Cell phone or mp3 players
ABC12.com : If you're someone who carries your mp3 player everywhere you go, there are two new cell phones out that may be just the thing. These phones have full mp3 players in them, allowing to make calls and listen to music. Consumer Reports just tested the phones to see if they measure up to the hype.
In a TV commercial, a man is listening to music on an mp3 player. The twist? It's a cell phone, too! The $150 Motorola Rokr works with Cingular wireless service. Consumer Reports just tested it, along with the $500 Sony Ericsson, which works with Cingular and T-Mobile. Testers found both cell phone/mp3 players have pros and cons. With the Rokr, when you answer a call, it's harder to get back to your music.
"When I hang up the phone, the music doesn't start again automatically," said Consumer Reports' Chris Bucsko.
On the other hand, with the Sony Ericsson phone, when you end a call the music kicks right back in. When it comes to music storage, Consumer Reports says the Rokr comes up short.
"The Motorola Rokr is limited to a hundred songs only. Even if you upgrade the memory card, you can still only put 100 songs on it," Bucsko said.
With the Sony Ericsson, if you upgrade the memory card, you can easily put as many as 500 songs on it. But the Sony Ericsson won't play music downloaded from most online stores. The Rokr, on the other hand, works with Apple's popular iTunes. So which one is better? Consumer Reports says it depends. If you use Cingular, get the Rokr because you'll get much better cell coverage for your calls.
If you're a T-Mobile customer, the Sony Ericsson is easier to navigate and can store more music. Consumer Reports says more companies will be offering these new mp3 phones before long. So if you can hold off on getting one, there will be more phones to choose from and the prices should come down, too.
Copyright 2005 ABC Inc., WJRT-TV Inc.
In a TV commercial, a man is listening to music on an mp3 player. The twist? It's a cell phone, too! The $150 Motorola Rokr works with Cingular wireless service. Consumer Reports just tested it, along with the $500 Sony Ericsson, which works with Cingular and T-Mobile. Testers found both cell phone/mp3 players have pros and cons. With the Rokr, when you answer a call, it's harder to get back to your music.
"When I hang up the phone, the music doesn't start again automatically," said Consumer Reports' Chris Bucsko.
On the other hand, with the Sony Ericsson phone, when you end a call the music kicks right back in. When it comes to music storage, Consumer Reports says the Rokr comes up short.
"The Motorola Rokr is limited to a hundred songs only. Even if you upgrade the memory card, you can still only put 100 songs on it," Bucsko said.
With the Sony Ericsson, if you upgrade the memory card, you can easily put as many as 500 songs on it. But the Sony Ericsson won't play music downloaded from most online stores. The Rokr, on the other hand, works with Apple's popular iTunes. So which one is better? Consumer Reports says it depends. If you use Cingular, get the Rokr because you'll get much better cell coverage for your calls.
If you're a T-Mobile customer, the Sony Ericsson is easier to navigate and can store more music. Consumer Reports says more companies will be offering these new mp3 phones before long. So if you can hold off on getting one, there will be more phones to choose from and the prices should come down, too.
Copyright 2005 ABC Inc., WJRT-TV Inc.
Comments