Motorola Atrix review
The Motorola Atrix, the company's latest Android smartphone, can also be used as a laptop. Unfortunately, it is more a Frankenstein's monster than the best of both worlds as we find out in our review.
The Motorola Atrix is a decent smartphone, but with the exception of the fingerprint reader there's little to recommend it over our favourite dual-core Android phone, Samsung's Galaxy S2. We liked the idea of the Lapdock, if only because it could reduce the number of computers IT departments would have to manage, but it's implemented so badly that we can't possibly recommend it to anyone in its current state. You'd be much better off buying a netbook to accompany the Atrix or indeed any other smartphone.
At first glance the Motorola Atrix seems like an unassuming Android 2.2 smartphone, but it has some impressive technology beneath its plain black plastic shell. It's the first Android phone we've seen with a high-resolution 960x540 pixel screen, it's one of the first phones to have a dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor and, incredibly, it has the unique ability to turn into a laptop with the help of an optional docking accessory. Despite all this, we weren't as enamoured with the Atrix as we thought we would be.
Careless whisper
Although the Atrix is made out of plastic rather than the glass or metal used in other high-end smartphones, it still feels robust, well-made and slender. Alongside all the usual Android buttons is the power button on the top rear of the phone which doubles as a fingerprint reader a security feature that will be of immediate interest to corporate IT departments and average users alike. It's a handy alternative to having yet another PIN to remember, although the fingerprint reader is a bit touchy it required a firm and prolonged finger swipe before it unlocked the phone. Other standard Android 2.2 security features, such as remotely wiping the contents of the phone in the event of its theft or loss and the ability for IT departments to enforce minimum password requirements are also present.
It's the first Android phone we've seen with a high-resolution 960x540 pixel screen
The Atrix is currently available exclusively on Orange which is the network we used to make a few test calls. Call quality in central London on a busy street corner was generally satisfactory. The noise-cancelling microphone managed to block out the sound of traffic so it was barely audible to a caller on the other end of a call. The caller did report that this writer's voice sounded rather tinny and distant though.
Sign up today and you will receive a free copy of our Future Focus 2025 report - the leading guidance on AI, cybersecurity and other IT challenges as per 700+ senior executives
-
Salesforce says ‘Microsoft’s anticompetitive tying of Teams' harmed business in triumphant response to EU concessions agreement
News Microsoft has agreed to make versions of its Office solutions suite available without Teams – and at a reduced price
By Ross Kelly Published
-
Healthcare organizations report rampant email security failures – and Microsoft 365 is often the weakest link
News IT leaders say they're drowning in security alerts and missing real threats, thanks to limited resources, expanding attack surfaces, and weak security strategies
By Emma Woollacott Published
-
Is the honeymoon period over for Microsoft and OpenAI? Strained relations and deals with competitors spell trouble for the partnership that transformed the AI industry
Analysis Microsoft and OpenAI are slowly drifting apart as both forge closer ties with respective rivals and reevaluate their long-running partnership.
By Ross Kelly Published