Motorola ROKR EM35 announced, instantly overshadowed

Hi Motorola, it’s me, Chris.  I realize I’m no whiz-bang analyst, but I do think you could’ve picked a better time to announce your MOTO ROKR EM35 cellphone than the same day that everyone is obsessing over the Nokia N97.  Somehow, dedicated music keys, CrystalTalk personalized noise adaptation and integrated stereo speakers don’t quite compete.

In a way it’s a shame, because there are a couple of neatish features.  The integrated FM antenna means you don’t have to have a wired headset plugged in to listen to the radio, you can do it over Bluetooth A2DP headphones, and there’s a “FastScroll” navigation wheel to quickly whip through tracks on the 110MB of built-in memory or microSD card (with up to 32GB cards supported).  There’s also a web-browser and internet-enabled widgets, though don’t expect great performance as the EM35 tops out at EDGE.

The Motorola ROKR EM35 will be available sometime in Q4 2008, which means they’ve got about four weeks.  No word on pricing, but expect it to be more entry level than, well, N97 level.  More info here.