There are a few oddities in specs when you consider the differences between the original ATRIX and the new ATRIX 2, the first being the fact that although this new device is 4.3-inches instead of 4.0, it still has 960 x 540 pixel resolution. For the lay person this might make no difference whatsoever – for a person who has both devices in their hands at once… they have too much time on their hands. Let’s leave it at that. Then there’s the battery capacity – on the original ATRIX there was a 1930 mAh capacity battery, while this new ATRIX has a 1785 mAh capacity battery. What we must expect is that this device has been optimized to a much greater level than that original ATRIX was and is. If it isn’t, we’re not going to be having much of a full day for battery life, that’s for sure.

Then this device runs the newest version of Motorola’s user interface over Android 2.3.5, and the dual-core processor isn’t the NVIDIA Tegra 2 1GHz we saw on the original ATRIX, instead it’s the OMAP4, also 1GHz, from Texas Instruments. Also the Webtop is the newest Motorola has to offer, working with Firefox for web browsing right out of the box, and we’ve got a whole new pack of accessories to try out as well! Not only do we have a remote control, a car dock, and a regular HD dock, we’ve got a mobile charging unit and a Lapdock 100 to round out the whole team.

Have a look at the photos of the ATRIX 2 above and below, check out the videos of both the smartphone and the accessories, and type up all your questions. Whatever you want to know about this device, anything at all, type it up in a comment below, and I’ll answer right in the main review in a few days right here on SlashGear.

This device is also said to be running Android 2.3.5, this being the newest iteration of the most advanced Android handset-based operating system on the market also called Gingerbread, and there’s no current time frame for release. In fact this device hasn’t been officially released in any way shape or form quite yet, with only whispers of the device existing popping up thus far. I think we can pretty much put the rumors to rest given the obvious authenticity of these photos today, seeing that they’re rolling out with a pretty solid new-looking build in them giving us confidence that Motorola will be releasing real info in the very near future.

At the moment we can only see four photos, the back of the device looking just about as interesting as the front – it appearing to have a sort of rubbery looking battery cover and a speaker hole not unlike what we saw with the Photon 4G, while the camera setup isn’t unlike every recent DROID release from Motorola as well. The single Motorola M is present on the back in the center as it should be, and no other carrier marks can be found other than the large AT&T logo on the front at the top. Again also the glass appears to be curved around the edges, not unlike what we’ve just seen on the DROID BIONIC.

Looks like a pretty solid release, wouldn’t you say?

[via BGR]

In short, if you have the original Laptop Dock, you’ll still need to buy the Lapdock if you upgrade to the DROID BIONIC. It’s a disappointment, because neither version of the peripheral comes cheap: the original was $299.99, while the new Lapdock is $299.97, though it doesn’t demand a tethering fee as charged for the ATRIX 4G.

We can’t help but see Motorola’s decision as a snub to existing users, whereas investing in accessories could have been the hook that encouraged them to upgrade to another Moto device. We’re guessing there’ll be modifications of the original Laptop Dock – which are selling for as little as $150 on eBay at the moment – in an attempt to accommodate the new phone, as Android users get creative to bypass Motorola’s lapse.

More on the DROID BIONIC in our hands-on first impressions coverage

To get this review started I’ll post the hands-on and unboxing first so you get a feel for the device then continue with the details and photos below so start right here with the video.

Motorola PHOTON 4G Hands-on and Unbox

Hardware

From first glance there is nothing that really stands out as far as a weakness with this phone. To remind you of all the details it features a dual-core 1 Ghz NVIDIA Tegra 2 CPU, 1GB RAM, comes with 16GB internal storage, VGA front facing camera with a 720p capable 8MP rear camera with dual LED flash, a nifty kickstand for hands-free usage as well as HDMI-out. The display is a 4.3″ qHD high-res 540×960 resolution and looks vivid and crisp. It might not be as thin as the Galaxy S II but it does have 4G WiMax speeds as well to help out when needed.

On the left side you have the micro USB for charging and docking right next to the HDMI-Out while the rest of the goods are on the right side.

The PHOTON has a dedicated camera button as well as volume rockers on the right side. They have an aluminum finish and a weird texture of lines to them but they are so close together I feel like I could file my fingernails with them (if I did that sort of thing). Then your usual headphone jack and power/wake button up top.

The hardware is definitely a different approach than Motorola is used to, it doesn’t look or feel anything like any of the Droid devices but it does have a similar style to its older brother the Motorola Atrix. We reviewed the Atrix and you can see that here, a large part of the design and options for the PHOTON came right from the Atrix so if you’ve seen its dock or webtop power you’ve already seen what the Photon can do.

Overall I’m a fan of the hardware as it has great build quality and feels extremely solid in the hand. My thumb keeps getting caught on the texture from the volume rockers but other than that its clean, and beautifully designed and even is pretty lightweight. It is lighter than the EVO 3D but weights more than other 4.3″ dual-core phones.

Software & Performance

The PHOTON comes with Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread which is the latest iteration of Android and along with it comes Motorola’s user interface changes but were not supposed to call it Moto Blur anymore — it’s just UI enhancements they call it. It is a nice touch although I feel the widgets could use some work. The dual-core processor keeps things speeding along and overall the user experience is seamless and fast.

As far as pre-installed apps or bloatware some might like to call it, they really didn’t include too much so that is a plus. We have a game center, Nascar, Quick Office, TeleNav GPS, and then a webtop connector app for when using the HD Dock. That is about it then you have your suite of Google Apps and Facebook etc.

Next on the list is performance so I’ve done a few benchmarks to test things out and first on the block is Quadrant. I ran a few tests and the PHOTON scored pretty high in Quadrant and it was actually a few hundred higher than other Tegra 2 dual-core phones like the LG G2x or the Droid X. They score around 2100-2200 stock while the PHOTON 4G scored over 2400.

Next I ran a new benchmark called Vellamo and you can read all about it here. Vellamo tests the overall performance of the device based on browsing. From websites, to rendering, javascript, HTML5, canvas and image scrolling as well as network performance for input/output like when loading a webpage. The results are pretty interesting as the PHOTON scores barely above the myTouch 4G (single core phone) and is beat by both the Sensation 4G and the EVO 3D. Network speeds could be part to blame as it scored pretty low with network performance.

Also since we have a 4G device in our hands I ran a few speedtest results just to see what types of 4G performance we could get, maybe the dual-core would help things out and this is Motorola’s first 4G device powered by WiMax. Sadly it scored fairly low and my old Nexus One with 3G performs better. I’m not sure if 4G is lacking in Vegas but I tried at home and at the store with similar results.

For comparison I get over triple the download speeds on my 4G T-Mobile device, just thought I’d mention that.

Camera & Battery

Now the PHOTON 4G has an 8 MP camera with dual LED flash and the camera performed just as I expected it to, with low light indoors it took great shots and the shutter speed was faster than a lot of phones I’ve used in the past. I took a few pictures of my faithful puppy taking a nap but I don’t think he was happy with me for waking him.

Yes the pocket on the pool table is missing in the photo, again he is a puppy and that is what they do. Trust me I covered it daily for a year after that incident and it never happened again thankfully.

Here is a close up for some detail, this is natural lighting without flash and the 8MP camera does a great job again.

On the rear of the phone it says HD VIDEO like it’s all special, but it actually only records in 720p and not 1080 like most other Tegra 2 phones have the power to do, so I didn’t do a video sample because 720p is nothing new. If it were 1080p I’d have gave it a test run.

The battery is larger than most phones on the market other than maybe the EVO 3D and it comes in packing 1640 mAh and it has lasted me all day since 8 AM in the morning til late night. I’ve taken photo’s, recorded video, sent a few emails and placed multiple phone calls. Not to mention running a few benchmarks and playing Angry Birds for about 45 minutes. For those wondering I’m expecting the battery to last longer than that of the HTC EVO after this initial few days of testing.

HD Dock

The HD Dock is a step up from many other docks that phones have been released with in the past, but its nothing like the Laptop dock the Atrix came with. The HD dock features rubbery feet so it wont slide around while trying to install the device. It has HDMI-Out for feeding the screen to your HDTV or a computer monitor. It also has 3 USB ports for using keyboards, mice and anything else you’d need.

Now this is important because the Webtop App and User Interface allows you to plug your phone into the dock and view your desktop, market, video’s and more all over HDMI to your TV or basically make the phone into a personal portable computer.

Bundled with the HD Dock is an infrared remote so you can control everything wireless. No keyboard or mouse needed, you have media controls and volume. It also features the menu, back, home, and search buttons just as most Android phones do so you can basically access everything without touching the device. The HD Dock is $129 but makes your phone into a desktop PC.

Motorola was also nice enough to send us the car dock that will also be available at launch for those interested. Although it might not be build extremely durable like the HD Dock it still was sturdy and held the phone very securely. There is a latch on top that closes down and secures the phone to the car dock, from there you can rotate or move it as you see fit without fear of it falling or dropping.

The car dock came with a car charger, USB cable and a 3.5mm audio cord so you can stream music or navigation instructions to your car stereo. With extra sticky pads for the dash or windshield they have you completely covered. I’ve never been a fan of or used car docks in the past, but for those that must have one or use it for a trip the Motorola Photon car dock is a pretty good buy and will secure your phone through anyone’s crazy driving.

Wrap-Up

For what you pay for this is an extremely powerful and versatile phone. You can do a lot more than just text and play Angry Birds with this. You can browse the web and watch movies on your 56″ HDTV, use it for an alarm clock with that fancy kickstand and more. With a slightly unique design it will stand out in the crowd and you’ll love showing it off. Once you set up the HD Dock and get everything dialed in everything works pretty great, and there is no shortage of geek appeal.

Aside from having mediocre at best 4G performance, the phone runs great and is a solid device. Any EVO users would be happy with it aside from no HTC Sense UI. While other phones may offer the same dual-core performance they don’t have the webtop abilities and the kickstand all at the same time. Making this right up there as a top tier Android offering.

Don’t forget to click on all the images below to see them full size for your enjoyment.

Still, the laptop dock concept of the Atrix 4G is very appealing and with a few tweaks it could be a fantastic accessory. Motorola thinks so too apparently and is set to offer move laptop docks for its smartphone line in the second half of 2011. Motorola doesn’t specify what devices would get laptop docks nor does it say what the price range might be. Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha said during a call that the new docks would land in the second half of the year.

Jha also said that the docks would cover a wider range of prices and would address the premium tier of users and consumer tiers as well. I would take that to mean the docks will work for high-end smartphones and the lower priced smartphones as well. I hope that they tweak the software and browser on the dock, which was what needed the most work in our review.

[via Android Community]

“A smartphone generates 24 times the mobile data traffic of a conventional wireless phone, and the explosively popular iPad and similar tablet devices can generate traffic comparable to or even greater than a smartphone. AT&T’s mobile data volumes surged by a staggering 8,000% from 2007 to 2010, and as a result, AT&T faces network capacity constraints more severe than those of any other wireless provider,” reads the filing statement.

AT&T then goes on to say that the T-Mobile deal “will thus benefit consumers by reducing the number of dropped and blocked calls, increasing data speeds, improving in-building coverage, and dramatically expanding deployment of next-generation mobile technology.”

This surely explains why a bunch of new HSPA+ devices including the HTC Inspire 4G, Atrix 4G, and the Samsung Focus experience data speed throttling. The first device we reported experiencing capped data speeds was the HTC Inspire 4G. AT&T must have been trying to cover up their network deficiencies by claiming that the device was not enabled for HSUPA upload speeds, when the HSPA+ chipset of the device supports HSUPA. And most recently it happened again with the Samsung Focus.

[via Business Insider]

OtterBox has announced that it is now offering the Defender for the Atrix 4G smartphone. The case offers all the protection the Defender does for other smartphone. You get multiple layer drop and shock protection. The case protects against dust intrusion as well. The case hasn’t been tested for protection against water apparently.

The Defender measures 4.92″ x 2.87″ x 0.75″ and weighs about 46g. The only downside to the Defender case is that it tends to add a lot of bulk to your smartphone. That means the device can be harder to get in and out of your pocket. The Defender also has a screen protection film to keep the screen from being scratched up. Pricing and availability are unknown, but the case should be in the $50 range of the other Defender offerings.

Microsoft opened the Kinect SDK up to folks that like the hack the motion sensing camera to do more than Microsoft intended. The personal use SDK is set for launch in March and a commercial version is coming later. Samsung has added a cool new feature to the Galaxy Tab 10.1 with the ability to steam TV. The feature also lands on the Galaxy S II.

We learned early in the week for some leaks that new MacBooks were sitting on pallets in retail stores around the country. Apple had strict orders to not unpack the pallets until the unveil later in the week. A cool capacitive brush for the iPad has surfaced that is sort of like a stylus that allows the user to draw. The brush is from Nomad and each brush sells for $24.

I think most of us were expecting the Verizon iPhone to do much better than it has. The number of people that have downloaded a popular app called Instapaper has remained basically the same with the launch of the new iPhone. This suggests that most buyers for the Verizon iPhone are from AT&T. The Sony Vaio S series broke cover early in the week. The notebook packs a 13.3-inch screen and a battery good for 14 hours of runtime. The notebook uses up to the Intel i7-2620M, 8GB of RAM and up to 128GB SSD for storage.

The Apple iPad 2 is said to be releasing in June after a production delay according to an analyst. The delay is reportedly the result of last minute changes to the new iPad 2 expected to be unveiled next month. Spring Design is phasing out the Alex eReader that has been on sale for almost a year. The device will reportedly be retired over the next six months with no replacement expected at this time.

A dude has taken the menacing looking Megatron tank from Transformers 2 and created a DIY replica of the thing. This isn’t some small toy tank either, the tank weighs five tons. Windows 7 SP1 is now available. The new update for the Windows 7 OS is available for download and is 1.9GB.

Dell will start shipping the XPS 17 and XPS 15 laptops with Sandy Bridge inside on March 16. The machines will start at $1049 for the 17 and $899 for the 15. A cool iPhone accessory surfaced this week for bicyclists. The device is called the iBike and uses a waterproof case and sensors to turn the iPhone into a bike computer.

HP has unveiled new EliteBook and ProBook business notebooks. The notebook boasts up to 32 hours of battery life and can be had with Core i7, i5, and i3 processors and screens of 14-inch and 15.6-inch. The Motorola Atrix 4G got its obligatory teardown this week by iFixit. The innards of the cool smartphone are apparently easy to upgrade and repair.

Husqvarna unveiled a neat robot lawn mower mid-week called the Automower 305. The mower is battery powered and designed for small lawns. Razer unveiled the new Chimaera in standard stereo and 5.1 versions this week. The headphones are wireless and will work with the Xbox 360 and PCs.

An Apple event has been confirmed for March 2 that will see the new iPad 2 get unveiled for the first time. The event is taking place at 10am in San Francisco. An interesting alarm clock has turned up that has some IQ questions on it. The iQ Alarm alarm goes off until you answer the question on the screen correctly and if it’s a dumb morning for you things could get annoying.

A sweet little personal submarine turned up mid-week called the Ego. The thing has a boat on top that floats on the water and the cabin is underneath allowing the passengers a view of the undersea action. We posted up our review of the Motorola Xoom. Even lacking Flash and 4G we found a lot to like with the new tablet.

We went hands on with the Vodafone Galaxy Tab 10.1. The tablet was pretty nice and we liked it with final judgment reserved for a full review. Apple officially unveiled the new 2011 version of the MacBook Pro notebooks. The most notable new changes are AMD graphics and a new IO port called Thunderbolt.

Sprint has halted the over-the-air update to Froyo for the Samsung Epic 4G. The update was stopped after complaints that the update was breaking the phones. We spent a bit of hands-on time with the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Thunderbolt. It’s cool, expensive, and final judgment will come with the review of the machine later.

Fujitsu announced late in the week that its Stylistic Q550 slate PC with Windows would be launching this sprint. The tablet will start at about $800. The MacBook Pro that launched during the week has already been torndown by iFixit. The machine has new RAM inside. The notebook is certainly well packed inside the metal chassis.

An interesting universal sleeve for gadgets turned up called the NXE ActiveSLEEVE. The thing is designed to fit on the arm while people workout and keep their smartphone and other gadgets safe. Skype To Go launched late in the week and allows the user to make calls at lower rates without having to have a web connection or a 3G area. The service works on landlines and any mobile phones.

The world’s first robot marathon will be held in Osaka, Japan. The event will see the humanoid walking bots traveling 26 miles over four days on an indoor track. Verizon CEO Dan Mead has stated that LTE products are coming from Apple. Mead didn’t offer any product names or a timeframe.

Google changed its search algorithm this week to combat content farms. The fear is that some legitimate sites might be caught in the change. Thanks for reading this week’s edition! See you next time. 

The tweet was actually a response to a question about whether or not the Xoom bootloader would be encrypted or signed. And apparently unlike the Atrix 4G, Motorola does want developers to access the hardware of the XOOM and do with it what they want.

This news should fuel more excitement for the device and may help further justify the $800 price point. Not only will it be an awesome piece of hardware, but it can now be fully customized as desired. Truly, you and the XOOM can now become one.

[via Android Community]

Hardware

It’s tough to pick holes in the ATRIX 4G’s spec sheet; Motorola has put together a solid list of hardware that pushes several of the limits we’ve seen on recent Android devices. Build quality is solid plastic with a fair amount of heft in the hand: it’s a dense handset, at 63.5 x 117.75 x 10.95 mm and 135g, and feels reassuringly free of creaks and flex. There’s something about the fascia that reminds us of the HTC Touch HD, discrete and sober.

Under the Gorilla Glass sits one of the ATRIX 4G’s key selling points, a 4-inch qHD capacitive touchscreen. Running at 960 x 540 it’s a welcome step up from the WVGA 800 x 480 that has become the de-facto standard for Android handsets over the past twelve months or so. That adds up to a pixel density of 275ppi, short of the iPhone 4′s Retina Display, but still noticeably crisper than most other rivals. Viewing angles are broad, colors are accurate and – as long as you’re not in direct sunlight – there are few problems with brightness. Underneath are the usual touch-sensitive Android controls, for menu, home, back and search, while above there’s a VGA-resolution webcam for video calls, along with brightness and proximity sensors.

On the left edge there’s the microUSB and HDMI connectors, while the volume controls are – somewhat unusually, but still perfectly usable – on the right.

On the angled top edge there’s the 3.5mm headphone port and a power button that doubles as a fingerprint scanner.

We rarely had any issues using this, unlocking the ATRIX 4G with a quick swipe; on a few occasions it took a second pass, but generally the fingerprint system is easier than the usual Android lock screen. Happily there’s a passcode backup should you persistently encounter issues, or need to give someone else access. A speaker sits on the bottom edge, while the 5-megapixel camera with a dual-LED flash is on the distinctively patterned back.

Inside, the dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 takes price of place, a set of two 1GHz cores paired with a healthy 1GB of DDR2 RAM and 16GB of integrated storage.

There’s a microSD card slot for a further 32GB, and given the ATRIX 4G will shoot 720p HD video and – with its Entertainment Center – is aiming to handle your A/V requirements, that storage potential is very welcome. Connectivity includes triband HSPA+ (as per AT&T’s 4G branding) and quadband GSM/EDGE, along with WiFi b/g/n with support for both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and the microUSB/HDMI ports. GPS, a digital compass and an accelerometer round things out.

It all adds up to one of the fastest Android handsets we’ve used to-date, blazing through webpage rendering and pinch-zooming, loading apps with barely any delay, sending Google Maps whipping across the screen and helping squeeze out some of the frustrating pauses that still leave some Android users looking enviously at the iPhone 4.

Motorola offers both the Laptop Dock and the HD Dock, along with a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse set, which we’ll cover later on in the review.

Software

Motorola’s choice of Android 2.2 Froyo is the first disappointment of the ATRIX 4G’s software experience, leaving Google’s Nexus S as the only Gingerbread smartphone currently on the market. On top, there’s the latest iteration of MOTOBLUR, less intrusive than in its early generations, but still an acquired taste (and a potential cause of delay to future Android OS updates) with its social networking integration, modified UI and resizable homescreen widgets.

AT&T introduces its own modifications and software, including the same limitation on sideloading apps (i.e. installing them from a direct download or memory card, rather than from the official Android Market) that we’ve seen on other Android handsets from the carrier. There are workarounds online, which can address that, and it does introduce a degree of protection from potentially malware-infected apps, but the sort of power users, which will be drawn to the ATRIX 4G, might not really need the carrier’s over-protection.

As for AT&T software, there’s the carrier’s Code Scanner, Family Map, Navigator, YP Mobile and My AT&T apps already installed, along with Motorola-bundled copies of Quick Office 3.0, Vlingo Voice, Blockbuster, Need for Speed and MobiTV. That’s on top of the usual suite of Google apps (Gmail in particular looks brilliant on the qHD display, with the Tegra 2 CPU slicing through any inbox delays we’ve encountered on other Android devices). Some apps can be deleted while others are fixed, though of course a custom ROM would take care of that (and the horsepower of the ATRIX 4G is already drawing plenty of attention from the homebrew Android community) if Motorola hadn’t locked that down as well. Of course, modders have already addressed that with an (unreleased) rooting method, but it’s another degree of frustration that belies Android’s generally open, mod-friendly nature.

The useful additions we’ve come to expect from smartphones, like a mobile hotspot app, are present and work fine, with the ATRIX 4G able to share its HSPA+ connection with up to five WiFi-enabled clients. There’s also DLNA support, for wirelessly streaming content to a compatible display or audio player, though Motorola really expects users to use its HDMI output or HD Dock.

Camera and Multimedia

We’ve criticized Motorola’s cameras in the past, and the ATRIX 4G is another middle-of-the-road effort from the company. At 5-megapixels – with autofocus and a dual-LED flash that doubles as a video light – it’s not the highest resolution on a recent smartphone, though there’s undoubtedly more to mobile photography than sheer pixel count.

Still images are clean but uninspiring, with reasonable contrast and sharpness outdoors but a little too much noise for our liking indoors. We’ve had better luck from recent Samsungs. Color balance could be more accurate, too, though at least the camera boots quickly – even without a dedicated hardware button – and the ATRIX 4G processes and saves shots with the minimum of delay.

Video, meanwhile, is currently limited to 720p HD, rather than the 1080p HD the Tegra 2 is capable of. That will apparently be unlocked – for recording and playback – in a later firmware update, though Motorola is yet to commit to an exact release date. As it stands, though, video is more successful than stills in many cases, with plenty of detail, swift responsiveness to changes in lighting, and smooth recording despite the lack of any optical stability systems.

The qHD display is obviously great for showing off photos and video, but since the ATRIX 4G packs an HDMI output it’s also easy to hook up a nearby HDTV for direct playback. Plugged in – with the bundled mini HDMI to HDMI cable – the smartphone boots into a dedicated Entertainment Center interface, with a big-screen friendly UI for photos, video and audio playback. The ATRIX 4G itself shows a remote control for navigating, and the phone supports AAC, H.264, MP3, MPEG-4, WMA9, eAAC+, AMR NB and AAC+ formats with video playback at up to 30fps. With the 1080p update this will be even more useful, but 720p looked good nonetheless.

Phone and Battery

Motorola’s noise reduction system is in evidence on the ATRIX 4G, and it helps the Android smartphone put in a solid showing when it comes to voice call quality. Audio on both ends of the call is clear and crisp, and the speakerphone is suitably loud.

Data, unfortunately, hasn’t faired so well. The Motorola may promise 4G speeds, but performance felt more in line with regular 3G devices than other HSPA+ handsets we’ve used. We tested the ATRIX 4G in multiple locations (with HSPA+ coverage indicated) and saw on average download speeds of 1.3 Mbps to 1.6 Mbps, while upload speeds proved ponderous at between 0.12 Mbps and 0.2 Mbps. It’s unclear at this stage whether this is entirely the ATRIX 4G’s fault, the fledgling AT&T HSPA+ network, or – most likely, perhaps – a combination of the two, but the end result is that rival 4G networks deliver better raw performance if data speeds are your primary concern.

The 1,930 mAh battery Motorola supply is a considerable step up from the sort of power packs we’ve seen on other high-end devices of late, and the company expects it to push the ATRIX 4G on to up to 540 minutes of talktime or up to 400 hours of standby. In practice, with push-email turned on and the usual mixture of daily use – Google Maps, Internet browsing, some music and video playback – we’ve seen well over 13 hours of runtime from the ATRIX 4G. Yes, you’ll be charging it nightly, but that’s par for the course for a modern smartphone.

Laptop Dock

A fair amount of the excitement around the ATRIX 4G isn’t so much the handset itself, but the accessories Motorola is offering. Flagship of these is the Motorola Laptop Dock, an 11.6-inch ultraportable notebook-style clamshell with a full keyboard, trackpad and integrated battery. Alone it has no intelligence; instead, you have to dock the ATRIX 4G into a flip-up cradle at the back, upon which the Laptop Dock boots into Motorola’s Webtop system.

The Laptop Dock hardware is certainly solid, made of brushed black metal and plastic, and with strongly-sprung keys. Despite the broad width they keys themselves are a little smaller than what we’re used to from, say, the MacBook Air, and general feel is slightly less impressive than a regular notebook. The trackpad is large – though the button bar is far too stiff for our liking – but the absence of multitouch support for two-finger scrolling and other gestures is frustrating.

As for the display, that’s a 1366 x 768 panel and is bright and reasonably clear. The Webtop system is a custom Linux build, with an OS X style dock of apps – including a full version of Firefox – along the bottom of the screen and a windowed version of the ATRIX 4G’s display floating on the left.

You can boot into the Entertainment Center – more of which in the HD Dock section – or, more likely, the browser (there are shortcuts for AT&T, Facebook and Motorola, but they simply open the relevant pages in Firefox), and both the phone view and browser view can be maximized to full-screen (though the phone image is merely magnified, not upscaled, so gets relatively pixelated in the process).

Motorola is particularly proud of the full build of Firefox installed, though the actual user experience is a mixed bag. You can certainly load up Google Docs, stream content, view YouTube and Hulu, and other full webpages in various tabs, but the Tegra 2 processor falls short of the slick experience we’d hoped for. There’s noticeable sluggishness, whether you’re opening Firefox, flicking between tabs, playing Full HD content or even just working with Google Docs documents.

Still, you can handle calls and messages while the ATRIX 4G is docked, and the integrated battery – which Motorola reckons will keep the Laptop Dock running for up to 6 hours of video playback or 8-10 hours of web browsing – recharges the smartphone as you work. Hopefully some further software optimization will give Webtop a speed boost in the coming months, since right now it’s an expensive and limited alternative to a netbook.

HD Dock

Motorola’s desktop dock is a halfway house of sorts between the Laptop Dock and the basic HDMI connection the ATRIX 4G itself offers, including not only an HDMI output but three USB ports for hooking up peripherals and a 3.5mm stereo audio output. They could include a wired keyboard and mouse, though Motorola also sent us its Bluetooth keyboard/mouse set.

What you do get over and above using the onboard HDMI, however, is access to the Webtop UI, turning your ATRIX 4G and HDTV into a desktop PC. The Entertainment Center UI can be controlled by the bundled infrared remote, which is a physical version of the on-screen controller shown when you use a direct HDMI connection.

The Bluetooth keyboard and mouse work as you’d expect, pairing with the ATRIX 4G and allowing for easy navigation and text entry. The keyboard has several Android app shortcut buttons, and the chiclet keys are easier to use than the Laptop Dock’s keys.

Price and Value

The Motorola ATRIX 4G is priced in line with most other high-end smartphones, at $199.99 with a new, two-year AT&T agreement. Both voice and data plans are mandatory, but if you want to use the tethering feature then you’ll need to step up to the most expensive data package (the cheaper plans only offer on-device data) at $45 per month. With the cheapest voice plan that means you’re looking at a minimum of $84.99 per month.

Where it gets really expensive is when you take into account the accessories. The Motorola HD Dock is $129.99, while the Bluetooth keyboard alone is $69.99; AT&T will sell you an “Entertainment Center/Webtop Access Kit” including both, plus the Bluetooth mouse, for $189.99. As for the Laptop Dock, that’s $299.99 after $200 of rebates (mail-in and instant), though you’ll need to have the tethering data plan to qualify. Alone, the Laptop Dock is a hefty $499.99, which might not get you a MacBook Air but does cover quite a few netbook and notebook options (all of which are functional without a phone docked into them).

Wrap-Up

If there’s one thing the Motorola ATRIX 4G shows, it’s that there’s no shortage of innovation in the smartphone market. The Laptop Dock may be expensive – and Palm may have previewed the idea with the Folio, and Redfly even attempted to commercialize it with the Celio – but Motorola deserves some kudos for bringing it to market and to a major carrier. There’s certainly no shortage of geek appeal, and the HD Desktop Dock is similarly useful, but right now the Webtop interface falls short of what a simple, WiFi-tethered netbook would deliver. The HD Desktop Dock is good, but its core abilities are readily served with a far cheaper HDMI cable. Early adopters can probably justify one or both, but mainstream users will likely want to wait for Motorola’s engineers to finesse the experience.

Mediocre 4G data speeds aside, meanwhile, the ATRIX itself is a solid, very usable smartphone lifted from among the Android crowds by its lightning fast performance and pixel-rich display. The combination of Tegra 2 and qHD resolution add up to one of the best Android experiences to-date. Rivals will soon begin snapping at the ATRIX 4G’s heels, but in terms of as much future-proofing as you can lock-in over the course of a two-year agreement, today the Motorola offers the best starting point.

ATRIX 4G unboxing and hands-on

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It’s a very impressive package and deserving of Motorola’s “World’s most powerful smartphone” title. The Atrix 4G is set to be the next big thing in the smartphone market and could highlight an upcoming trend for future smartphones.