Motorola’s Atrix Android Phone: Twin CPU Cores And a Laptop Dock!
It runs Android 2.2, with HTML5 support, and is AT&T’s first dual-core processor in an Android phone. And it docks into a laptop. They’re calling it the world’s most powerful smartphone. ORLY?
It also has 1GB RAM, a 1900mAh (that’s ginormous) battery, and 2x faster than competing web browsers. You can “view HD video”.
Also! There’s a Motorola Atrix Webtop Application, which docks your phone into a laptop, using it to power the entire laptop. This is like Palm’s Foleo idea, but, you know, maybe not crappy. Firefox browser inside, running on this device, using the desktop version.
In short, the Motorola HD Dock, the thing that hooks the Atrix to a laptop, is going to let you use your phone as a laptop, taking advantage of the keyboard and mouse on the laptop. Still wondering about the employment of android 2.2 instead of something more contemporary, though!
Here are the official specs:
• Dual core processor, each at 1GHz
• 1GB RAM
• qHD resolution (960×540)
• 24-bit color
• 16GB internal, 32GB microSD expansion
• 802.11n
• AT&T hotspot service
• 11m thickness
• 1930mAh battery
• dual microphonesAs for the docks:
The Motorola HD Multimedia Dock has three USB ports and an HDMI port enabling connections to a keyboard, mouse, speakers and HDMI-compatible monitor for working at your desk/office, or connecting to an HDMI-compatible television and home theater audio system for interacting with content and enjoying video, music, games and more in your living room.
The Motorola Laptop Dock has an incredibly thin design with an 11.6-inch screen, full keyboard, stereo speakers, 36Wh three-cell battery that delivers up to eight hours of battery life and weighs just 2.4 pounds. Users simply dock their Motorola ATRIX 4G into the back of the Laptop Dock to turn it into an active, connected machine to experience true mobility at work, home and playing on-the-go in a form factor that’s lighter and smaller than most laptops on the market.
Send an email to Jason Chen, the author of this post, at jchen@gizmodo.com.
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What is up with that design?! It may be sturdy but having a phone stick out the back of my notebook doesn’t lend it any use in my bed or on the couch. Reply
Wait a sec… So Motorola can do this, but the iPhone can’t download an app over 20 megs on ATT’s 3g network?Oh where has competition gone? Reply
What in the hell? This thing is just as, if not more powerful than my netbook. ReplyWalternate promoted this comment
Hard to believe this is coming out of the company that gave us the Razr and other piles of garbage. Reply
I think I bought my G2 at the wrong time. This is incredible.Ah, well, something awesome to look forward two in 2 years… Reply
I am sure the Dual core CPU will help. But considering desktops and game still have yet to really utilize multi cores in any meaningful way… I think this phone will be similar to desktops. Great at multitasking, but about on par app for app performance.I hope I am wrong, but even if I am right. Once multicore CPUs become more common in phones I am sure things will get better.
Does Android 2.2 even know what to do with 2 cpus? will it divide the workload? or just run background apps on 1 core and then your main app on another core? hmmmm. Reply
It’s a clever idea, probably with limited customer interest. I think they’re really missing the boat by having the computer powered by the phone instead of the inverse, plugging it in will recharge your phone, and run the laptop. Reply
I have to say, Motorola is all over the place. Sometimes great stuff like the Droid X, sometimes bizarro stuff like this. Earth to Motorola: I’m not going to buy my phones and notebooks in custom matched pairs (for some guaranteed gigamundo price), especially if the “notebook” can’t do normal notebook functions too.Given that the lifetime of an Android phone seems to be less than a year (if you want any kind of current Android version), people aren’t going to shell out like that every year.
Oh, and WTF with the Firefox browser built in? I’m sure it’s nice and all, but on Android I want to use Chrome, and they better not make it less-than-seamless to do so. Reply
Edited by AreWeThereYeti at 01/05/11 3:16 PM
I can’t wait until the software that makes the docking happen gets ported out so it can be used for any phone! Reply
So, does the laptop dock thingie have it’s own battery or is everything powered by the battery in the phone? Reply
What happens to the OS when you dock it? Is it Motorola’s software or does Android already have these capabilities built in? My guess is that it’s Motorola’s software, but I didn’t know they were capable of writing such sophisticated software. (This is sophisticated stuff, no?)…Or is it actually running OSX? 😛 Reply
Maybe I am missing something, but if you are going to carry around a laptop-sized object.. well wouldn’t you be better off just carrying a laptop, instead of a phone-powered netbook? Reply
i *love* this concept and hope someone comes out for something similar for my Evo! (unlikely, but I can hope!)It’s funny to me that my Evo has more horsepower than my 1st desktop computer. All I want is to be ab le to surf and type/edit doc’s. Something light, lighter than a tablet but far less expensive than a macbook air. If there were a way for me to dock my Evo like they describe here and get a larger screen w/ full sized keyboard, I’d be down. Down like a clown, charlie brown! Reply
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Motorola’s Atrix Android Phone: Twin CPU Cores And a Laptop Dock!
Posted: January 7, 2011 in Uncategorized0
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