My Shiny New Toy

March 7, 2012 2 Comments

Well, not exactly a toy .. my mobile phone is my life device, to be sure. However, if you’ve followed me for long .. you know I’m always ready to share about exciting bits and pieces as I encounter them.

MOTOROLA ATRIX 2The flavor of the week / month / year (my last mobile device performed for 2-1/2 years) is the Motorola Atrix 2: dual-core processor, larger-than-life (and pocket) screen, and best of all (tonight, anyway): wireless hotspot.

Handy?

Yes: it boasts all the usual applications, all the Google services, 8GB of onboard RAM, can hold a 32GB microSD AND supports multiple Exchange ActiveSync (EAS) profiles .. now I have no excuse to escape from work, customer or personal email.

On handy: the Atrrix ships with QuickOffice, which recognizes all my Microsoft Office formats .. and now I can even get Microsoft Office OneNote for Android .. which (happily) synchronizes via SkyDrive to my PCs and other devices. This is huge. It doesn’t support Live Mesh, though .. this would be cool for file management and backup across all my devices (I used it on all my PCs and servers .. even cloud servers).

Speedy?

Yes: 4G speeds, thanks to AT&T, plus Wi-Fi.

How fast?

Right now, I’m getting 5 down, 1 up; very nice as the Wi-Fi in the restaurant isn’t working.

On to other toys:

  • The device has a standard dock for charging. Boooring.
  • Wireless keyboard with touchpad. Yawn.
  • Vehicle dock. Snore.
  • Warming up: the Multimedia Dock that connects the device via USB to mouse and keyboard AND a video interface to an external monitor. Wayy coool.

Coolest: the Lapdock.

Lapdock™ for MOTOROLA ATRIX™ 4GThis spiffy (and expensive!) little device is what caught my eye a year or so ago (the Atrix 1).

Drop the phone into the Lapdock and you have a keyboard and monitor at your beck and call.

The real key here: will the software on the phone support enough tasks that this is a viable laptop replacement for email, browsing, blogging, editing and such for short trips?

In a word: maybe. I am looking to buy one on the cheap to give it a good test.

I’ll let you know what I find.

Filed under Mobile

About Michael Coates
I am a pragmatic evangelist. The products, services and solutions I write about fulfill real-world expectations and use cases. I stay up-to-date on real products I use and review, and share my thoughts here. I apply the same lens when designing an architecture, product or when writing papers. I am always looking for ways that technology can create or enhance a business opportunity .. not just technology for technology's sake. My CV says: Seasoned technology executive, leveraging years of experience with enterprise and integration architectural patterns, executed with healthy doses of business acumen and pragmatism. That's me. My web site says: Technology innovations provide a myriad of opportunities for businesses. That said, having the "latest and greatest" for its own sake isn't always a recipe for success. Business successes gained through exploiting innovation relies on analysis of how the new features will enhance your business followed by effective implementation. Goals vary far and wide: streamlining operations, improving customer experience, extending brand, and many more. In all cases, you must identify and collect the metrics you can apply to measure your success. Analysis must be holistic and balanced: business and operational needs must be considered when capitalizing on a new technology asset or opportunity.

2 Responses to My Shiny New Toy

  1. Pingback: Motorola LapDock 100 « OpsanBlog

  2. Pingback: Windows Phone 8 – Nokia Lumia 920 | OpsanBlog

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