As mobile technology continues to converge, manufacturers are trying to provide us with the one device which can cater to all our mobile media needs. Incorporating a dual-core 1GHz processor, 1GB or RAM, an excellent quarter HD (960 x 540) screen, and the ability to transform into a quasi-netbook in an instant, the Motorola Atrix is certainly taking steps in the right direction.

But how will this first-of-its-kind product hold up under our scrutiny? Will it set a new trend, or falter in a few months? We took it for a spin to see if it’s true to its promise.

The Phone

Hardware
The Atrix has a full plastic body with faux carbon metal styling on the back, which actually feels more terrible than it sounds. In our hot and humid country, sweat and grime infested fingers are a norm, and the plasticky feel of the phone soon gets a bit sticky.

Taking off the back cover is also quite a feat, as the phone gives no clues on how to go about doing it. The “button” which I pressed to try to get it off turned out to be the speaker grill (a very battered speaker grill, which proves I’m not the only reviewer to try opening it that way). Turns out you just have to push the corners away from you to get it open.

But those are the only complaints, for the Atrix has a tight and solid build which feels really durable. The rounded corners make it a comfortable device to hold, and the lock/power key is located in the middle of the top edge at a slight angle, a surprisingly ideal place for the index fingers of both hands to reach. Our review unit didn’t have a fingerprint reader, so we couldn’t test that one out.

The front of the device is dominated by a 4-inch screen, which looks crisp and bright even in direct sunlight.  But it has nothing on the iPhone 4, which still has a higher pixel density and therefore sharper screen.

Also on the front are the standard Android function keys and a camera, which lets you gawk at yourself and make video calls. A volume rocker sits on the right profile, and a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash, which is capable of taking 720p video, resides on the back. And on the left of the device are two connecting ports: a micro USB port and an HDMI port. These two ports work with Motorola’s docks to enhance the phone’s functionality (more on that later!).

Software
The Atrix runs Android 2.2 with Motorola’s custom MotoBlur skin and widgets. 2.2 might be a bummer to some, but with a promise update to 2.3 this isn’t that big a deal for enterprise users who don’t need all the latest Android fun. MotoBlur has improved vastly since its birth, and some of its widgets are pretty useful, though it is still too distracting, in my view. How cool is it? This all comes down to personal preference here.

The dual-core chip is supposed to make everything lightning fast, but I must confess I see no difference between the Atrix’s performance versus my old Desire HD with a single core 1GHz chip. Sure, resource intensive apps such as heavy games run smoother, but no discernable difference can be perceived during day-to-day usage.

Worse, there was noticeable lag once in a while when navigating through the menus and waiting for some native apps (messaging!) to load. User experience was also choppy and not too smooth in several instances. Could this be an Android issue in general?

The phone comes preloaded with several apps, including QuickOffice for productivity and Qik for video chat. Depending on your telco, there could also be other specific apps preloaded.  The default camera and camcorder apps are alright, though you won’t be throwing away your point-and-shoot for this.

Battery
Motorola has very helpfully built in a power control function into the Atrix, letting you create battery profiles and fine tune your battery performance. The most useful one I found was the Nighttime saver, which stops the phone from syncing after 15 minutes of inactivity during non-peak (10pm to 5am) hours.

Another trick to conserve battery life is to control the phone’s screen brightness, or set it to auto. But the automatic screen brightness function on my unit is ridiculously sensitive, so much that my screen literally flickers in rhythm when I walk through a shady area and bursts of sunlight hit the screen.

In general, the battery could last a day of usage without the need to hit the power socket. My normal usage includes regular syncing of mail, surfing the web, reading social network updates, and making calls and texting.  Pleasantly, the dual-core chip is not as much a power-sucker as I thought it would be. But if you play games or watch videos more, then the juice might not be enough.

Lapdock + Webtop
Finally, the unique selling point of the Atrix: the Lapdock. The Lapdock looks like a super thin netbook, with its full-sized keyboard, 11.6-inch screen, a large generous trackpad, two USB ports and stereo speakers. The Lapdock’s construction is worlds apart from the phone, with a beautiful brushed metal casing and a rubbery plastic material around the back.

By itself, it’s a piece of beautiful if useless brick, but slide the Atrix into a built-in holder at the back and an app called Webtop springs into life, bringing up a desktop with a full-featured file manager and Firefox browser with Flash, and you can play FarmVille to your heart’s content.

The interface is similar to OS X and some Linux distributions. In fact, Webtop is based on Ubuntu Linux. A menu bar runs across the screen at the top, and an application dock sits at the bottom. If you so desire, you can pin individual sites such as Facebook to the application dock for quicker access.

The genius idea here is how your phone integrates with the Lapdock. A window replicating your phone’s screen, called MobileView, can be called up at any point in time, so you can answer calls, reply text messages and play some casual games like Angry Birds. Apps which use multitouch are out of luck, though, since you only get one mouse cursor to control elements on the screen.

Connectivity is also not a problem, since the Atrix’s mobile network and WiFi connection can be shared with the Lapdock. Whenever notifications come in, such as a new SMS or email, a small notification box will appear in the top corner of the screen, a very nice touch.

Webtop also allows you to browse the filesystem of the phone, including the microSD card if you installed one. This is naturally terrific for photos and videos, especially preloaded movies on your microSD card for those exceptionally long waits or flights.

But any file you want to open will have to done with the relevant installed Android app. The Lapdock itself does not allow the installation of any native application, so if you double click on a Microsoft Word file, for example, your Atrix’s QuickOffice will fire up and load the document. You’ll have to read and edit it in MobileView, which you can expand to fit the screen.

The app that impressed me the most is the Entertainment Center, which is something like the Front Row you find on OS X. You can easily view all the multimedia content you have on your phone and play them though simple keyboard commands: arrow keys, Backspace and Enter/Return. A handy tool if you just want quick access to your movies.

It sure is a fantastic concept, but the laptop dock leaves a lot to be desired during actual usage. The mouse cursor, for one, is like a spoilt child that you have to drag along the trackpad. I wasted no time in sticking in a USB mouse and the experience greatly improved.

General performance of the Lapdock was also sluggish, with the most prominent app Firefox taking more than a few seconds to load. Surfing the web was an “okay” experience, and heavy sites tend to have short moments of freezes. On the upside, Flash works and I was able to watch YouTube without much trouble. Just don’t touch anything while the video plays, or the whole page might freeze up.

The Lapdock’s keyboard is, in a word, appalling. It’s cramped, some keys are smaller than you’ll be used to, and the tactile feel of the keyboard pales in comparison to a proper laptop (although they’re much better than a soft keyboard, of course). If you already detest a netbook’s keyboard, chances are the Atrix’s will leave you in bad taste, too.

Conclusion
I can’t possibly tell you straight out whether the Atrix is a good buy, because all users have different needs. As an Android phone, it is capable enough, and the dual-core chip is certainly enough for many to plunk down their cash and/or two years of their life.

Even so, I still say HTC or Samsung makes better Android phones, with noticeably better performance. Throw the Lapdock into the equation and things get more complicated. It’s an enticing concept, to be sure, but as a first generation materialisation of an innovative concept, there is a lot of room for improvement, starting with Webtop’s performance.

In fact, why not just boot into Chrome OS whenever the Atrix gets docked? It makes sense: Android is for phones, and Chrome OS is for netbooks. Chrome OS is in addition optimised for low-spec’d devices. Or you could just get a proper netbook – they’re getting really good performance nowadays – and use the Atrix’s WiFi hotspot capability.

We didn’t have a chance to test out the HD dock, but that could be a reason for purchase as well, if you want a very simple home theatre PC system. No messing around with cables and such; just plug in the phone and you’re good to go.

All in all, we give the Atrix full marks for innovation, but just passing marks for execution. Because of some rough edges, it’s not a must-buy, but we are patiently awaiting the next iteration of this concept, which will definitely be a huge improvement after spending much time in the real world.

Do you own an Atrix, or are considering getting one? Share your thoughts in the comments!

In other words, a Linux OS. “That’s rubbish” was my response and I simply told him/her that the sentence was a total waste of valuable space on the newspaper. He/she said he/she did not understand why I used the word rubbish and went on to send me more info:

Q. What is the OS for Skylight and why did you choose it?
A. The Skylight User experience is comprised of a custom UI layer built on a custom Linux base OS.   The average user will not be aware that the OS is based on Linux.  We chose this approach because it provided the flexibility to deliver a simple, discoverable, and fun gadget based way of presenting web applications and media.

Q: Is this a Lenovo Operating System?

A: That depends on your definition of “Operating System”.   We have created a unique software stack optimized to achieve a specific user experience focused on web applications, media and cloud computing.    The focus of our investments have been on the User Interface layer.

Q: What did you base the OS on?

A: Lenovo’s Skylight Interface runs on Embedded Linux.  ThunderSoft is Lenovo’s Linux System Integrator.

Q: Are you working with a Linux distribution partner? Who is it?
A: Yes Thundersoft.  Lenovo recognized the value of running Linux as a base platform for the Skylight User Interface for everything from performance to extensive customization.   This allowed us to pick the best and most appropriate elements to solve the SmartBook equation.   An extensive team of partners along with internal development teams from Lenovo and Qualcomm worked together to pick, customize and create what we needed to provide a world-class solution.

Yes my friend. It is still a Linux OS.

Yes, I am talking about Nokia’s Booklet 3G, the cellphone giant’s first mini laptop. If you needed the surest sign of the convergence between smartphones and laptops, details of Nokia’s new gizmo are it.

Unveiled hours ago, the 1.25kg Booklet 3G will feature the usual compact screen (a 10-incher here) first made famous by the first netbooks in the shape of Asus’ Eee PC. Nokia’s small machine will also feature an Intel Atom processor and run Microsoft Windows – standard fare now in netbooks.

So, is this another “me too” product from Nokia, long after the first two waves of netbooks have come from Taiwanese electronics makers and then “A-brand” PC makers?

The main difference I can spot is that the device will come with A-GPS as well as HSPA built in. Both are great in expanding the “connectedness” of netbooks, which until now, have just been low-cost PCs for surfing on the go.

To add to this, there is Nokia’s Ovi suite of software and services thrown in, but I’m not sure the PC crowd really need to use Nokia applications on a laptop other than Music Store. The question here is how compellingly the apps are integrated into the experience for a mobile user.

Interestingly, too, the Booklet 3G comes in an aluminium case. Sure, it’s lightweight. But unless you get really thick aluminium sheets, the metal is not the hardest around and could bend and warp. We’ll have to see the actual unit to be sure.

The most interesting question is why Nokia is doing this. All its previous adventures into new areas – from the ill-fated N-Gage “game deck” to services like Nokia Maps and Music Store – have been about selling more phones.

Sure, the Booklet 3G will sync “seamlessly” with Nokia phones using Nokia’s apps, but surely, I can sync my Windows Mobile phone just as well since the mini notebook runs Windows.

Many questions remain, like how much it will cost and when it will hit the shelves. We’ll have them answered next month when more details are unveiled at a Nokia show-and tell.

One thing’s for sure now: if the Booklet 3G costs as much as a full-powered laptop – that is, upwards of S$1,300 – it will have a tough fight against the likes of Asus UX30 and HP Pavilion dv2.

It had to come sooner or later. After doing really well for its Android OS for mobile phones, and not too bad for the Chrome Web browser (with 30 million users), Google unveiled its Chrome OS for Netbooks late yesterday to a flurry of excitement online.

The free OS is meant to make apps on the Net run more smoothly, when you are at a cafe, say, getting documents on your Gmail and Google Docs. A rich experience – something you get on a “bloated” install of Microsoft Office or indeed Open Office – is what Google has been trying to offer over the Net with its Chrome browser and now the Chrome OS.

The idea is to use the two pieces of software to run Web-based applications that were probably not able run as well or with as much bells and whistles as before. To understand this, just look to Google Docs and you’ll see why it’s a great alternative – but not a replacement – for software you install on your PC.

That’s also why the initial excitement over the Chrome OS launch has quickly followed with questions, as the media and analysts begin to pick apart what the most-loved tech company is doing to enter a marketplace dominated by the most-unloved of them all – Microsoft.

Questions remain, even as the Linux-based OS is scheduled for the second half of 2010. The best of them are pointed out by PC World.

For starters, Linux has not done very well on Netbooks, despite promising a smoother experience without Windows Vista’s lag or Windows XP’s endless security patches.

The reason’s simple – the Netbook-toting bunch includes users who want their Microsoft apps on their 9-inch screens. E-mail and Web browsing are fine, but if I’m editing an Excel or Powerpoint file for a client? It’s probably not going to happen on Google Chrome + Google Docs unless the documents only have really simple formatting.

Sure, Google will be able to summon up hardware vendors – already including Asus, Lenovo and Hewlett-Packard – like no other Linux vendor. But it faces the same question all Linux vendors have faced: compatibility.

Those wishing to break Microsoft’s stranglehold on PC software only need to take a look at Apple. Only when it made PC and Macs truly “compatible” – same USB mouse, same Microsoft Office, same Intel chip which runs both Windows and OS X – did Macs managed to take a chip off Microsoft’s dominance.

Unlike on the mobile phone, where the experience is more varied and personal, PCs are often required to be “standardised”. I’m an example. When I use Open Office to edit simple text files on my laptop for my daily work, it’s as good as Microsoft Office, which I also use on my desktop PC.

But the little kinks sometimes make you want to go out and buy a copy of the blasted Microsoft Office, like when I recently “highlighted” paragraphs in a document with Open Office’s highlighter tool and someone I sent the file to could not “un-highlight” it!

My point: don’t under-estimate the need for compatibility that users demand in a Microsoft-centric world.

Some day, people will be weaned from their diet of Microsoft products, say those against proprietary software. But this won’t come tomorrow, or at least until they see what the fuss is about Google’s Chrome OS next year.

At every computer show I always check out memory card prices just to see how much they have fallen. Here’s what I spotted at the Kingston booth at Hall 6.

For a comparison, look at some of the memory card prices from last November’s Sitex.

Prices of memory cards, especially the 8GB and 16GB varieties, have fallen. The 8GB micro SD has dropped from around $32 to $25 and the 16GB micro SD from $112 to $84.

I was on the lookout for a netbook, and went to both the Asus and Acer booths to look at their EePc and AspireOne range respectively.

Will probably trawl IT Show some more this weekend for more cheapo offers, but overall felt that I liked the Asus AspireOne 10.1 inch netbook (in blue) better because of the overall nicer finishing.

The price is $688 for the Intel Atom Processor N280 , Windows XP Home edition version, 1GB onboard RAM and 160GB hard disk. The weight is 1.33kg with battery (the whole point of buying a netbook is that it is light!), and it comes with wi-fi 8021.11 b/g and bluetooth, which is pretty standard.

There were no freebies packaged with the deal, but I was told the outside retail price is $799. Of the few resellers selling the Acer AspireOne at the IT Show, the Best Denki booth threw in a free upgrade to 2GB RAM which I will strongly consider if I go back this weekend to snipe a good deal.

If you find any great deals at the IT Show, drop a comment on this post and share your experience!

Gosh, it must be almost four months since the NC10 landed here in Hong Kong and it’s now easily available the big electronic chain stores here like Broadway. I just had a quick glance from the branch near my office and the retail price was HK$3990. When it was first launched, it was initially available only in white, but now, its available in dark and light blue, pink as well as black.

A pity that SG still doesn’t have it. My wife’s sis got one here as a Xmas present and I had a good look at it – with my wife’s Asus Eee PC 1000H right next to it, and it immediately made my wife give up her loyalty for the Asus.

Physically, the Samsung is a little more svelt. It is a little thinner here and there, but in practical terms it’s almost the same size – except that when closed, the Asus is thicker round the back. Both these machines sport a 6 cell battery, and the Samsung clocks in lighter at 1.33kg, compared against the 1.45kg of the 1000H. My wife certainly prefers the look of the NC10 over the 1000H but too bad, there wasn’t the NC10 when she bought the 1000H.

One of the most important differences between the two machines comes down to their keyboards. The Samsung has a larger, more well spaced keyboard that feels almost like a full sized keyboard. The Asus takes a little getting used to as its smaller and its tiny right shift key will cause you some initial frustration. It’s not as small as the keyboards on the 8.9″ netbooks though.

The NC10 also has better trackpad buttons. The one on the Asus is rather loud, and the one on my wife’s 1000H has started to act a little unreliably for a while – sometimes you have to press it quite hard – but it’s somehow gone back to normal now.

The Samsung’s screen is also brighter and had a less bluish tinge. Not a huge difference here to most users but the Samsung has the upper hand here. But in the audio section, Asus certainly has a better set of speakers on the 1000H.

So if I had to get a 10.2 inch screen netbook now, it will probably be the Samsung NC10 – which if you’re in Singapore, you still can’t get your hands on. Unless you want me to lug one back from Hong Kong for you?

Do you want an Asus Eee PC or an HP mini?

That seems to be the choice that Sitex shoppers are being asked to make by SingTel and StarHub, as the two broadband operators slug it out in an increasingly saturated broadband market.

Counting personal broadband services like 3.5G offerings, Singapore has a residential broadband penetration of 93 per cent.

What do SingTel and StarHub do then? Tie you in with ever more attractive deals, of course!

At the Sitex show this weekend, you’ll get an Xbox 360 Holiday Value Bundle free, if you sign up for a S$53-a-month, 8Mbps ADSL broadband plan. In fact, add S$2 more each month and you can choose an Asus Eee PC 900HA instead.

StarHub, on the other hand, gives a free HP mini netbook for signing up to its MaxOnline cable modem services. Wait, if you don’t like small, you can also choose a desktop PC from HP for free.

But what I find more exciting is the S$289 Dell Inspiron mini 9 netbook (usual S$899) that StarHub is offering with a two-year signup of its MaxMobile 3.5G wireless service, which, for StarHub cable modem users, costs only S$36.38 a month for unlimited 7.2Mbps downloads.

If you are happy with your telco, by all means get tied in and get the goodies that they offer. Just make sure that you like the service (slow downloads, lag on game servers?) instead of the freebie.

In any case, always check if your contract is up (usually 24 to 28 mths). Maybe it’s time to recontract and get a free netbook in return for your loyalty?

Just returned from a trip down to the computer centre in Mongkok here in Hong Kong and found that the prices of many Netbooks have been slashed – and they are really selling well.

Was there with a friend to buy the Asus Eee PC 1000H 80GB and found that in the month and a half since my girlfriend bought hers, the price has dropped more than 10 per cent. ARGGH! It was HK$4,650 then, and now, we managed to get it down to HK$4,150 if you paid cash!

The Asus Eee PC 1000H was obviously doing very well, as some shops simply had no stock of the black coloured model that we were looking for. We eventually found one shop that had it but had to wait an hour or so as they needed to install the English Windows XP version onto it. The machine comes with both English and Chinese Windows XP restore discs. And when we came back, I noticed that out of the stack of 6 or 7 Eee PCs, there were only 2 left!

A quick price scan revealed that many of the other Netbooks have also dropped in price. For example, the Acer Aspire One was just HK$2,600 and the Asus Eee PC 901 was HK$3,288 – probably a little less if you paid cash.

The Asus Eee PC 1000H with the 40GB SSD was also in the stores and that might have helped push down the price of the 80GB hard disk version.

Seems like Netbooks are really all the rage … and folks are loving them. At these prices, I can certainly understand why! You could buy two of these Netbooks for the price of an uncontracted 3G iPhone!

And consumers will simply be spoilt for more choice in the Netbook space. Dell’s releasing its Inspiron Mini 9, Toshiba’s kicking out its Libretto replacement in the NB105, BenQ supposedly releasing its JoyBook Lite, Samsung rolling out its Netbook too, and the list goes on.

In the meantime, I still think the Asus Eee PC 1000H is the best bang for buck if you’re looking for a Netbook that has a “traditional” HDD.

I’ll try to post an overdue review of it a little later.