New Rokr phone eschews iTunes for iRadio

Motorola’s new Rokr E2 phone will use a new service called iRadio instead of iTunes, reports Reuters . Its predecessor, the Rokr E1, was Motorola’s first cell phone to feature Apple’s iTunes software.

iRadio functions similarly to satellite radio such as offerings from XM or Sirius — users can listen to hundreds of commercial-free radio stations featuring specific formats, such as classic music, jazz, rock and more. In conjunction with an iRadio-compatible mobile phone, you can listen to music on the go, and even play through your auto or home stereo using Bluetooth wireless networking.

iRadio allows users to program six channels and uses flash memory to store audio. Compatible only with Windows XP-based computers (at least for now), users can connect to a computer through a USB interface to add new content.

Motorola said the first phone to feature iRadio will be the forthcoming Rokr E2, the followup to the Rokr E1 — the first phone to feature iTunes built-in. Motorola plans to make the phone and the service available through cell phone carriers. Motorola said iRadio will cost about $7 a month, not including the carrier’s service plan or the cost of the phone.

While Motorola and Apple made a big media splash with the Rokr E1’s introduction in September 2005, the phone itself made little impact on the market. Reviews described the phone as a poor substitute for an iPod, with limited storage capacity and slow syncing capability.