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Cingular Wireless today launched Motorola's second stab at an iTunes phone, the SLVR V7. The new handset sports the same limited 100 song capacity that helped cripple the ROKR E1's chances in the marketplace, but it's decidedly more stylish.

So while there's no real advancement on the 'iPod' front, the SLVR V7 is more akin to Motorola's fashionable RAZR in the looks and handling department; much sleeker and thinner than the ROKR E1.

The quad-band (850/900/1800/1900) GSM/GPRS SLVR V7 measures 1.9 x 4.4 x 0.4 inches (48 x 112 x 11 millimeters) and weighs 3.5 ounces (96 grams); thinner than a RAZR, actually. Its microSD slot—available for cards up to 512 MB in capacity currently (a 1 GB card is on the way)—holds the handset's music.

As with the ROCKR E1, you can't download music wirelessly—only Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel offer that type of service in the U.S.—so you must synchronize your iTunes music collection directly through a USB desktop connection.

Additional features include third-party application support via Java, a VGA camera with 4x zoom plus video capture and playback, a 176 x 220 pixel and 262K TFT color display, speakerphone, and Bluetooth for wireless headsets. Cingular says the phone lasts for up to 6 hours talk and 17 days standby time on a single charge of its battery.

The SLVR V7 is the carrier's third music phone offering, after the ROKR E1 and Sony Ericsson W600i - better known as the Walkman phone. It goes for $200 with a two-year service agreement.

Number Two iTunes, Not ROKR
While the SLVR V7 is a second iTunes phone, it is not a follow up to the ROKR E1. That honor goes to the ROKR E2, unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this month. The new ROKR model addresses many of the problems of the first; ditching Apple and iTunes in the process.

The Linux-based handset/MP3 player, unlike its predecessor, has a Secure Digital (SD) slot that can accommodate up to 2 GB (500 songs) of additional storage. Users can also create a faster connection from the ROKR E2 than the ROKR E1 to a compatible PC using a USB 2.0 cable. So songs will transfer from PC to phone much quicker. Unfortunately, that is still the only way to get music on the handset, as wireless downloads are not supported.

Instead of a basic VGA digital camera like the ROKR E1, the ROKR E2 offers a far more substantial 1.3 megapixel type for picture and video. There's even a built-in FM radio in the new model. Motorola added Bluetooth wireless to the ROKR E2 as well.

Motorola did not announce what carrier would offer the GSM phone, but said the new ROKR would ship during the first half of the year.