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Can the Atrix 4G Really Become Your Next PC?
GMGruman writes "The Motorola Atrix 4G got a lot of attention at CES because of its ability to dock to a monitor, keyboard, and mouse and run the full desktop Firefox browser in addition to its Android apps. Now that it is shipping, I took the Atrix 4G and its Multimedia Dock and related peripherals out this week for a test-drive to see if delivers on this 'post-PC' promise. The verdict: It's a good first half-step toward mobile devices being your primary computer. The end of the Windows hegemony is in sight."
Single page link...
http://www.infoworld.com/print/152843
If it was done with something a bit more open than Android, it might have a shot at replacing netbooks.
Twitter supports and protects racists - by smearing their critics with the "Hate Speech" label.
Because, well, that's the real question. Can we do away with PCs and windows? ...
... *sigh* I mean no ... *double sigh*
I think the answer is obvious. YES. It's the year of the linux desktop.
Quartz Extreme and Core Image. Are there any other real reasons to spend all that money on generic hardware?
Then no, it won't replace my PC.
The Atrix -- which costs $199 with a two-year contract from AT&T Wireless in the United States -- ...
Shove it!
Yeah, because the "Ooops we accidentally deleted your emails" from Google and also Hotmail a while back, plus countless other examples from other "cloud" providers, establish beyond a doubt the trustworthiness of the "cloud"... Nah, I will keep my desktop for now, thanks.
Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
... could have happened with MeeGo, it's a damn desktop computer in your pocket, all you need is a dock, and preferably with standard connection port, and you are there. The dock could even come from a different manufacturer in the ecosystem. But heck, with the recent turn of events, it's not going to happen anyway.
When you dock the Atrix, the Firefox browser and other dock-provided services aren't running from the Atrix but instead from a stripped-down Linux PC inside the dock.
"I assumed blithely that there were no elves out there in the darkness"
So I was reading the article and thinking "$400 for the laptop module? $200 + peripherals for the dock? Those are the equivalent of a cheap laptop/PC" Then I got to this tidbit:
What? Why the heck am I buying this thing? All you're selling is an ultra-underpowered, crippled Linux computer that only works when a weird phone is plugged in for no particular reason. Syncing open tabs in FireFox is nice, but that's not enough. A simple app could do that. At home, I can keep a computer no problem. On the go, I still have to keep your laptop dock thing, so no space savings there.
Then there are other downsides. I'm guessing it drains the battery faster to use the laptop dock thing. The pictures of the laptop dock make it look really easy to snap the phone off the back accidentally and break the phone/dock. It's nice to know the reviewer doesn't think the thing feels secure in the dock.
This seems to be where computers will go for most people, but this first implementation clearly sounds more like a beta product than a first generation.
Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
No, it can't. But it can replace your netbook or maybe a low powered notebook.
That's a good thing.
But the smartphone market will give a good kick in the arse to intel/AMD to start releasing much better hardware, for less money, to keep the desktop well ahead of the smartphone game. A brand new 900 dollar phone (600 + dock) is roughly on par with a 700 dollar laptop. That's pretty appealing. Desktops, well, I just priced out a bunch of desktops in the 1600-2000 dollar range, which are easily 10x more powerful, so if you have any use for the power, no, the phone won't do it.
10 years ago we passed the point of the hardware making much difference to a word processor. And we aren't quite at the point where the average desktop user can just dictate to their computer (though we're close, I managed a several setups like that for students with disabilities), and pretty much anything can web browse. Until software that people would use everyday catches up to hardware there's probably a market for a phone that replaces a desktop, and then we'll go back to a desktops. It's hurt intel and AMD I think that while transistor density may still be doubling every 18 ish months performance isn't. Core 2 -> i7->sandy bridge is like 20% performace gains clock for clock, at each step, and the clocks aren't much faster, and there aren't even more cores (because nothing uses 6 cores well yet, let alone 8, 12 or 16). HTML 5, and google's native code over the web etc. *might* change things a bit, giving people instant access to stuff. But all the great technologies we're touting, colour e-book readers, mp3 players, phones that can run programs aren't exactly great performance wise. I could read PDF's just as well 15 years ago as I can today, play music maybe 12 years ago as well as I can today, and any computer can run programs. The phone guys have done a good job using the web to make software accessible, but if the desktop guys could pull of the same there'd be demand there (and as someone else pointed out, my Steam games collection isnt' about to run on a phone).
Being able to download the kernel, driver, and Android sources directly from Motorola, the maker of my Droid phone, is so prohibitive.
Good luck getting your recompiled kernel+driver+Android sources past the well-locked-down bootloader on any Motorola Android device newer than the original Droid.
The Atrix -- which costs $199 with a two-year contract from AT&T Wireless in the United States -- ...
Anonymous Coward wrote:
Shove it!
Quoted for truth. Adding a monthly cell phone plan can be expensive for people who are currently happy with the combination of a bare-bones land line, a dumbphone with $5/mo service for those few calls that can't wait (such as arranging a ride home), a PDA or netbook that gets Wi-Fi, and home Internet access allowing more than single-digit GB/mo.
You better go look at their balance sheet. They make about $600/iPhone and about $300/iPad.
There are two types of people in the world: Those who crave closure
Oh Bill, get a sense of humor.
If Google really cared they would fix Android Chrome to reflow text, instead of discriminating
Jesus wept.
You are welcome on my lawn.
This guy is stretching and distorting the truth to make the review positive.
An example, he only mentions the SUBSIDIZED cost of the phone but uses this price further on to compare it to a netbook BUT does NOT then use a subsidized netbook which do exist. This is like comparing two cars and taking the lease cost of one as being different from the purchase cost of the other. Well duh.
He then claims that 400 dollars for the dock is cheaper then a netbook... except a netbook is both complete and not just a dock and 400 dollars is also the mid range price for a netbook. Was he looking at Vaoi's perhaps? I can find 200-300 dollar netbooks with ease and totally "free" ones if I buy them with a phone subscription.
He then goes on about Firefox Linux not being able to run Java. Is that so? Gosh, what am I running then? What he really means to say is that this dock can't run java apparently for some reason. Firefox and Linux can't this hardware he is trying to like can't.
Really, the most standard, cheapest netbook can do what this thing does and WAY more. Even the multimedia dock is expensive. I still have all the cost and hassle of carrying a netbook besides my phone but without any of the advantages. Like oh say multiple video outs because on the move I can't always dictate what inputs are available for a screen.
And this thing as far as I read the review can't even do video. What a LOT of people seem to want netbooks to do is output video, considering the demand for 720p capability which the first netbooks lacked. What is this multimedia dock going to do for me on the move?
We have heard the "PC is dying" speech before and so far, it hasn't happened. That is because the PC, netbooks and laptops are very very good at serving the edge cases, all those uses to which we put our hardware that some exec at MS/HP/Apple or whatever didn't dream off. Just compare Android's gmail app with regular gmail AND especially a tricked out desktop with gmail tied in. It is clear gmail the app is the light edition. Sometimes that is handy but only if the ease of mobile access makes up for the restrictions.
But if I need a bag to carry a dock or whatever around, why not just carry a cheapo netbook and be done with it.
To me, a phone as a PC will only become intresting if I can skip the dock and hookup the phone directly. THEN I can use it as a tiny laptop.
The end of the Wintel domination? Not yet in sight. With efforts like this, I doubt it ever will. Come on, would it have been that hard to implement some more basic Linux apps?
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
The end of the Windows hegemony is in sight.
Where?
Over there!
Still can't see it.
It's right beside the year of the linux desktop!
Ok.
On second thought, let's not go to Camelot. It is a silly place.
If you're looking for some kind of hybrid that can both fit in your pocket and be used with a real keyboard and screen and run desktop programs, you might be interested in the SmartBook. Unfortunately it doesn't have a phone feature, but it looks like a really great product...