Motorola has been one of the most aggressive companies in pioneering new solutions for the mobile world. In a little more than a year it has introduced a broad range of Android smartphones, a new Android tablet and now an entirely new device for mobile computing.
This device is their new Atrix Android 2.2 smartphone with its accompanying laptop dock. Together the system takes cloud computing to an entirely new level. While every company has talked about the importance of cloud computing, this is the first that puts its products where its mouth is.
Its premise is based upon the assumption that we're at the point where we can rely on applications and services that are online, or in the cloud, rather than residing on our computers. Examples include SugarSync, Google Apps, QuickBooks, Gmail, Google Maps, Evernote and hundreds more. Each of these applications can be used online with no software needed on your computer.
In reality, however, there are still speed bumps along the road to using the cloud. Online office applications don't match the capabilities of Microsoft Office; there are not always equivalent applications such as iTunes; access to some of the programs is unavailable when flying; and data connectivity can be erratic and expensive.
But for those willing to be a little tolerant and put up with the quirks, the advantages are significant. Syncing is no longer needed; calendars and contacts can be accessed from many devices in many places, and will always be up to date. Our data is backed up all of the time, and applications are updated automatically.
The primary component of Motorola's two-piece system is the new Atrix phone, the most powerful Android smartphone yet. It runs a very fast 1GHz dual core processor, has 16GB of storage, and a micro SD slot to add an additional 32GB of storage. The phone is about the same size and appearance as an iPhone and is one of AT&T's first phones to run its upgraded 3G network that they refer to 4G. (All the cellular companies are touting 4G, but what 4G really is has yet to be fully defined).
The phone is just less than 5 ounces, yet feels solidly built. It has a 4-inch hi-res screen and a large 1930-mAH battery (50 percent greater capacity than the iPhone's). It has a high-quality 5-megapixel camera, a front-facing camera for video calls and can take 720p movies. As a smartphone, it's one of the most powerful and priced aggressively at $199. ($499 without a contract).
The Laptop Dock, currently an expensive $400 accessory, looks like an ultra-thin notebook computer with a quality 11 1/2-inch display, a nearly full-size keyboard, touch pad and speakers. Behind the display is a folding cradle that the Atrix snaps into, turning the Dock into a working computer. A built-in battery charges the phone when it's docked.
It's nicely constructed of metal and soft-touch plastic, finished in all black. It resembles the new Apple Air MacBooks, but it's a couple of inches deeper front to back.
Not only does the phone provide the computer's brain, it also provides a wireless connection, using a single wireless data plan, eliminating the need for a separate wireless card and its own monthly fee.
Over the past few weeks I've been trying out the phone and dock. While you don't have the full versatility of a notebook computer because there are not always the equivalent programs for everything you run on your notebook, I found it to be more versatile than a tablet computer, particularly when it comes to doing productive work, such as document creation, editing and writing long e-mails.
When the phone is docked, a window pops up on the display replicating the phone's display. You can access the phone's apps using the track pad and keyboard. You can also open up a Firefox browser to access the entire Web, as well as Web-based applications and services. Should a call come in, you can carry on a conversation with the phone docked, and continue to use the computer.
I used the phone's Gmail app to access my e-mail and used Google Docs and Quickoffice to read and edit Word and Excel files. I was able to access all my favorite news sites, blogs, and edit my own website, just as on I could on my computer. I could retrieve my files from my office computer using SugarSync, and use my online QuickBooks account through Intuit's site.
Not surprisingly, with an entirely new product such as this, all is not perfect. Some apps that are designed to run with touch on the phone are a little more difficult to use, and occasionally the speed of accessing certain sites slowed down. But overall, I found it to be a decent experience, after a little learning.
The phone itself was one of the fastest of any I've used. Call quality was excellent, although there was an occasional dropped call as with my iPhone.
So who is the target user for this product? It's likely for someone that prefers not to carry a notebook computer yet is willing to carry a dock that is about the same weight and size. You can take the phone with you and leave the dock in your hotel room and never worry about it being stolen. Could it save time at airport security? I tried carrying the dock in my suitcase, but the TSA screener made me remove it, because to him it looked like a computer. It wasn't worth the effort to explain otherwise.
If the dock were priced a few hundred dollars lower it would likely appeal to a larger audience, and would be considered as a way to empower your phone rather than compete with notebooks.
There's no doubt that this product represents the future of mobile computing and appeals to those that like to be in the forefront. As with anything so new and unique, expect a few rough edges that will likely improve over time through upgrades.
Baker is the author of "From Concept to Consumer," holds 30 patents and is an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year. Phil can be heard on KOGO AM the first Sunday of each month. Send comments to phil.baker@sddt.com. Phil's blog is blog.philipgbaker.com.
Back-up battery for the iPad and more
Tekkeon has introduced its TekCharge MP1860A, a dual port power pack with two outputs to simultaneously charge and power an iPad, iPhone or iPod, as well as a second device. Itís able to identify the current needs and provide the correct output for any device, delivering 100mA up to 2.1 amps. That’s about four times what is provided from a standard USB port in a notebook computer and what is needed to charge an iPad.
The device is relatively compact, about the size of a pack of cigarettes. It contains a rechargeable lithium ion battery with about 50 percent greater capacity than the battery in an iPhone and about one-third that of an iPad. You can recharge the battery from your computer or using a supplied USB cable and a small USB wall charger provided. Also included is a retractable cable for Apple products and carry pouch.
Iíve been using it for the past week to recharge my iPhone and Bluetooth headset and it’s worked as expected. I also used another of its features in an unexpected way. I dropped my phone in the space next to the driver’s seat in a rental card and needed a flashlight to locate it, since it was late at night. I used the LED flashlight built into the TekCharge and it provided a bright focused beam of light that worked perfectly.
The TekCharge MP1860A cost is $70. (tekkeon.com)
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