied with the U9.
Now moving onto the main review.
The fone cost me 10.3k.After opening the box wat I saw inside just surprised me.Man Moto had included so many accessories with a 10.3k fone which even Nokia didn’t give me with a 30k fone (read N95 8GB).
*img2.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/th.fbdfd29afe.jpg
The list of accessories supplied r:
1>Motorola S705 StereoFM & Bluetooth Pendant
2>Earphones for the S705 (these r normal 3.5mm earphones )
3>Stereo handsfree for the U9 (connects to the microUSB port)
4>Lanyard style cable for the S705.
5>A specially Designed Moto pouch for the U9.
6>A normal pouch
7>Data Cable
8>2 adaptors for using diff chargers
9>microUSB port charger
10>Attachment clip for the S705
11>2cds
12>1GB microSD
Thats all no more accessories.
*img2.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/th.58f5a86f8a.jpg
Now coming to the fone itself,the fone is a clamshell.
Build-Quality
The build quality of the fone is very good.the fone didn’t produce any creeking sounds when the flap was opened or closed.the quality of the plastic used is good,the top part being made of glossy black and the bottom is grayish looking and has a good rubbery feel.
The flap mechanism itself good,its pretty tight so it requires u to use both ur hands to open it.
Display
Being a clamshell the phone has 2 displays,the xternal 1 is a full color (65k) OLED display capable of displaying 128x160 pixels (1.45inches).This xternal display has been implemented in gr8 way.the display itself doesn’t hav any visible contours,so u wont be able to see it.u’ll only realise that theres a display only when it lights up.Isnt that gr8?
*img2.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/th.a5cfa7ec21.jpg
When the screensavers play on this xternal display they look just stylish, magnificent and unprecedented.u need to see it to believe it.It also has touch sensitive controls for the music player.
The main display is a 2” TFT capable of displaying 320x220 @ 262k colors.The display clearity is gr8.The pictures just look amazing on this display.
*img2.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/th.4c02d29c65.jpg
Keypad
To say the truth I didn’t like the keypan much,but its still way better than the E8’s.The main prob that i hav with it is the 5-way D-pad.the central selection key is very small so i tend to press any of the directions keys instead of the selection key.
Also the buttons themselves share ,limited travel space.
*img2.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/th.04edfcbc14.jpg
Memory
The phone comes with bout 25MB of memory onboard.The package does include a 1GB microSD but for a music fone 1GB is so little.The memory card slot is situated under the battery compartment so no hat swapping for u.The company claims that the fone supports upto 4GB cards but the fone didn’t hav any probs recognising my N82’s 8GB microSD.Also the set didn’t slow down or anything when a 8GB card is used.
Battery
The fone comes with a BX40 900 mAh Li-Ion battery.According to company data it can keep the phone up and running for up to 350 hours in standby or provide 7 hours of talk time.
Since I got this fone yesterday so i really cant comment on the battery life.but i hope its good.
Camera
The cam module is situated just above the xternal OLED display.its a flashless unit,so taking pic under low light is strictly no no.Didnt try out the cam cuz i’m never ever gonna use it as i’ve my N82 for taking pics.
Connectivity
The fone has USB,Bluetooth and GPRS/EDGE as the means of connectivity.
USB -> The U9 has a micro USB port which is situated at the lower part of the fone.The fone provides the following modes for USB connectivity:
1>Media Sync. (for syncing with WMP 11)
2>Memory Card (fone is detected as USB Mass Storage Device)
3>Modem (lets u use the fone as GPRS modem for surfing net)
4>USB Printing (connects direcly for printing)
Bluetooth -> The U9 comes with Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR for the fastest possible data transfer speeds. The following profiles are supported:
Dial-Up Networking Profile
Generic Access Profile
Generic Object Exchange Profile
Object Push Profile
Serial Port Profile
Handsfree Profile
Headset Profile
Synchronization Profile
Basic Image Profile
File Transfer Profile
HID (host) Profile
Stereo Advanced Audio Distribution Profile
Advanced Audio/Video Remote Conference Profile
The only downside is that Bluetooth doesn’t support the always visible mode.with default firmware the max visibility time is 3mins but with the modded firmware that I’m using this has been increased to 10mins.
GPRS/EDGE ->The fone supports EDGE Class 12 for faster data transfer speeds.Though this is fully network operator dependant feature.
Themes
There r only a 3 preinstalled themes though u can edit or create new ones.Though creating new themes will only allow u to use only these 4 base themes.If u flash ur fone with modded firmware then u can use 10 skins at a time.
Games & Apps
Some 3 games come pre installed though i didn’t check them out.after flashing with modded firmware there r none.U can install any Java apps though.The fone does hav a file manager by default.It situated in Office tools.
Music
The music player that comes with the fone is the same that comes with E8.The music player has provision for displaying Album Art.There r ten preset equalizers though r not allowed to create ur own.Bass Boost function is there and lets u select over a scale of 0 (off) to 7.Spatial Audio creates a 3D like surround sound.this is also selectable over a scale of 0-7.
*img2.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/th.2be2f58d9f.jpg
*img2.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/th.56a2c0b4b6.jpg
The player allows u to create playlists.music is sorted according to :
1>Recently Played
2>All Songs
3>Artists
4>Albums
5>Genres
6>Composers
7>Playlists
The music quality thru the supplied hands free (microUSB port one) is good,nothing gr8 to report about.the best part though is that Moto supplies the fone with a S705 Stereo Bluetooth Pendant which accepts ant normal 3.5mm ear/headphones.so i use a SE HPM-70 and then music quality is just stellar.Man u need o hear it to believe it.
Conclusion
The purpose with which i had bought this fone has been solved very well.Music quality is just awesome.Signal reception is good.Motorola Crystal Talk technology does hav its effect and u can very well understand it.
I’m very much satisfied with this fone.
*img2.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/th.60347b179d.jpg
*img2.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/th.94e1579393.jpg
S705 Bluetooh:
*img2.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/th.eded57569e.jpg
S705 StereoFM & Bluetooth Pendant thats given free with the U9 is just gr8.cud pair it with my N82 and PC and when connected with the N82 i cud control playback from the pendant.best part of the pendant is that i accepts any 3.5mm phones so ur free to use ur favourite ones.
When switched to the FM mode u can scan ur FM station manually.RDS support is there,so it means u can get info bout the song thats currently playing.
the pendant has integrated mic so u wont miss any calls.
Battery backup is pretty good,hav listened for 2hrs non stop and still battery meter is showing 3 dots.
This is my 1st attempt at reviewing a product.Hope i didnt manage to bore u ppl.
Thnx for taking ur time to read thru.
Currently I own some other fones like Nokia N82 (used mainly for net,clicking pics),Samsung SGH-i710 (used for modding since its WM).So it was a tough decision for me as to which fone I’m gonna buy.This time I wanted to buy a fone which i wud use specifically for listening to music.Naturally the SE Walkman series were pretty good contenders here,so was theNokia 5310 Xpress Music, Samsung SGH-i450 & ROKR E8.But finally I settled for the U9 due to various reasons.They reasons r:
1>ROKR E8 has the best music quality,but its morphing keypad is hard to use.u tend to get confused in the long run.b4 buying checked out the music quality of both E8 and U9 and believe me both were equally good.Sound quality was tested using the Motorola S705 Stereo Bluetooth handsfree and SE HPM-70 headfones.Track was a 320kbps VBR mp3.
2>Didnt buy SE cuz the U9 sounded better than the W580i that i tested.cudnt test any others cuz all the others were sealed.Same goes for the 5310.
3>Last but not the least just cudnt resist the freebies being supplied with the U9.
Now moving onto the main review.
The fone cost me 10.3k.After opening the box wat I saw inside just surprised me.Man Moto had included so many accessories with a 10.3k fone which even Nokia didn’t give me with a 30k fone (read N95 8GB).
*img2.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/th.fbdfd29afe.jpg
The list of accessories supplied r:
1>Motorola S705 StereoFM & Bluetooth Pendant
2>Earphones for the S705 (these r normal 3.5mm earphones )
3>Stereo handsfree for the U9 (connects to the microUSB port)
4>Lanyard style cable for the S705.
5>A specially Designed Moto pouch for the U9.
6>A normal pouch
7>Data Cable
8>2 adaptors for using diff chargers
9>microUSB port charger
10>Attachment clip for the S705
11>2cds
12>1GB microSD
Thats all no more accessories.
*img2.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/th.58f5a86f8a.jpg
Now coming to the fone itself,the fone is a clamshell.
Build-Quality
The build quality of the fone is very good.the fone didn’t produce any creeking sounds when the flap was opened or closed.the quality of the plastic used is good,the top part being made of glossy black and the bottom is grayish looking and has a good rubbery feel.
The flap mechanism itself good,its pretty tight so it requires u to use both ur hands to open it.
Display
Being a clamshell the phone has 2 displays,the xternal 1 is a full color (65k) OLED display capable of displaying 128x160 pixels (1.45inches).This xternal display has been implemented in gr8 way.the display itself doesn’t hav any visible contours,so u wont be able to see it.u’ll only realise that theres a display only when it lights up.Isnt that gr8?
*img2.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/th.a5cfa7ec21.jpg
When the screensavers play on this xternal display they look just stylish, magnificent and unprecedented.u need to see it to believe it.It also has touch sensitive controls for the music player.
The main display is a 2” TFT capable of displaying 320x220 @ 262k colors.The display clearity is gr8.The pictures just look amazing on this display.
*img2.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/th.4c02d29c65.jpg
Keypad
To say the truth I didn’t like the keypan much,but its still way better than the E8’s.The main prob that i hav with it is the 5-way D-pad.the central selection key is very small so i tend to press any of the directions keys instead of the selection key.
Also the buttons themselves share ,limited travel space.
*img2.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/th.04edfcbc14.jpg
Memory
The phone comes with bout 25MB of memory onboard.The package does include a 1GB microSD but for a music fone 1GB is so little.The memory card slot is situated under the battery compartment so no hat swapping for u.The company claims that the fone supports upto 4GB cards but the fone didn’t hav any probs recognising my N82’s 8GB microSD.Also the set didn’t slow down or anything when a 8GB card is used.
Battery
The fone comes with a BX40 900 mAh Li-Ion battery.According to company data it can keep the phone up and running for up to 350 hours in standby or provide 7 hours of talk time.
Since I got this fone yesterday so i really cant comment on the battery life.but i hope its good.
Camera
The cam module is situated just above the xternal OLED display.its a flashless unit,so taking pic under low light is strictly no no.Didnt try out the cam cuz i’m never ever gonna use it as i’ve my N82 for taking pics.
Connectivity
The fone has USB,Bluetooth and GPRS/EDGE as the means of connectivity.
USB -> The U9 has a micro USB port which is situated at the lower part of the fone.The fone provides the following modes for USB connectivity:
1>Media Sync. (for syncing with WMP 11)
2>Memory Card (fone is detected as USB Mass Storage Device)
3>Modem (lets u use the fone as GPRS modem for surfing net)
4>USB Printing (connects direcly for printing)
Bluetooth -> The U9 comes with Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR for the fastest possible data transfer speeds. The following profiles are supported:
Dial-Up Networking Profile
Generic Access Profile
Generic Object Exchange Profile
Object Push Profile
Serial Port Profile
Handsfree Profile
Headset Profile
Synchronization Profile
Basic Image Profile
File Transfer Profile
HID (host) Profile
Stereo Advanced Audio Distribution Profile
Advanced Audio/Video Remote Conference Profile
The only downside is that Bluetooth doesn’t support the always visible mode.with default firmware the max visibility time is 3mins but with the modded firmware that I’m using this has been increased to 10mins.
GPRS/EDGE ->The fone supports EDGE Class 12 for faster data transfer speeds.Though this is fully network operator dependant feature.
Themes
There r only a 3 preinstalled themes though u can edit or create new ones.Though creating new themes will only allow u to use only these 4 base themes.If u flash ur fone with modded firmware then u can use 10 skins at a time.
Games & Apps
Some 3 games come pre installed though i didn’t check them out.after flashing with modded firmware there r none.U can install any Java apps though.The fone does hav a file manager by default.It situated in Office tools.
Music
The music player that comes with the fone is the same that comes with E8.The music player has provision for displaying Album Art.There r ten preset equalizers though r not allowed to create ur own.Bass Boost function is there and lets u select over a scale of 0 (off) to 7.Spatial Audio creates a 3D like surround sound.this is also selectable over a scale of 0-7.
*img2.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/th.2be2f58d9f.jpg
*img2.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/th.56a2c0b4b6.jpg
The player allows u to create playlists.music is sorted according to :
1>Recently Played
2>All Songs
3>Artists
4>Albums
5>Genres
6>Composers
7>Playlists
The music quality thru the supplied hands free (microUSB port one) is good,nothing gr8 to report about.the best part though is that Moto supplies the fone with a S705 Stereo Bluetooth Pendant which accepts ant normal 3.5mm ear/headphones.so i use a SE HPM-70 and then music quality is just stellar.Man u need o hear it to believe it.
Conclusion
The purpose with which i had bought this fone has been solved very well.Music quality is just awesome.Signal reception is good.Motorola Crystal Talk technology does hav its effect and u can very well understand it.
I’m very much satisfied with this fone.
*img2.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/th.60347b179d.jpg
*img2.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/th.94e1579393.jpg
S705 Bluetooh:
*img2.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/th.eded57569e.jpg
S705 StereoFM & Bluetooth Pendant thats given free with the U9 is just gr8.cud pair it with my N82 and PC and when connected with the N82 i cud control playback from the pendant.best part of the pendant is that i accepts any 3.5mm phones so ur free to use ur favourite ones.
When switched to the FM mode u can scan ur FM station manually.RDS support is there,so it means u can get info bout the song thats currently playing.
the pendant has integrated mic so u wont miss any calls.
Battery backup is pretty good,hav listened for 2hrs non stop and still battery meter is showing 3 dots.
This is my 1st attempt at reviewing a product.Hope i didnt manage to bore u ppl.
Thnx for taking ur time to read thru.
Last edited:
