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A hand-held device takes on PCs [The Reporter, Tavernier, Fla.](Reporter (Tavernier, FL) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) July 29--The power of a PC in your pocket? That's the idea in advertising for the Motorola Atrix, a smartphone introduced this year by ATT. The Atrix is a fast, full-featured Android-based smartphone. I tested one provided by ATT for a week, and liked pretty much everything about it -- especially the optional docks, which set the Atrix apart from other smartphones. Today's fastest smartphones, like the Atrix, are labeled "4G" for fourth generation. ATT's 4G technology (called HSPA+) is available throughout the Keys and most of the country. In my experience it's fast and reliable. I tested the Atrix using Ookla/Speedtest.net at different times and locations, and got an average download speed of 2.8 Mbps, and as fast as 4.5 Mbps. Unfortunately, ATT limits upload speed; the fastest I saw was 235 Kbps. Besides the typical smatphone capabilities, Android applications and widgets, and responsive touchscreen interface, connectivity is where the Atrix shines. The Phone Portal app connects phone to PC through a USB cable or wireless home network to copy music, pictures and videos (and other files if you use Internet Explorer). IE7 or Firefox 3 is recommended, but I was able to use IE 6. Plugging the phone into the HD Multimedia dock, a box not much bigger than the phone, and connecting the dock to an HD TV or monitor lets you use the phone as an entertainment player. You tap a simple interface on the phone screen or use a remote control to play music or show pictures or videos. The dock also lets you attach a USB or Bluetooth mouse and keyboard, and with the Webtop application, this makes the Atrix a lot more than an iPod hooked to a TV. Webtop puts the phone screen on the big screen. You can run any of the phone's applications and take calls at the same time. When you pop the phone out of the dock, it's charged up. While the Multimedia dock is geared for home, the Lapdock is made to travel. Thinner and lighter than a laptop computer, it has a full-size keyboard, 11.6-inch display, and six hours of battery power. The phone sits in a slot behind the screen. With the Webtop application you have a full Firefox browser, a file manager, entertainment center and other applets. ATT is selling the Atrix for $99, or $299 with the Lapdock (before a $100 mail-in rebate). Refurbished units available online (at ATT.com) are even less expensive. An entertainment center bundles the Multimedia dock, wireless keyboard, mouse and remote for $190. The Atrix includes a Web-based management and synchronization program, called Motorblur. A free account lets you control the phone from the Web, erase personal information or locate a lost phone. Motoblur also keeps contacts and calendar updated and backed up (which you could also do with Google's online applications) and offers shortcuts to photo-sharing and social acounts like Facebook. The Atrix is innovative and it's hard to offer many criticisms. You have to pull off the thin back cover to insert a memory card; that could become a pain if you switch cards often. Some people might not like having to sign up for Motoblur when you set up the phone, but you can ignore it later and use other online accounts for storing contacts and the like. ATT just announced that Atrix and Inspire users will get the upgrade from Android 2.2 to Android 2.3, which may not mean much to the typical user but does keep ATT's smartphones current with the latest Android systems. ___ To see more of The Reporter or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.keysnet.com/. Copyright (c) 2011, The Reporter, Tavernier, Fla. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com, e-mail [email protected], or call 866-280-5210 (outside the United States, call +1 312-222-4544) |