Yes, I said it, the Motorola Matrix. I know they wanted to call it that. What happened was someone sent out the press release without realizing there was a typo and boom the Atrix was born!
First off, I must mention that I'm not a fan of MotoBLUR, so right out of the gate most Motorola Android devices fail to catch my attention. The Motorola Droid X was the exception because, really, how could you hate on the Droid X? The Atrix 4G won't get a pass.
This device was all the rave at CES 2011, and I remember all the fanfare it was getting. However, now that I've looked at it closer, I'm not really impressed. Don't get me wrong the specs and the concept with the laptop dock are great, but this just isn't a hot phone.
First off, the Atrix isn't really much to look at. The all black color with the carbon fiber backing has been seen around the block before, and actually make the device look rather plain and bland. Where is the splash of color? Also, this thing is slippery as hell. If you do buy it, please get a rubber case for it (everything is better with rubber). I nearly dropped it twice while reviewing it.
The saving grace for this phone is the concept of the docking it into a netbook-like attachment, and this is where the Atrix shines. While the device alone was boring and bland, hook it into the dock and the combo gets sexier. The dock reminds me of the Google Chrome prototype netbook, but is like the sexier black chrome cousin.
The combo together is sleek, sexy, and slim. Would I buy this device? Honestly, no. While I like the pair, I wouldn't want to be seen with the Atrix by itself. So if you're thinking about getting this, make sure you intend to use the duo often for maximum style points!
G Style Rating (Motorola Atrix 4G alone): Fashion Intern G Style Rating (
Motorola Atrix 4G with Dock): Fashion Designer
Jason Anderson is a self-proclaimed gadget head and publisher of G Style Magazine where he covers all things “fashionably technical.” He contributes a weekly post on laptop and gadget panache. The views and opinions Jason expresses are his own.
