Since the release of the Atrix laptop dock bundle, there has been much debate as to the usefulness of this accessory to the latest Motorola smartphone. Reading Engadget reviews speaking of sluggish performance and Tweets about wasted functionality did shake my confidence in the dock, but I purchased it nonetheless.
In the midst of the honeymoon period I'm more than happy to carry a small netbook bag to tote the laptop dock. However, I admit that with time there is a chance this could get old after a while. In lieu of this, there is no denying that I am caught between a rock and a hard place in yearning for a hardware qwerty keyboard.
The fact of the matter is that there is hardly any GSM 4 inch screen Android with an onboard qwerty, so I've had to rely on peripherals like Freedom Pro. While it did come in handy, it felt limited and incomplete since the driver didn't support all the keys on the keyboard. Despite this, I still would have chosen that over spending money for the laptop dock. However, both the Inspire and Atrix proved to be incapable of fully connecting to the Freedom Pro, leaving me stuck without a hardware qwerty alternative yet again on Android. Waiting for the Nokia E7 could have been another solution as well, but time simply ran out on that option after endless delays. Even if I did get my hands on that Communicator successor, using Symbian S^3 would have only satisfied me but so much until boredom set in. At the end of the day, I prefer Android, and relying on virtual qwerty choices would not last long in my urge for prolonged writing.
The laptop dock isn't the most practical solution, but it's one that's seamless and works like it should with Atrix. Similar to the custom docks for the Nexus One in months past, Motorola has blessed this phone with an ecosystem of its own accessories. Call me crazy or old-fashioned, but I am more attracted to the allure of this kind of cohesive system over a gathering of different peripherals that may or may not work. Despite past misgivings about its Milestone device, Motorola certainly caught my attention with the shining examples of extended functionality at CES with the Atrix and its many docks. Upon seeing an online promo video from YouTube demonstrating the numerous functions performed with the Atrix system, I knew that I was hooked immediately.
There was a time when I did find satisfaction from building my own setup and even figuring out how to make it operate when necessary, but that has passed for me. In my quest for efficiency and peace of mind, I have practically lost all will to hack, root, or whatever other term is being used these days for such activity. I have reached a point where I just want things to work out of the box without me having to do too much thinking. Honestly, I may be considered just a couple steps away from getting an iPhone, but there's hardly a viable option for me outside of Android.
In regards to the retail costs, it's a matter of picking your poison. I can truthfully admit that the $500 charge for the laptop dock alone is simply ludicrous, which is why I jumped at the chance to get the more reasonable bundle for the same price. Since I was not eligible for a full upgrade yet, I was granted the early upgrade pricing. Either way, everything still worked itself out with my exchange of the Inspire 4G. I was already paying $20 for data overage charges on AT&T, so I didn't mind going for the peace of mind with the tethering add-on. Yes, I could take my MacBook and tether it to an unlocked phone without paying extra to AT&T, but it is connected as a desktop unit to an external monitor and I'd rather leave it at home for when I'm doing simple word doc editing on the go. Anything more than that such as video editing is done at home anyway, and the laptop dock proves to be a viable alternative for me in this regard. On top of not wishing to move my MacBook, there's also the potential of going over the 2GB data cap for a third month in a row.
Being an Android user who prefers a hardware qwerty has been quite a challenge over the years since I first laid eyes on the Nexus One. While I found solace at one point with the Samsung Captivate and Freedom Pro keyboard, it was only temporary as I soon found myself detesting TouchWiz. Disenchanted with the Android lineup of products at the time, I turned to the likes of Windows Phone 7 and even reunited with Symbian S60 3rd edition for a short stint with a hardware qwerty device. But no matter how far I ran from Android, I could not ignore the fact that it still remained the most functional and favored OS of all time for my own personal usage. Upon making a comeback with the HTC Inspire 4G, I was disappointed to find out my Freedom Pro bluetooth keyboard would not work with it. This same fate fell upon me with the Atrix 4G as well, but the laptop dock was there to redeem me in the best way possible. A touchscreen phone can have a million features bundled with it, but my yearning for hardware keys would only grow stronger and lead to an eventual dislike of it. I am glad that Motorola has at least found a way to make it harder for me to dislike or get bored with its latest device!
After 2 days so far, I learned there are so many reasons as to why I should not get the laptop dock, but there are some as to why I should. Peace of mind and personal satisfaction comes to mind for me at this moment. While a multimedia buff may not take a liking to flash video playback, I can say that for right now it works for my own personal needs in writing word documents on a bigger screen and full keyboard without unplugging my Mac from home. True, this is not perfect and certainly shows a few faults here and there, but it is the closest thing to perfect that I've got with Android...for now.
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Trentonn Smith, Blogger/Netcast host
Sent from my Motorola Atrix via laptop dock
http://about.me/trentsense/bio
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