Motorola Atrix

Motorola Atrix

When T3 magazine announced its “Hot 100 Gadgets” of 2011, the Motorola Atrix was No 1, ahead of Apple’s iPad, a host of Google tablets and a range of products, from laptops to sound systems and games consoles.

Thanks to a dual-core processor, rather surprisingly advertised on the start-up screen, the Atrix runs extremely quickly and is able to do a number of things at once in a way that would have been unthinkable even 18 months ago. Watching a movie while also flicking to a web browser, say.

The Atrix challenges the distinction between mobile and computer. For most consumers, the basic functions of a laptop – text editing and web browsing – can now be done online. People are buying laptops, not for their power, but for the keyboard and larger screen.

An Atrix, however, can plug into the Lapdock accessory, which boasts the sort of super-thin, ultra-light design that would once fetch a much higher price than £299.

Of course, the dock is not a fully-fledged laptop, but for many purposes it’s as much as you’ll need. Factor in the other docks that can use the phone to play movies via your TV or music via your hi-fi and the Atrix is as irresistible as a Google Android handset gets. If there’s a fault, it’s that it’s still easy to get to the limits of its capabilities. That’s testament, though, to how far technology has come so fast. In future, a single device is likely to connect wirelessly to screens of various sizes in various settings. Atrix is a first glimpse of that new, always connected world.

Full review: Motorola Atrix review

Score: 4/5

Operating System: Android
Screen: 540x960 4.0”
Processor: Dual Core 1000MHz
Battery (Talk time): 8.8hrs
Camera Resolution: 5 Megapixels
Weight: 135g
Memory: Built in 16gb plus Micro SD slot