I thought the Asus Transformer tablet was my favourite CES announcement. I also thought that I would buy one. All has changed.
Introducing:
The aesthetic of Motorola phones isn't for everyone - and the Atrix certainly isn't one of their best.
However, that should be quickly gotten past, because this phone, really is a beast. There will no doubt be more and more talk as it approaches launch, and when it does, it may well be bigger than the Evo.
And for good reason, this phone is packing so much more in "tech specs" than a mobile device, let alone a phone, has any right to pack.
With functionality rare in desktops, laptops and certainly other mobiles, this phone looks set to bridge the smartphone and secondary device - tablet, netbook, or even laptop replacing.
What makes this phone truly netbook/laptop replacing, is the "Atrix Laptop Dock". A thin and lightweight 'laptop', essentially an aluminium chasis with display and chiclet keyboard, docks the Atrix, which then switches to WebTop - more on that and HD Multimedia Dock, as well as the Vehicle Dock, past the Read More link.
Head past the "Read More" for the full specification break down, along with the accessories which make this new Android smartphone pretty damn innovative.
Up front, is a 4" 960x540 capacitive display, capable of 1080p playback, with no lost aspect ratio as the resolution is exactly half of the HD1080 standard.
Behind the scenes, all is handled by the more than capable Tegra 2 dual core processor from nVidia. Combining a CPU and GPU, the Tegra 2 is a brilliant chip for a set top box streamer, it's insanely fantastic for a mobile phone.
I know what you're thinking. Battery will be dead by the time I've powered on, right? Nope. Fuelled by a 1930mAh battery, the Atrix has significantly more juice than most smartphones.
It looks fat in pictures (I guess the camera adds 10lb - to it's 135g weight), but actually, it crosses the centimetre line by one measly millimetre. It measures 63.5 across, and 117.8 up.
With 16GB internal flash memory, and up to 32GB via an SD slot there should be ample storage for all your apps, films and music.
It's also packing a 5MP camera with flash, USB and HDMI ports, 5GHz n WiFi radio (Yes that's right, a dual band phone), and DLNA support.
The Atrix also has a larger display friendly interface, which Motorola are calling "WebTop". It switches inito WebTop mode when docked in either the HD Multimedia, or Laptop docks.
This allows browsing on a larger scree, watching 1080p videos in all it's glory (via the HDMI out), and can take input from USB peripherals such as a keyboard and mouse.
The Laptop Dock includes a trackpad and fantastic chiclet keyboard, together with an 11.6" display, all packed in a "super thin" enclosure. With the Atrix docking behind the screen.
The HD Multimedia Dock, on the other hand, hooks up to your HDTV, to enjoy all the content from your smartphone, on your TV - or to use WebTop for browsing on your TV, using apps, whatever.
All the same apps can be accessed in WebTop - even calls made and accepted etc.
You could even take the HD Dock on your travels, using it to consume your own content on hotel TV's, your families house, or wherever you are with a nearby display.
All I can say is that I want one. And while the pricing and release date remain, as yet, unknown - I feel as if I could justify a pretty hefty price tag by replacing two devices with an Atrix and Laptop Dock.
Pricing and release schedule to follow, as soon as we have more info.
