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The long-awaited iTunes phone, the Motorola ROKR E1, appeared last Fall, generating a great big thud throughout the tech world. At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week, the company unveiled a follow up to that handset, the aptly named ROKR E2.

ROKR E1's list of shortcomings are legion: The otherwise basic cell phone lacked iPod style, a way to add more than a 100 or so songs, the ability to download music wirelessly, the convenience of Bluetooth for wire-free headsets, and, rather than a speedy USB 2.0 interface, users were stuck with a slow USB 1.1 connection.

The new model addresses many of these problems.

The Apple and iTunes brand are not connected with the ROKR E2, however. After the thrashing the original model recieved, that's an advantage; as expectations for this device should be different than for ROKR E1. It could also be why some of the artificial limits placed on ROKR E1 aren't in ROKR E2.

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.

The ROKR E2 comes in black and white too.

While Motorola did not announce what carrier would offer the GSM phone or exactly when, it did say the new ROKR would ship during the first half of the year. Cingular Wireless, a GSM carrier, is currently offering the first ROKR in the U.S. That makes it a likely candidate for the follow up.