Motorola Atrix 4G Lapdock and HD Multimedia Dock Review Discussion

[J.R. Nelson]

Along with the introduction of the Motorola Atrix 4G came the debut of the Lapdock, a docking station that promises to turn your smartphone into a fully-featured laptop. The company is also offering the HD Multimedia Dock, which turns your Atrix 4G into a desktop computer.

Can your smartphone really be the only device you need? Read on and find out.

Read the full content of this Article: Motorola Atrix 4G Lapdock and HD Multimedia Dock Review

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• Motorola Atrix 4G Review

[Antoine Wright]

Interesting. Another take on a lifestyle w/mobile that I've pursued for a long time now. As with JR, I couldn't deal with the cost restrictions. Seems like a bit much though to guarantee multi-use functionality. Not that I've not been doing the same, but seems more packaged, less flexible.

The Webtop OS. Interesting still. If I had the knowledge to do so back with Nokia's Mobile Web Server, I could have created a similar environment (nearly possible with iFMW and a few of their CMS offerings). However, you aren't working from a docked device in those cases, and are limited by the CMS, not a browser and choice of extensions. Also, with TV-Out (at least), you aren't getting a different UI than the phone, which makes a difference in some working instances.

I wonder if this technology is licensed from Celio (Redfly). Seems very similar to their work. And really, this should have been their solution and attack to the market years ago.

Good for Android, and for some of its users. Now, who will be the evangelist taking this route of living for a few years

[LandSurveyor]

Considering cloud storage, such a device might be ideal for frequent travelers and such but I have software that won't run on it. I could, however, if necessary, carry a standard laptop and use one of the many devices with wifi tethering capability and do much the same thing. It seems a tradeoff between portability and general usefulness between the two solutions.

It's still an interesting alternative. Motorola will increase their chances for success with this concept when they produce a lapdock that will work with pretty much any of their devices.

[KSD]

Considering cloud storage, such a device might be ideal for frequent travelers and such but I have software that won't run on it. I could, however, if necessary, carry a standard laptop and use one of the many devices with wifi tethering capability and do much the same thing. It seems a tradeoff between portability and general usefulness between the two solutions.

It's still an interesting alternative. Motorola will increase their chances for success with this concept when they produce a lapdock that will work with pretty much any of their devices.

will be interesting to see this exact device running android than windows 8 instead of android and a webos ^^

[Ed Hardy]

Motorola will increase their chances for success with this concept when they produce a lapdock that will work with pretty much any of their devices.

It's going the other way around. Most future Motorola devices are being designed to work with the lapdock and other webtop accessories:

Motorola Prepping More Smartphones That Can Convert to a Netbook and Nettop

Like this one:

Motorola Droid 3 Will Be a Webtop Smartphone

[Ed Hardy]

I could, however, if necessary, carry a standard laptop and use one of the many devices with wifi tethering capability and do much the same thing. It seems a tradeoff between portability and general usefulness between the two solutions.

One thing to consider. If a business person is traveling with a laptop, they almost certainly also have a desktop and smartphone. That's three devices to worry about keeping updated, installing software, and watching out for viruses (on the PCs anyway).

If you have a webtop-enabled phone and the lapdock, you've eliminated the need to maintain a laptop. You'll only have to worry about the desktop and smartphone. That can be a big time savings.
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[jigwashere]

One thing to consider. If a business person is traveling with a laptop, they almost certainly also have a desktop and smartphone. That's three devices to worry about keeping updated, installing software, and watching out for viruses (on the PCs anyway).

If you have a webtop-enabled phone and the lapdock, you've eliminated the need to maintain a laptop. You'll only have to worry about the desktop and smartphone. That can be a big time savings.
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All the business travelers in our company do not have a desktop: they have a docking station in their office for their laptops. You are correct: it's expensive for companies to provide employees with both a laptop for travel and a desktop in the office.

[KSD]

All the business travelers in our company do not have a desktop: they have a docking station in their office for their laptops. You are correct: it's expensive for companies to provide employees with both a laptop for travel and a desktop in the office.

that is how CSR is and several other companies i have seen. Again as i siad when Win8 comes out this will be so much better. Android phone that is your cell phone, laptop, and desktop because it'll be android and win 8. That is something i will buy into for sure.

[cassidy0423]

All the business travelers in our company do not have a desktop: they have a docking station in their office for their laptops. You are correct: it's expensive for companies to provide employees with both a laptop for travel and a desktop in the office.

Our company also went this route two perhaps three years ago.

cassi

[Varjak]

I remember being impressed in the 1990's that the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) did the same thing Jig. everyone had Compaq laptops that slid into docking stations with monitors for their desktops. Quite 'modern' for the time.