The thought of Motorola’s first ever ROKR music blower, the E1, still sends shivers down the spine. This iPod white candybar roped in Apple to provide the iTunes music chops but a 100 song limit and tired rehashed design earned it a one-way ticket to the nearest landfill. Three years on and still undeterred Moto is back with its second ROKR incarnation, the E8, and signs are it’s learnt from its mistakes.

The new ROKR on the block is clearly a universe away from the E1 aberration, sporting a unique slick none more black glossy veneer. It also tightly constructed, lightweight and pleasingly trim, although it does sport broad Nokia 95-esque shoulders.

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Sony Ericsson’s Walkman handsets have always been the lead singers on the mobile music scene but recently its rep has come under threat from a crew of super group-sized rockers.

The likes of the Nokia N96, Apple iPhone 3G and Samsung i8510 with their 8GB and 16GB stadium-sized storage and skilled music player licks, has seen the Scandinavian Asia outfit retaliate with force with the 8GB fatted W980.

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Sony Ericsson’s Cyber-shot camphones have always been solid enough to survive the odd scrape but its new 3.2-megapixel packing, HSDPA-careering C702 model is ruggerdized for extra protection against life’s more severe assaults.

Or so we thought, because the C702 tough guy image is seemingly all front. Sure enough, its plastic is a tad more durable than your average Joe handset and the rubberised battery cover is locked tight by a screw mechanism, but the compact C702 is nowhere near as ‘nails as the JCB Toughphone and Samsung Solid dogs of war. And while it been stamped with an IP54 tough certificate to prove it dust and water resistant, just don’t be taking it with you in the shower or on a trip to the Sahara desert.

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Sony Ericsson’s Walkman phones have always been about the music, man, but the new W760 slider shows there’s more to these muso blowers than just belting out tunes – it rocks up sporting a built-in GPS receiver.

This skater is the perfect upgrade to the street eagle W580 slider, arriving with a considerable feature hike to entice, including zippy HSDPA download speeds, a 3.2-megapixel snapper, and, lest we forget, sat nav skills.

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