The theory behind the idea is simple. When using the phone for typical handset functions, it works like any other Android phone. But place that phone in a dock that’s connected to a monitor and keyboard, and the phone powers an Ubuntu PC. The interface and features would be identical to a full desktop computer that has the Ubuntu operating system installed on it. Even better is the data access between the two platforms, says Canonical:

All data and services are shared between the Ubuntu and Android environments, which run simultaneously on the device. So Android applications such as contacts, telephony and SMS/MMS messaging are accessible from the Ubuntu interface. Indeed, all data on the smartphone can be accessed at any time, docked or not.

As I noted, this idea isn’t new. Most recently, Motorola attempted to implement it a year ago with its Atrix 4G smartphone and lapdock hardware. But the theory was better than the implementation, based on my usage. As a “laptop,” the system was sluggish and very limited: only web applications could be installed in Motorola’s customized version of Linux. I haven’t seen any mention of installable apps for Canonical’s solution, but there are a number of useful pre-installed apps.

Another key here is that Canonical has more experience that most with Linux implementations as Ubuntu is arguably the most-used Linux distro. That means it will likely have answers to any problems that Motorola faced with its attempt.

And the timing of this move is right for Canonical. I’ve been wondering if we really need the quad-core chips that are coming soon to smartphones — for phone activities and apps, I’m not sold. But phones that become traditional desktops have the potential to benefit from the extra processing power.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• The coming living room OS war
• Carrier IQ and the continued erosion of operator trust
• The future of mobile: a segment analysis by GigaOM Pro

The Photon 4G builds off the Atrix 4G with similar specs in many ways. It has a 1GHz dual core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor with 1GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, HDMI out and a qHD screen offering 960 x 540 resolution. But it goes beyond the Atrix 4G, with a bigger 4.3 inch screen, 8 megapixel camera with a front facing VGA camera and will run Android 2.3. There’s also a hotspot feature for up to 8 devices and a kick-stand.

The Photon 4G will go on sale this summer, although the price has not been disclosed. It will work with Motorola’s family of accessories, such as the LapDoc and will support Motorola’s WebTop when connected to a docking station. It’s a strong competitor and one that seems aimed equally at business customers as it is to regular consumers. The Photon 4G supports world phone use and has a number of security features appealing to IT managers. But it also sports some curved edges and a soft backing that projects a more appealing profile for consumers.

The Photon 4G collaboration signals a renewed relationship between Sprint and Motorola. Motorola has launched and announced a few Android devices on Sprint but they’ve been somewhat lackluster. The Photon 4G shows the two can work on a top-flight device, something that will be helpful for both. Sprint needs to continue to stock its portfolio with lust-worthy devices as it makes do without the iPhone 4. It’s gotten great devices from HTC and Samsung but it can use an injection from Motorola. Motorola, meanwhile, has been able to narrow its losses with Android but it needs to open up its distribution, which has leaned heavily on Verizon in the U.S.

Motorola also announced its first Android phone for Virgin Mobile called the Triumph. The device sports a 4.1-inch WVGA touchscreen, two cameras, 720p video capture and HDMI output. Altogether, Sprint and Motorola plan to release at least 10 phones this year including the previously announced Titanium and Xpert. It’s a good time for this relationship to gel again as both could use some help.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Mobile Q1: All Eyes on Tablets, T-Mobile and AT&T
• Report: A Mobile Video Market Overview
• In Q3, the Tablet and 4G Were the Big Stories

A Peppy, Powerful Phone

The Motorola Atrix 4G smartphone is among the best Android devices I’ve used yet, although there are a number of similar devices arriving soon. The 4-inch display uses a new 960×540 resolution, which is the most comparable yet to Apple’s Retina Display for its iPhone 4. Images are bright and sharp as a result. The new touchscreen is paired with the Nvidia Tegra 2 chip, which provides a fast overall experience.

Tegra 2 supplies two application processors rated at 1 GHz speeds, so at a high level, the chip provides double the processing power over the 1GHz chips that powered most high-end smartphones last year. And the extra horsepower combined with Nvidia’s graphics solution is noticeable: menus open instantly in most cases, scrolling is smooth and games run silky smooth for the most part. This platform enables 720p video recording at a full 30 frames per second, and can also play back such files natively. The camera offers multiple scenes, effect settings and may be the quickest smartphone I’ve seen yet to adjust for white balance.

Originally, I was concerned that such performance would quickly chew through the phone’s battery. Indeed, in the first day of usage, the battery level appeared to drop faster than on most other phones. However, I have to chalk the first day jitters to a battery that may not have been fully charged: the Atrix has easily lasted all day since then, even with heavy usage. The large capacity 1930 mAh battery and the power-optimizations found through Nvidia’s silicon will make the Atrix a full-day device for most.

Users won’t mind carrying the Atrix 4G throughout the day, either. Motorola kept the bezel and four touch buttons on the small side, but still has room for a front camera ambiant light sensor and flashing LED for notifications. Even with a 4-inch display, the device isn’t much larger than the Apple iPhone 4 and its 3.5-inch screen. And the Atrix 4G is kept light, just under five ounces, due to a mostly plastic case and battery cover. Normally, I’d shy away from so much plastic, but the build quality feels extremely solid in my usage.

The Atrix 4G offers all of the standard connectivity options: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and assisted GPS. I live in an area with great coverage on AT&T’s GSM network, so I never experienced any dropped calls. The speakerphone also worked well in my testing on several conference calls throughout the week. The handset supports AT&T’s HSPA+ network, hence the 4G tag in the Atrix name. When using the device for mobile broadband, however, I didn’t see speeds that compete with T-Mobile’s HSPA+ offering in my region. Depending on where you live, the Atrix may deliver faster upload and download speeds. It’s difficult to tell what kind of speeds the Atrix 4G will deliver based on AT&T’s data coverage maps, as they don’t currently specify which areas offer the faster HSPA+ speeds. In my area, the best download speeds were in the 3.5 Mbps range.

Overall, the Atrix 4G is well designed and brings excellent overall performance. Motorola still includes its MotoBlur widgets for those that desire them — I don’t particularly care for them — or users can install their own widgets for social networking and other purposes. Folks looking for the latest Android device really can’t go wrong with the handset as there isn’t much to not like. But the phone is only half of the Atrix story: how does the phone work as a modular computer?

About Those Docks

The Atrix system has two docks: one for mobile computing and one for home computing and/or home entertainment. Here’s a quick video look at all of the parts to the Atrix puzzle, including the docks, wireless remote, Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. You’ll also get a glimpse of the innovative power button that doubles as a fingerprint reader to unlock the device.

The Laptop Dock targets on-the-go consumers and perhaps even enterprise workers. For $499, AT&T will sell you both the Atrix 4G phone and the Laptop Dock, but without the bundled price, the dock itself costs $499. And that’s simply too much for what the dock delivers. Essentially, the phone plugs into the back of the Laptop Dock and fires up a basic web-top interface on the 11.6-inch display that provides 1366×768 resolution. There is no processor nor any storage in the dock: it simply displays data from the phone, which provides connectivity, processing power and storage.

At a conceptual level, the idea is solid. All of your data is on the phone and dock is meant to bring a full computing experience. But it falls short in a few ways. The desktop version of Mozilla’s Firefox browser, which is likely to be the main use case for the dock, is often sluggish. And the situation isn’t helped by a trackpad that doesn’t support scrolling. Instead, you have to scroll through the web using the scroll bars on the side of the browser. I opted to use the Motorola Bluetooth mouse, which has a scroll wheel, but that’s another device to carry. Web apps can be installed, much like with Google’s CR-48 netbook, but full applications aren’t supported. You can view and run Android apps from the phone on the larger display, but the dock screen isn’t touch sensitive and the apps are optimized for touch. The included file viewer app is limited, but offers a nice look at the file structure of the handset.

To be fair, the Laptop Dock powered by the Atrix 4G does work as advertised: you can surf the web all day on a larger screen. But the overall performance is sub-par, reminding me of the first netbooks I used in 2008. I used such a device nearly full time back then for mobile computing and while I could do it again, I don’t think most consumers will want to, especially at this price point. Note that the use of the dock requires AT&T’s $20 per month tethering plan as well: another barrier for most people. And there’s little benefit to carrying the laptop dock because you could just as easily carry a current netbook, which is likely cheaper, and have a full desktop operating system along with the benefits of third-party applications. The Laptop Dock is only slightly smaller and lighter than my 13-inch MacBook Air, for example, so it makes more sense for me to carry the notebook computer instead of the dock.

The entertainment dock for home use, however, is another story entirely and is something I’d purchase for $190. The price includes the Bluetooth mouse I mentioned, a Bluetooth keyboard and a remote control. This smaller dock, which can be purchased separately with the wireless remote for $130, has three USB ports, an HDMI port and a jack for speakers. Connecting a monitor to this dock and dropping the Atrix into it creates the same webtop computing experience as the Laptop Dock: performance is of course, no different since the phone is still supplying the processor, connection and storage. But as a way to get media files on a large screen HDTV, the dock is outstanding. Motorola has an effective custom application for navigating and playing back media files from the phone to the big screen, as I showed in this video demonstration.

Conclusion

After a week with the Atrix 4G, I’m convinced it is one of the best Android handsets currently available due to its performance, features and battery life. But there are a number of new Android handsets soon to follow that will rival the Atrix. Motorola should be commended for pushing the envelope with the different docking systems, but a netbook or other laptop is likely better for most people than the Laptop Dock in my experience. Consumers, however, looking to watch video both on a handset and an HDTV may find the smaller dock a viable replacement for a third-party set top box.

Related content from GigaOM Pro (sub req’d):

• Marketing Handsets in the Superphone Era
• Today’s Smartphones Give Rise to Tomorrow’s Robots
• For Phones, the Future is Multiple Cores

MoTR 231 is 55:30 minutes long and is a 41 MB file in MP3 format.

HOSTS: Matthew Miller (Seattle) and Kevin C. Tofel (Philadelphia)

TOPICS:

• Nokia joins forces with Microsoft
• HP’s webOS event discussion
• Motorola Atrix 4G hands-on
• HTC Inspire 4G hands-on
• Begun the mobile chip wars, have!
• Other topics TBD based on live chat participants

SUBSCRIBE: Use this RSS feed with your favorite podcatcher or click this link to add us to iTunes

I’ll be following up with a full review of the Atrix 4G after a few days of use, so stay tuned. I’m particularly interested in using the Laptop Dock as an all-day computer for two reasons. First I want to see what, if any, limitations are faced with a smartphone-as-computer setup even running on a peppy Nvidia Tegra 2 dual core chip. Second, the experience will tell me if the Laptop Dock is worth the $499 price-tag, although you can bundle it with the Atrix 4G at the same cost.

Related content from GigaOM Pro (sub req’d):

• Marketing Handsets in the Superphone Era
• Today’s Smartphones Give Rise to Tomorrow’s Robots
• For Phones, the Future is Multiple Cores

Before I cover the issues here, let me recap what the dock is. Essentially, it’s a laptop-like shell that uses the Atrix handset for its processing power. You plug the phone into the back of the dock and see a basic Linux computing interface on the 11.6-inch display of the dock. The appeal is that you have a larger screen and keyboard, plus all phone data is usable on the dock; there’s no syncing involved. The dock also has an internal battery, which can charge the Atrix handset.

There are a number of challenges that face this accessory at nearly $500, but here are my main concerns that will keep this otherwise fresh, new mobile solution away from many consumers.

• It’s a single-purpose accessory. The Laptop Dock can only be used with one phone on one carrier: the Atrix 4G, which is an exclusive device to AT&T’s network for now. That means customers are shelling out up to $500 for an accessory that’s useless if they decide to later change carriers or phones. A far better situation would be if Motorola announced a number of Atrix phones that can work with the docking accessory. That could happen in the future, but until it does, this is a $500 one-trick pony.
• It’s a dumb terminal with no broadband connection. You can’t use the dock without the phone because the phone provides the processing power and the wireless connection needed to be useful. Without the phone, the dock is a paperweight.
• It doesn’t reduce the number of devices you’ll carry. For $500, I’d want to see some sort of convergence benefit, meaning that instead of carrying three devices — a phone, a tablet, and a laptop, for example — you could carry two. But even if customers buy the Laptop Dock in lieu of a laptop, they’re still carrying the same number of devices. And this device is limited when compared to a full computer.
• Computers are cheaper. At this price, the Laptop Dock is competing against netbooks, and even some notebooks, which today can run all day on a single charge yet still weigh only three pounds. That’s a tough sell and while there are benefits to having the dock, will consumers value them enough to justify the price difference?
• It costs more than the phone. While this is obvious, it’s going to play a big role in terms of consumer mindset. Keeping smartphones at or under the magical $199 price point is helping to attract many feature phone upgrade candidates. Part of how that’s done is through carrier subsidies on the hardware to keep the up-front pricing at that number. When consumers see a $499 price tag on the dock when the phone is $199, there’s an expectation of far more value in the dock. Yet, as mentioned above, it’s a very limited accessory with a web browser and a few applications.

Make no mistake; I still believe Motorola’s Laptop Dock was one of the most innovative and forward-thinking devices I saw at the CES last month. There’s no question the company is pushing the envelope in terms of mobile computing. The theory is sound, but the execution isn’t where it needs to be for mainstream consumers to even test such a theory yet.

I suspect most customers who do purchase the Laptop Dock will take advantage of the $499 bundle, which includes both the Atrix handset and the dock accessory. That makes it a little easier of a pill to swallow, but is that enough? I’m curious to hear if the dock is worth the $300 price tag in that situation for you.

Related content from GigaOM Pro (sub req’d):

• Marketing Handsets in the Superphone Era
• Today’s Smartphones Give Rise to Tomorrow’s Robots
• For Phones, the Future is Multiple Cores

Motorola Atrix 4G. The phone has two 1 GHz cores, a generous 1930 mAh battery, 1 GB of RAM, and a fingerprint reader to unlock the device, which uses a qHD display, or 960 x 540 resolution. Atrix 4G is headed to AT&T’s HSPA+ network, which should provide a broadband speed boost over existing 3G handsets. Even with these specs, “it only replaces about 80 percent of a computer,” said Jha. That’s where the small HD dock with 3 USBs, HDMI out, wireless keyboard and mouse come into play, bringing a large-screen experience to the phone. Atrix can also be docked into a laptop-like shell called a lapdoc; the phone powers an 11.6-inch display for up to 8 hours, making for a modular notebook form factor completely run by the phone’s internals.

Motorola Cliq 2. This is a refresh of the Cliq, which was one of last year’s CES introductions. The 3.7-inch touchscreen with Android 2.2 runs on a beefier 1 Ghz processor than its predecessor and offers improved MotoBlur widgets to track friends on social networks. Although I originally found MotoBlur to be more of a battery drain than a benefit, consumers appear to disagree: Jha said that Motorola has close to 6 million MotoBlur subscribers. The Cliq 2 is available on Jan. 19 for T-Mobile customers.

Motorola Droid Bionic. This is another dual-core, 4G smartphone, but uses Verizon’s LTE network for data with fallback to 3G or EVDO. The device is all screen: 4.3-inches worth, with the same qHD resolution as the Atrix 4G. Typical of a phone in this class, Bionic can pipe video to an HDTV through an integrated HDMI jack and will record or playback 1080p content. Video chat will also be supported through a front-facing camera. Jha said the Droid Bionic will appear in the second quarter on Verizon’s network, which is when Verizon originally said consumers would see LTE handsets.

Motorola Xoom. This looks to be the first Android Honeycomb tablet for Verizon, available near the end of the first quarter, although it will only work on the carrier’s 3G data network at first. Jha said the Xoom is upgradable to 4G after launch, but didn’t discuss details. The 10.1-inch tablet uses a laptop-like 1280 x 800 resolution and has two cameras: a 2-megapixel sensor in the front for video chat over Wi-Fi, 3G or 4G and a 5-megapixel rear camera for stills and 720p video recording. As noted in Wednesday’s introductory video of Honeycomb, video chat will be supported directly in Google Talk. Xoom will also function as a mobile hotspot, capable of sharing an Internet connection with up to five devices over Wi-Fi.

Given that many of the tablets and dual-core phones launching at CES were expected, the early surprise this year so far is the Atrix 4G and its modular docking system. On one hand, it’s very promising because the phone becomes the central point of processing, graphics and content. That can reduce the pain of syncing data and media to a set-top box or other computing device; since the Atrix 4G laptoc accessory is essentially a terminal, there’s no need to move content.

But the accessory also runs a separate operating system based on Linux, so there’s an open question on support and upgrades for that component. I’ll ask Motorola about that when I get a closer, hands-on look at their new lineup. Even with that question, it’s clear that more powerful smartphones continue to close the gap on traditional computers as consumers become more mobile.

Related content from GigaOM Pro (sub req’d):

• Marketing Handsets in the Superphone Era
• Today’s Smartphones Give Rise to Tomorrow’s Robots
• For Phones, the Future is Multiple Cores