It just got all official - Motorola"s Atrix 4G smartphone will arrive on February 22. Engadget spotted a tweet by AT&T"s "Blogger Relations" guy, Seth Bloom saying that the release date is now official and existing preorders will be shipping for delivery on the 21st.
The Atrix 4G is an Android-powered smartphone sporting a 4-inch, 960 x 540 display, dual-core CPU and 1GB of RAM, but perhaps the most interesting aspect of the Atrix is its ability to be turned into a laptop computer.
When partnered with the (purchased separately) Laptop Dock, the phone becomes the heart of a Linux-based laptop. Motorola hopes the phone will change the way we work, with your phone becoming the hub for everything you do. Whether a Linux laptop is enough for people to dump their existing laptop, however, remains to be seen.
Of course, all this new functionality and new selection of accessories (or toys!) doesn"t come cheap. The Atrix 4G weighs in at a not inconsiderable $199.99 plus contract, and that"s before you start adding the optional Laptop Dock ($299.99 minus $100 mail-in rebate) and HD Media Dock ($129.99).
While it"s true you don"t have to buy all the accessories, without them this is just another Android phone. Granted, by all accounts it"s a rather good Android phone, but we can"t help but feel part of the Atrix 4G"s charm is in the way it can do so much more than be just another smartphone.