Comments on: Motorola Lapdock 100 Review

By: Curiousnyc2001

Curiousnyc2001 — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 17:50:00 +0000

I wish to add my two cents here, if for nothing else, to review the reviewer. While I am stumbling upon this article about 1/2 a year after it was written, it was still relevant to me and my research into this accessory for my Droid 4 (read “iPhone destroyer).
As others have pointed out, to have compared the Lapdock to a MacBook Air is seriously lopsided and has a hint of Apple fanboyism. For Mr. Burns to then reply to his critic with a question that Mr Burns SHOULD have been able to answer own was not only unprofessional, but, in my opinion, erodes whatever credibility he had left after reading his review.
Let’s consider this one fact… for around the $200 price range, I can have my already cool phone virtually eliminate any need I might have for buying a netbook. And then some.

By: Clinton Cochrane

Clinton Cochrane — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 20:31:00 +0000

I am curious if with the upgrade to ICS will this basically be like a Chromebook?

By: Clinton Cochrane

Clinton Cochrane — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 20:31:00 +0000

I am curious if with the upgrade to ICS will this basically be like a Chromebook?

By: Ericx Design

Ericx Design — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 02:49:00 +0000

Because of low cost.

By: Ericx Design

Ericx Design — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 02:49:00 +0000

Because of low cost.

By: Ericx Design

Ericx Design — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 02:49:00 +0000

Because of low cost.

By: Neil

Neil — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 05:24:00 +0000

Yes you can. I’m using a 10.00 HP wireless mouse from BestBuy.

By: Neil

Neil — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 05:24:00 +0000

Yes you can. I’m using a 10.00 HP wireless mouse from BestBuy.

By: Efbasham

Efbasham — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 06:30:00 +0000

i bought the bionic lapdock on 2/2012 and the spacebar is slow to respond perhaps due to spellchecks. other than that issue it is a 3/8″ thick hd notebook with 4g data 31 mbps down and 12 mbps up in the bay area

By: Schmoe

Schmoe — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 21:54:00 +0000

I really would have liked to hear more about the FF browser. Does it upgrade on the same schedule as regular FF, or at all? What about add-ons, extensions, and plug-ins? What about syncing? Is it fast at: rendering webpages? Is it slower than a midrange desktop would be? Is it faster than a netbook? A “fully featured FireFox browser” seems to be the major selling point of this thing, but details are lacking as to what that actually means!

By: Theresa

Theresa — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:21:00 +0000

It is possible to connect an external mouse to this lapdock 100?

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 23:06:00 +0000

I’m on your side but you can get an acer in walmart for 250

By: Pwik

Pwik — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 22:46:00 +0000

Would love to get one of these. Ordered one in mid-November and it STILL hasn’t shipped. Their customer service is based Central America and their reps are hard to understand. They have little or no knowledge of the company or how to get information. My excitement over this has turned into a nightmare. I wish I had never tried buying a Motorola product. It has not been worth dealing with the company.

By: Prometheus

Prometheus — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 09:57:00 +0000

I appreciate the comparison with MacBook Air. If productivity and mobility are reasons for buying these devices and prices aren’t, some of us could make more informed decisions. I am glad this article was catered for people like me.

By: Darren_gharris

Darren_gharris — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 05:16:00 +0000

I wish it had VGA out

By: Nate

Nate — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 23:26:00 +0000

I was thinking the same thing but with so many different phones it may have been too hard to make it so the dimensions would fit all the phones of now and in the future. Still would be cool though but maybe it would use too many resources right now as well. Another thing is that the touch is much more sensitive on a phone screen and may have gotten in the way too often.

Other than the cord at the back being a little short for my Photon without giving it a little bend without kinking it I am very happy with the hardware. Typing this and all the other features of the LapDock100 hardware have made this Photon my most useful phone to date.

By: Robert Webster

Robert Webster — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 15:31:00 +0000

ok where do you get the bluetooth mouse that you can get calls on ? what is it called ect ect

By: Justin Dillon

Justin Dillon — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 05:32:00 +0000

The Lapdock 500Pro has a VGA output and would be great for a student. I run my entire business for the 100 now and have a Webtop Dock at home as well. I have been a mobile professional for nearly 20years this is one of the best devices I have used.

By: Todd Singleton

Todd Singleton — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 17:40:00 +0000

“You might as well just get a netbook and use wifi tethering as the cost will be the same”

Find me a $279 netbook with an 11″ screen. Cost will not be the same.

By: Todd Singleton

Todd Singleton — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 17:37:00 +0000

You just compared a $1000+ Macbook Air to a $299 lapdock that extends mobile phone capabilities. What exactly was your point? I have an Alienware laptop that will smoke them both. Wanna throw that into the comparison too? Since we’re going apples to apples… we might as well throw in one bad ass apple.

By: David Huss

David Huss — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 15:54:00 +0000

yes two finger scroll works.

By: Guy Hoang

Guy Hoang — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 06:52:00 +0000

Can you scroll using the trackpad? You couldn’t with the old lapdock.

By: David Huss

David Huss — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 18:45:00 +0000

This has no video out so it wouldn’t be able to do powerpoint presentations (I assume that’s what you mean by slides). As for word, it does google just fine. Obviously the problem with google docs is that you need internet access to use it. However, as I said below you don’t need a tethering plan to use 3g/4g data with verizon and sprint. ATT is greedy though and makes you pay extra if you wish to have 3g/4g data with this device.

The keyboard is kind of cramped. It is also just a little laggy which makes speed typing less than ideal. I wouldn’t want it as my primary computer (I have a desktop for that). Rather I see it more as an inexpensive way to get a 3g/4g netbook that is useful whenever I am on the road/without wifi.

By: aHuffy

aHuffy — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 07:50:00 +0000

If someone was thinking of replacing a netbook used for papers, slide shows, word processing etc. nothing too intense but normal everyday school or work tasks could this handle that short of use. On that note how would cross over from Windows program (word)? Maybe a dumb question but would be great to get rid of the netbook.

By: David Huss

David Huss — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 17:40:00 +0000

not sure that would be the best. For one, people like a physical trackpad button to click/clickable trackpads. Plus most trackpads aren’t exactly smooth; they are textured. A phone as a trackpad would feel weird. A second problem is that there would be no cross device (and future) compatibility. As it is right now the same lapdock works with the Atrix 2, Droid Bionic, Droid Razr, sprint Photon and *should* work with future motorola webtop phones.

By: tc83

tc83 — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 17:20:00 +0000

A $200 netbook, maybe.

By: David Huss

David Huss — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 15:21:00 +0000

There is no point on AT&T’s network. They require you to have a tethering plan to use 3G/4G data while your phone is in the lapdock (kind of stupid if you ask me).

Verizon and Sprint do not make you get a tethering plan. Thus, if you don’t have a tethering plan on sprint/verizon, the lapdock allows you to use your phone as a 3g/4g netbook without paying the $30/month tethering fees. Now if you are shelling out for a tethering plan, this device likely isn’t for you and you probably are better off with a netbook/wifi tethering.

Personally I don’t have the money to drop on a data/tethering plan and love the lapdock (using it with the photon on sprints network) as it gives me access the internet in places where wifi is unavailable (the park, roadtrips, etc.).

By: David Huss

David Huss — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 15:17:00 +0000

Yes it charges the phone’s battery, plus the lapdock has its own battery that is good for about 5 hours of use (and charges the phone while in use).

By: David Huss

David Huss — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 15:16:00 +0000

I should clarify, the lapdock will still work with the atrix 2 without a tethering plan its just that (assuming its like the atrix 1) when you try to access 3G/4G data you’ll get a webpage saying that you need to add a tethering plan for it to work.

By: David Huss

David Huss — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 14:43:00 +0000

I believe the resolution is 768p which is the max the photon can deliver.

By: David Huss

David Huss — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 14:41:00 +0000

Part of it is the desire to have one lapdock fit all of motorolas webtop phones. Also the old design had a flaw in that you could tilt the screen back enough (due to hitting the docked phone) to get a good viewing angle while it was on your lap. Meaning that it was best used on a table or desk. The new design addresses this.

By: David Huss

David Huss — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 14:37:00 +0000

You left out the only reason to get a lapdock which is that there is no tethering charge to use 3/4g data with the lapdock on verizon and sprints network. This is not true for at&t making the device essentially worthless for atrix 2 users. You might as well just get a netbook and use wifi tethering as the cost will be the same.

Now if you are on verizon or sprint there is no need for a tethering plan meaning that this saves you 30 bucks a month, a good deal.

By: Chris Burns

Chris Burns — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 06:21:00 +0000

What would you like me to compare it to then?

By: tc83

tc83 — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:44:00 +0000

Does it charge your phone’s battery like some other docks?

Isn’t this supposed to cost $200? Comparisons to a Macbook Air don’t seem to make sense to me, it’s a totally different device, at a price point that is miles apart.

By: Pradyuman Vig

Pradyuman Vig — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 01:48:00 +0000

It looks really bad. I can’t believe that Motorola took a step back in design. The last Lapdock looked much better and modern…

By: Chris Burns

Chris Burns — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 01:19:00 +0000

No because it’s the same as it has been for several devices now — I recommend you go here: to see a nice video of its functionality. http://androidcommunity.com/motorola-photon-4g-review-20110729/

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 23:18:00 +0000

Are you going to do a review of the stand alone dock that came in the box as well?
That looks more interesting actually.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 22:46:00 +0000

Isn’t that thing as expensive and much less versatile / useful than a full-fledged netbook ? WHat’s the point ?

By: Chris Burns

Chris Burns — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 22:24:00 +0000

Most of these things are addressed above, but the resolution isn’t being made clear by Motorola as of yet, its glossy, and the screen is OK. Viewing angles aren’t especially good, more like 90 degrees up and down, and the speakers are between a smartphone and a real laptop – aka not the best, but not the worst. The build quality is similar to that of the smartphones you’ll be plugging into the lapdock.

By: Chris Burns

Chris Burns — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 22:22:00 +0000

I have a feeling that the idea was already initiated and therefor would have had to have been licensed by Motorola, so they instead made something relatively new