Tech News

Android-based phones and tablets seemed to dominate the discussion during CES this year, and in particular Motorola had an awesome show.  Not only did they launch the most substantial iPad competitor in the Xoom tablet, but they also had some interesting new phones on display as well.  The one that impressed me the most was the Motorola Atrix 4G, not only because of its hardware specs, but some really cool things they're doing with dock support.

Beefy Specs

As I mentioned Motorola has rolled some cool features into the Atrix, some of which involve a PC-style computing experience, so they need to have the hardware to power that functionality.  To start off the phone uses a Tegra 2 dual core processor which is significant.  It's a chip developed by Nvidia that is the world's first multi-core CPU crafted with mobile devices in mind.  They've also packed in a gigabyte of RAM, a front-facing camera and a fingerprint reader.  That's the boring part though - things get interesting when you take a look at some of the accessories and integrated software features, most-importantly the Webtop OS.

Webtop OS

Where the Atrix really shines is when you see it seamlessly transition into a desktop or laptop computer by simply inserting it into one of its docks.  Webtop is an operating system that runs on the phone to give you desktop-like functionality from a device only 4" in size.  There are two implementations of the custom Atrix dock - one that allows you to hook up an external display and one that's integrated right into an inexpensive laptop enclosure.  The easiest way to understand how Webtop works is to see it in action, and the folks from Engadget have put together an awesome hands-on video that certainly gets the point across.

Can you say perfect business and travel device?  Given the tiny stature of the laptop dock especially I can imagine using the Atrix with Webtop anytime I met with clients or whenever I needed to fire off emails in the car.  There's no wonder why this phone was Engadget's best of CES!

Some Concerns

I would happily trade my current phone in for the Atrix, but I am somewat concerned about the fact that getting the most out of Webtop OS requires an investment beyond just buying the phone and paying the contract fees.  Although not required and certainly affordable in its own right, the 11.6" laptop dock is rumored to cost $150 when it's available for purchase later this year.  I tend to get a new phone every year or so, and therefore the prospect of paying roughly $350 (assuming the Atrix is about $199 with a contract) for a device I won't have in a year is somewhat troubling.  Hopefully Motorola will continue to make Atrix phones without changing the form factor of the dock so that you don't have to re-buy hardware.

There's also the whole AT&T exclusivity thing.  I'm not a fan.  Motorola did announce a Verizon-based phone that uses the Tegra 2 chip called the Droid Bionic, but it only has half the RAM and there hasn't been a whisper about Webtop OS integration.  That said I'm proud of Motorola for becoming the premiere Android device developer in the market by building on the success they began with the Droid and Droid X.