Reviewing the Samsung Series 7 Slate PC

Samsung has released the much awaited Series 7 Slate PC tablet that was given away at the Developers conference this past September. After getting my hands on the Samsung Series 7 slate, I can say, this is the tablet to beat as a full PC slate computer. The build quality is very good all around with smooth round edges, making it great to hold the slate. Despite the thinness of the slate, Samsung managed to really pack some serious power under the hood with the i5-2467M processor to make everything open up very quickly with hardly any waiting. It is light enough at 1.98 lbs. to hold it, and use it as a digital writing pad and browse the web. There is no replaceable battery on the back, but you easily can get a good 7 hours of battery life, which should get you through any meeting.



The Samsung Series 7 Slate PC comes with Windows 7 and a 11.6-inch screen that is very bright, vivid and very responsive to the touch as well with the stylus. I have installed the Windows 8 Developer Preview on the Samsung Series 7 Slate, and have been using it for about a week and have to say that the touch is great using it with the Samsung Series 7 Slate. There is still some work that Microsoft needs to make it more tablet friendly, like making scroll bars or buttons a bit bigger for touch. Everything runs smooth and boots up in less than 10 seconds from a complete shut down, making it perfect for saving battery if you want to do a complete shut down and not having to wait for the long boot up to start working. I can see taking this to this years CES 2012 to be able to edit videos and pictures as it is very fast and is able to handle the task. All this without the bulk of a complete laptop because I can carry it as tablet to take notes.



The back of the Samsung Series 7 Slate is made of some type of metal that is very sturdy and is very nice as it is round around to give you a better hold on the tablet. You can see there is not much on the back, the vent slot for the air circulating, rear 3MP camera and the "Samsung" logo. I really like how Samsung kept it simple. Looks very classy.



The rear 3MP camera won't be replacing any point and shoot camera, nor will it be replacing my phone camera. This was in low light but would have been nice, after all this is the top of the line tablet, Samsung should have included at least a 5MP camera with better optics.



On the right side you have the power button and below is the screen rotation lock button. You can see below the screen rotation lock button is the door for the 3G SIM card. When the slate is on you will see a blue LED light up above the power button. Again, very clean and simple on the sides.



On the top you will find the MicroSD card slot, would have been nice if this was a full size SD card. This could have given you the ability to use a 64GB SD card to increase the storage space for your documents or anything else. Also on the top is (2) two mics. This makes the noise cancellation much better to record notes in OneNote and other applications.



On the left side you will find the (1) one USB port, Headphone/mic combo, Volume buttons, Micro HDMI port and the PSU port. Again, very well placed and very clean.



On the bottom of the slate, you will find the docking port connection, along with right and left speakers. The sound is pretty loud in an average room with noise, but if you want to play some music, you will need to be looking for some external speakers to play the sound.



The dock for the Samsung Series 7 Slate PC is built solid and very nice that you can close a lid when not using the dock to keep the dock connection from been exposed.


Here you can see the dock with the top lid open, ready for you to place the slate in it. There is also a blue light that lights up when you have the slate in the dock and have the power charger connected to it.


On the rear of the dock, you have for the power adapter charger, RJ45, full size HDMI, USB port and an external headphone jack. The bottom of the dock has a rubber like bottom to keep the dock from sliding and also has a nice weight to it to keep the tablet from tipping over or sliding.


Holding the Samsung Series 7 Slate PC in portrait is very comfortable and not heavy to me at all. Swiping through all the Metro apps and through webpages is very fast. I will be doing a video to show some of the features running with Windows 8 Developer preview.


I have had at times, (15) tabs in the browser, Outlook, Word, OneNote, and Windows photo gallery open and I haven't had any slow performance on the Samsung Series 7 Slate. With the 128GB SSD and 4GB of RAM, keeps this slate running smooth and fast through out.

Processor
• Intel Core i5 i5-2467M / 1.6 GHz
• Multi-Core Technology
Dual-Core
• 64-bit Computing
Cache Memory
• Type
L3 cache
RAM
• Installed Size
4 GB
• Technology
DDR3 SDRAM - 1333 MHz
Storage
• Hard Drive
64/128 GB Solid State Drive
Card Reader
• Card reader type
Card reader
• Supported flash memory cards
microSD
Display
• Display Type
11.6 in Yes TFT active matrix
• LCD Backlight Technology
LED backlight
• Max Resolution
1366 x 768 ( WXGA )
• Widescreen Display
Yes
• Features
SuperBright Plus
Video
• Graphics Processor / Vendor
Intel HD Graphics 3000 Dynamic Video Memory Technology
Audio
• Audio Output
Sound card
• Audio Input
Microphone
Notebook Camera
• Camera Type
Integrated
• Sensor Resolution
3 Megapixel (back), 2 Megapixel (front)
• Camera Features
Second camera
Input Device(s)
• Input device type
Touch-screen
Networking
• Networking
Network adapter
• Wireless LAN Supported
Yes
• Data Link Protocol
Bluetooth 3.0 HS, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11n, IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11g
• Compliant Standards
IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11n, IEEE 802.11b, Bluetooth 3.0
Expansion / Connectivity
• Interfaces
1 x Headphones, 1 x Microphone - Input - Mini-phone 3.5 mm, 1 x Hi-Speed USB - 4 pin USB Type A
Miscellaneous
• Features
Hard drive password
Power
• Power Device
External
• Power Provided
40 Watt
Battery
• Technology
4-cell Lithium polymer
• Installed Qty
1
• Capacity
5400 mAh
Operating System / Software
• OS Provided
Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit Edition

Last chance to get a HP TouchPad at Best Buy

Seems that HP has finally sold the last batch of HP TouchPad's. So if you were in the market to pick up a 32GB TouchPad,  Best Buy will selling them at $149.99 but there is a catch.

Best Buy will only sell you 32GB TouchPad for $149.99 with the purchase of a HP or Compaq computer. This doesn't seem like a good deal, unless you were planning on getting a new computer or if you know of someone that might be purchasing a HP or Compaq computer starting November 1st.

I have been testing out the ThinkPad Tablet for the last couple weeks and have to say that having the ability of using a stylus on a tablet, it is great! Of course it comes with its cons, but the cons are not really related to the stylus, it is more that Lenovo hasn't really polished out Honeycomb on the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet.



Using the stylus to mark up plans or any PDF file has been a time saver. This has eliminated the process of having to scan the actual PDF document and mark it up and then rescan and then email. With the ThinkPad tablet you can just email the PDF document as soon as your done. This is also possible with other tablets, but having the N-Trig digitizer makes it much better and also has some what pressure sensitive inking.



The stylus feels good in your hand. It is about the weight of a good pen, and is comfortable inking on the ThinkPad tablet. Hopefully Lenovo release a better note taking app, as the one it has is not the greatest app. Needs some work to have more features and would be nice if it would integrate with Evernote automatically like the HTC Flyer notes app. You can still send your notes to Evernote, but you have to do this manually. The best solution, especially if Lenovo is marketing this tablet as a business tool. I will be posting some more quick videos of the ThinkPad tablet, so keep a eye out for these quick post.

Sony Tablet S now shipping

For those of you that want to get your hands on the New Sony Tablet S, and be one ofnthe first, then you can head over to TigerDirect and place your order. TigerDirect is showing the Sony Tablet S in -stock in both configurations, 16GB and 32GB. The starting price for the Sony Tablet S is $499. The specs for the tablet are as follows:

Weights and Measurements

Dimensions (Approx.) : 9.5” L x 6.8” W x 0.3”D

Weight (Approx.) : 1lb. 5oz.

Power

Battery Type : Li-Ion 5000mAh

Inputs and Outputs

Headphone Output : 1

MicroUSB : 1

Wireless/Networking

Bluetooth® Technology : Bluetooth version 2.1 + EDR

Wi-Fi : IEEE802.11b/g/n

Installed Memory : 16GB or 32GB

Camera : Front – 0.3 Megapixel Rear – 5.0

Remote Control Functions : IR remote control

Operating System : Android Honeycomb

Processor Type : NVIDIA Tegra2

External Memory : Full-size SD Card slot

Resolution : 1280 x 800

Screen Size : 9.4"

Installed Memory : 16GB

Internal Memory : 1GB ternal Memory : 1GB nstalled Memory : 16GB

Internal Memory : 1GB

Quick overview of the ThinkPad tablet folio case

Here is quick overview of the Lenovo ThinkPad tablet case. I was hoping that it was a bit more stream line. The back should in my opinion been wrapped with the case so that it wasn't glued on top of the plastic insert as you will see in the quick review.

Quick look at the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet

So far after a few days of giving the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet a run through, I can say that this might be the best tablet if you really need to be able to use a stylus. I am still testing out all the functions in the ThinkPad tablet, even though it has Honeycomb just like other tablets. But will see how well Lenovo made use of Honeycomb in their ThinkPad tablet.

Using Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet to markup PDF files

So far as you can see in the video, the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet might be the best solution to using a stylus on a Honeycomb. Works well when you need to sign a PDF document as well.

Lenovo is now shipping Thinkpad Tablet

Lenovo is now shipping the ThinkPad tablet running Android 3.1 starting at $499 for the 16GB model, and will be one of the first to offer 64GB Honeycomb tablet. You can add the stylus for a additional $30. Would be if the stylus would be included, after all Lenovo is advertising this tablet as a business device and also how you can use the ThinkPad tablet to take notes. If the stylus works just as good as my HTC Flyer with the stylus to take notes, this might be my next tablet. The Thinkpad tablet will have:

NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-Core 1.0-GHz processor
Android 3.1 Honeycomb
10.1-inch WXGA (1280×800) 16:10 IPS panel with Corning Gorilla Glass
Multitouch display with digitizer input (pen optional)
1 GB RAM
5-MP primary camera, 2-MP secondary camera
3250 mAh Li-polymer batter (up to 8 hours with WiFi enabled)
Up to 64 GB storage
Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and 3G connectivity
Native USB 2.0 and micro-USB ports, full-size SD card slot, and mini-HDMI output
keyboard folio case with optical TrackPoint
preloaded apps for productivity (e.g., Documents to Go, Citrix Receiver, Lenovo SocialTouch, PrinterShare) and security (e.g., Computrace, McAfee Mobile Security)
access to Lenovo’s curated App Shop (in addition to standard access to the Android Market)

We will have to see how the ThinkPad tablet will succeed, compared to the current Honeycomb tablets. It might have a better chance, because it has a digitizer for a much better inking experience. The only thing I can see it holding it back, will be the price.

Using Dolphin for Pad browser on your Honeycomb Tablet

I have been testing out the Dolphin for Pad browser on my Samsung Galaxy Tab 10, and really enjoying some of the nice features it has to offer. It still needs some work as I have gotten some occasional shut downs, but overall it is worth giving it a try. You can downloaded it at the market place from your tablet.

Hurry and get your Verizon Tablet Sleeve

If you just picked up a iPad 2 and thinking of getting a sleeve, well now is your chance to get the Verizon Tablet Sleeve for just $4.97. This deal might not last long so if you are thinking about getting one, you might want to head out to the nearest store. Here is the link for online. Online it does say it is leather but it doesn't feel like leather.

Hands on Toshiba Thrive Tablet

The Toshiba Thrive is now starting to show up in stores, except that you won't be able to purchase one yet. You can pre-order one, but for now. You at least have an option to give it a test drive. The Thrive feels good and light in your hands, but does feel a bit cheap due to the removable back plastic cover. I in addition not a fan of the chrome around the camera, again looks pretty cheap.



Like most all tablets, the Thrive comes with Nvidia Tegra 2 dual core 1 GHz processor. In the small amount of time, I tested the Thrive, it was quick and very responsive to touch. One of the best features is that it comes with full HDMI, USB, microUSB and full-sized SD card slots. However, this does come at a price. By having full size ports the Thrive is 15.8mm thick. In comparison to the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1" is only 8.6 mm thick. For most users this might not be an issue, as I personally use my bigger tablets at home or office and carry my HTC Flyer when I travel during the day.






One nice feature about the Toshiba Thrive is that the back cover is changeable with different color covers that are available for you to purchase. In addition, since the back cover is removable you can purchase an extra battery to carry along when you travel.

The Toshiba Thrive comes with Android 3.1 Honeycomb, a 10.1-inch touchscreen display, pre-installed Swype keyboard UI, equipped with a LED flash equipped 5 megapixel camera that can record video in HD, and an additional front-facing 2 megapixel camera. The Thrive comes 8GB/ 16GB/ 32GB variants, SD card slot for memory expansion, full sized USB 2.0 and HDMI ports, 802.11 Wi-Fi b/g/n connectivity, Bluetooth, support for Adobe’s Flash Player 10.2, Android Market, and It also has a lock button for portrait or landscape mode.

Best Buy now selling cases for the Toshiba Thrive

If you have pre-ordered your Toshiba Thrive and can't wait for its arrival. In the mean time you can head over to Best Buy and pick up your case or colored back cover for your new Thrive while you wait for its arrival. The Portfolio case allows you to stand your Thrive at multiple angles for typing out emails or just to view your favorite movie. It is made of synthetic leather and is a durable hard shell to protect your device. The Portfolio will add some thickness to your Thrive inside the case.

As you know, the Thrive will have replaceable back covers, so you can personalize your device to your style. The covers will have slip resistant surface so you can hold the Toshiba Thrive more comfortably. The covers will be available in a variety of colors so you have plenty to choose from.

Toshiba Thrive available July 10 at Office Depot

If you have been waiting for the Toshiba Thrive, you will be happy to know that July 10th couldn't get here any sooner. Office Depot has it up for pre-order and showing "Not available until July 10". The Thrive will be loaded with Honeycomb 3.1, NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core processor at 1Ghz with 1GB RAM. Toshiba is using its own "resolution plus" software to improve image quality on the 10.1" display. Also you will find a front and rear camera for video chat, or use the rear 5 megapixel camera to take pictures or shoot some 1080 HD video.

The Thrive will come in a 8GB, 16GB and 32GB models with the 32GB priced at $579.99. This is priced in line with most current tablets, maybe a few dollars cheaper. The Thrive might not be as sleek as the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1" but does have a full size SD slot. This will allow you to get a 32GB SD card for storing files, pictures or videos you might take.

Another nice feature that you won't see in your current line up of tablets is, you can change the back cover with 5 different choices of covers that you can purchase. The covers cost $19 and if you think that you will want a extra battery; yes you can swap out the battery for some real portability. You can purchase a extra battery for $89, which isn't so bad considering that you won't have to worry about finding a A/C outlet to charge your battery.

*Update, Office Depot has removed the wording that shows "not available until July 10"

Toshiba Thrive coming July 10 at Office Depot

If you have been waiting for the Toshiba Thrive, you will be happy to know that July 10th couldn't get here any sooner. The Thrive will be loaded with Honeycomb 3.1, NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core processor at 1Ghz with 1GB RAM. Toshiba is using its own "resolution plus" software to improve image quality on the 10.1" display. Also you will find a front and rear camera for video chat, or use the rear 5 megapixel camera to take pictures or shoot some 1080 HD video.

The Thrive will come in a 8GB, 16GB and 32GB models with the 32GB priced at $579.99. This is priced in line with most current tablets, maybe a few dollars cheaper. The Thrive might not be as sleek as the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1" but does have a full size SD slot. This will allow you to get a 32GB SD card for storing files, pictures or videos you might take.

Another nice feature that you won't see in your current line up of tablets is, you can change the back cover with 5 different choices of covers that you can purchase. The covers cost $19 and if you think that you will want a extra battery; yes you can swap out the battery for some real portability. You can purchase a extra battery for $89, which isn't so bad considering that you won't have to worry about finding a A/C outlet to charge your battery.

The Toshiba Thrive might not be as slim as the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1" but you do get full size HDMI, and a SDHC card slot. You be happy to know that Toshiba included 802.11 b/g/n and bluetooth 3.0

HP TouchPad coming soon to Best Buy

The HP TouchPad is now showing as coming soon to Best Buy. The TouchPad will allow you to multitask seamless between your favorite applications, running webOS. Print wirelessly to compatible networked HP printers, along to use Google docs or Box.net. Browse the full web with the HP TouchPad and enjoy the blazing speed with support for Adobe Flash. You will be able to create emails, and get unobtrusive notifications to preview the subject of your incoming emails. All without taking over your screen, like the iOS. You can listen to your favorite music with Beats Audio. All this will be possible with Qualcomm snapdragon dual core 1.2GHz, with a 9.7" display and 1024 x 768 resolution. Bluetooth 2.1 will support AD2P stereo, 802.11 b/g/n, 1.3MP front facing camera, 1GB RAM, 16GB or 32GB, 6300 mAh battery that should give at least 10 hours of use, and XGA capacitive multi touch screen. No price set, but we should see the HP TouchPad soon.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 coming soon to Best Buy

Now that Best Buy has the Galaxy Tab 10.1 coming soon on its website, we now know that it will have Android 3.1 Honeycomb. Along with Honeycomb, you will get a Dual Core 1GHz Tegra 2 processor that will deliver great videos, web browsing, and video chatting with the 2 MP front-facing camer. The 3MP rear camera will allow you to capture pictures, or video, not that I would be holding a 10" device to take pictures or video. With Flash, you will be able to enjoy your favorite sites with the 1280 x 800 display. The Galaxy Tab will come in 16GB or 32GB and choice of metallic grey or pure white. Also at .34" thin and 1.25 lbs., Samsung has redfined the Galaxy Tab once again. You will be able to connect to any Wi-Fi using the 802.11 b/g/n and with the 7000 mAh battery will be able to get you through the day. No price has been set at Best Buy yet.

iPad 2 Elan Folio Slim Case Review

I was able to get a hold of the Griffin Elan Folio Slim Case for the iPad 2, and give it a test. This case reminds me of the original Apple case for the iPad first generation. As you can see in the video, the Elan Folio case is very slim, and doesn't add much weight to the iPad 2. The case feels a little on the cheaper side, and looks it as well. Unless you had to have something this slim, I prefer the Targus case that I compared to it and in this review. The Elan Folio will not add much protection as well, so you have be very careful if you use this case. When using the case as a stand I continued to have trouble making stand. So for now, I have choosing the Tarus case as my daily case. Until another case that might come along and change my mind.

BlackBerry PlayBook at Local Best Buy...

Was out at my local Best Buy yesterday Saturday, and right up front of the store, right in the mobile phone section, there I see a BlackBerry rep. He had the PlayBook hooked up to a LCD TV, and a Verizon MiFi for data. I was kind of shocked, to even see that BlackBerry is actually showing the PlayBook at the store. I talked to the rep and used the PlayBook; even though I had seen it at CES 2011. It has gone through some software updates from the last time I had seen it CES 2011. I asked the BB Rep, about the Calendar, and Email apps. Since they were not on the PlayBook, he confirmed that you need to bridge with a BB to have access to this. Rep said that you can always go online to view your email. For me, this is not the best solution. If the Android apps actually work on the PlayBook, and not have some restrictions of which apps will work. Then I guess you can always install a Android email app on the PlayBook.

The BlackBerry Rep mentioned that RIM was doing some final software touches with the Android OS on the PlayBook. He didn't want to go into too much info. I asked if the Android market would be available and didn't get a straight answer.

The PlayBook ran very smooth and very fast with multi-able apps running in the back ground, and displaying it on the PlayBook screen and to the LCD screen. I opened up the camera app and took some pictures and they came out very clear on the screen. Did some video while it displayed on the PlayBook and the LCD screen without any problems. You can actually record a video with the PlayBook and play a game at the same time. Very amazing that you can do this without any problem. I think RIM did a good thing to be able to run Android OS on the PlayBook. The release date for the PlayBook is April 19, so we going to have wait and see how well the consumer takes to this tablet. Who knows, with RIM actually doing the demos at Best Buy, the consumer might be interested in the PlayBook.

iPad 2 Case Review…

 

 

So far after using the Targus case for the iPad 2, I am really liking it more and more. Yes doesn’t protect as much as the Earth case, but I mostly use the iPad 2 at the office and at home. I like that the Targus case adds very little weight and bulk to the already slim iPad 2, making the best case for me. I do have another case to review, which I will be doing later.

 

The power button is easy to access, and so is the volume control as well. The camera lines up perfect, as some cases I have seen or tried don’t line up. As you can see that Targus case is very well made.Targus sells this case for $39.99, but if you shop around, I am sure you can find it for a few bucks cheaper.

The bottom of the case has a opening for the speaker and for the dock connector. This makes it easy to connect the iPad to sync.

  Here you can see the top view of the case with access to the headphone jack, and power button. The microphone is at the top also and is not covered by the case.

Here is a view of the case holding the iPad 2, without  hardly anything blocking the bezel of the screen. Just one big mirror. The other side which looks like to be some kind of micro fiber, is soft and shouldn’t scratch your screen. After all it is Gorilla Glass.

So if your in the market, looking for a case for your iPad 2. You might want to look at the Targus case for the iPad 2. Some might like it, while it might not be for others. It all depends how much you want to protect your new iPad 2. For me, lighter is better, don’t really need that much protection, so this fits right in.

Google Launching Music Service Soon...

Some sources that spoke to CNET, said Google has been testing "Google music services" internally. Most likely it will be a cloud service, which should give the user the option to buy and or stream music. So far no pricing has leaked out, but should be comparable to iTunes, and Amazon pricing. This is going to be great for all Android users, as you will be able to buy, and download your music on the go. Now will have to keep a eye out for this.

HTC Thunderbolt 4G Speed Test vs DSL

 

I have been testing out the HTC Thunderbolt from Verizon, and so far, it has been a good device. Connectivity has been great. I ran a test today with my HP TouchSmart Tm2. Wanted to see how fast it was compared to our office speed, well you can see in video that DSL is very slow compared to LTE speeds. I kept it tethered to my HP Tm2 and was able to open sites with no problems, and quickly. I also uploaded a video with DSL and then using the HTC Thunderbolt. The HTC TB was so quick in uploading and was still surfing sites to compare speed. As of now, Verizon is the top speed provider. LTE is great, but we will have to wait until more users start using 4G and see how much it impacts the speed. AT&T claims H+ well I wont go there. All I can say is my iPhone 4 is much faster than my Atrix that suppose to be H+. I know AT&T hasn’t rolled out so called 4G; which is not really 4G. Instead it is 3G in steroids.  AT&T will have LTE late in the year, but we will have to wait and see how will AT&T provides 4G.

Verizon HTC Thunderbolt Unboxing and Setting 3G only

I will be testing out the New HTC Thunderbolt on Verizon network and made a quick unboxing video as you will see below to address some saying that they would love to use the 3G instead of 4G to save some battery on the phone. So far in testing with 3G set to on only, as of last night charged it to 100%. After 12 hours of been unplug with light use of calls, around 22 minutes, Checking websites 5 minutes, downloading email, composed 5 emails, and used google maps for about 3 minutes. The battery is at 60%. This is in my opinion pretty good, and is pretty much inline with my Motorola Atrix. Will be testing with LTE 4G on all day tomorrow.

HTC Thunderbolt at Best Buy?

 

When I attended CES 2011, I got to also test out the HTC Thunderbolt. The phone was pretty snappy and performed very well, and also was loading website fairly quick. Pretty much reminds me of the HTC EVO on Sprint’s network. The Thunderbolt will be Verizon’s first 4G phone, and unofficial will support calls and data at the same time.

 

 

 

Here is the Thunderbolt between two Samsung Fascinate, to give you a idea on the size compared to a 4” screen device. The Thunderbolt does have a 4.3” display to be able to view everything without a problem. The buy out price seems a bit pricey, you could almost get a 3G 64GB iPad 2 for that price. Two year contract will get you the Thunderbolt for $299.99.

Motorola Atrix Review

  

 

I was able to test out the Motorola Atrix at CES 2011. The Atrix felt comfortable in my hands and felt well built. It is mostly all plastic, but not flimsy plastic. After this point, I knew that I would be getting the Atrix as my next mobile phone. I also have the White iPhone 4, but the Atrix is now my main phone. Ok here is my view of the Atrix after using it for about two weeks now.

First things first. I rooted the Atrix and made sure that I could install out of market apps. AT&T has this disabled on their phones. I like to be able to install other apps that I might run across, that are not in the market place. As of now just mostly have some 3rd party applications installed. One of the best features that I really like is the Biometric fingerprint reader to log into your phone. This feature work very well with one hand. I am able to push the Biometric and slide my index finger to log in with no trouble at all. I can hold it in either hand as you swipe your finger print. It also has active noise cancellation with dedicated microphone, which works pretty good in noisy areas. The camera in does a very good job in taking pictures, and has dual Led flash to help out in those dark areas. I have compared the pictures to my iPhone 4, and the iPhone 4 takes much better pictures. The back cover is plastic, but it snaps on very well and is not lose at all. The speaker is on the bottom and sounds pretty loud, when playing your music or using the phone with the speaker phone. Below is a sample of picture I took, using the Atrix and the iPhone 4. You can be the judge, whether you think the Atrix does good job, or not.

This was taken with the Motorola Atrix

 This was taken with the iPhone 4 without HDR

Using the Atrix to make calls has been excellent, without the normal dropped calls I would normally get in the same area with the iPhone 4. Not that the iPhone is bad, I haven’t had any dropped calls with the Atrix so far. I have paired with my Bose BT headset and all calls work great. Also using the handset to make and holding a conversation is very clear on both ends. I haven’t made any video calls with the Atrix, but I will be trying that out later this week.

Update:

As I was doing the review. I have run across what seems to be that others can’t quite hear you when you call them from the Atrix phone. I verified this by calling my wife on her iPhone 4 to hear what others were complaining that I sounded muffled or far from speaker. A quick search indeed shows several Atrix phone owners are reporting the same problem. Some have exchanged their phone for a new one and issue is no longer there. I also have disabled the Noise suppression from settings>Call Settings and now seem that others hear me well. I can still say that it is much better after disabling the noise suppression, but still something needs fixed. I do believe it is software issue, as when using my Bose BT headset it is loud and clear on the other side, and also if I use the speaker phone on the Atrix callers also say, “Wow now you sound clear”. So I will either think about exchanging the Atrix for another one and hope the second one won’t have this issue or wait for a fix.

The qHD screen is very clear and very bright. All the text is readable, and is very clear as well. When viewing web pages on the 4” screen is much better than on smaller screens like my iPhone 4. One of the best features of Android OS, is that when you zoom in a article, the text renders perfect on the screen without having to scroll side to side like on the iOS. This display on the Atrix is viewable in the sun light. This makes it easy to read your emails or look up any information that you need to, without having to find some shade to do this on your phone.

 

Motorola has put its MotoBlur software, but from my use, I haven’t noticed any slowed down and actually some of the apps are well integrated with phone using MotoBlur. Example, when you create a email account from the MotoBlur accounts, you can go through your contacts or you make a call to one of your contacts that you have emailed, you are able to view any email, text messaging, etc… right from the contacts info, as you swipe left. If you swipe to the right and have created any accounts in your social network, this will also appear and you can respond from right there. This has me using the MotoBlur for this reason. I still might go back to using K-9 Email app, but for now I will continue to testing out MotoBlur. This almost makes it very handy as a one stop shop for all your needs. No need to go out to email, or text messages etc…

The Atrix has the basic software buttons down at the bottom like most all other Android OS phones. 

 

 

 

 

 

Into the two weeks of using the Atrix I haven’t had any slow downs on the phone at all. Also haven’t had to reboot or anything like this and all programs so far are working perfectly. Like I have mentioned that I haven’t installed many 3^rd party programs. Reason is that I want to test the phone as much as stock as possible, before installing Launcher Pro, Beautiful Widgets, etc… on the Atrix and find out how battery life and how the performance if any is affected by these programs running daily.

The Motorola is pretty much all round in the corners and on the back. This is what makes it very nice, when your holding it in phone calls, or when holding to look up for information on your phone. The left side has the MiniUSB plug to sync or charge the phone, and right underneath that is the Mini HDMI plug. This is where your phone sits in the dock as well.

The right side of the phone is pretty much sleek with only the volume control button. This makes it, in my opinion, one of the sleekest phones. Even my White iPhone 4 has more buttons than the Atrix. Besides the volume buttons, the Biometric Finger Printer reader, is also the power button so it really doesn’t look like a button. Top and bottom no other buttons and on the back it has the second microphone to cancel out noise. Also has the 5MP camera with the two LED flash.

 

 

On the back you can see that, besides the AT&T and blur icons. It  is pretty much smooth with the speaker grill at the bottom of the phone. Which again sounds loud enough for music and as a speaker phone for calls.

 

Despite that the Atrix having the newest dual-core Tegra 2 processor, the battery life has been great. Again this is with my testing and can vary with other users if you have a lot of programs running or syncing in the background. It has a 1880mAh battery that last me all day with pretty much heavy use of the phone. I have 3 email accounts that sync through out the day, along with my contacts, and calendar to sync. Also have a weather widget for weather that I installed. I check websites and also send text messages along with Twitter and watch some news videos during the day. The first week of using the phone, the battery ended up at around 25% – 30%. In the past week I have around 50% – 65% battery life from 7:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. Then I just plug it in car on my way home so I have a full battery by the time I get home.

I wont go to much into the specs of the device. It is one of the only dual-core running at 1GHz with 1GB of RAM. Also has 540 x 960 pixels with a 4” screen. Capacitive, with multi-touch, GPS, front and rear cameras, HDMI port, microSD slot for up to 32GB, 16GB built in storage, WiFi, Bluetooth, dual LED flash, HTML, and Flash support for websites.

Some show that the Atrix has a Stereo FM radio with RDS, and is also capable of tethering up to 8 users with the mobile hotspot app that is included. This will require you add to your account, and is a additional monthly charge on top of your current data plan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since I am still using my white iPhone 4, I use the same micro SIM in my Motorola Atrix and works well. I do have the adapter that converts a micro SIM into a regular SIM, but it works fine without it. The metal strip on the back that holds the SIM card works to hold the micro SIM as well.

On the road I use the Atrix as my mobile hotspot to connect all my device to it. Which can be my Samsung Galaxy Tab, iPad 3G, iPhone 4, yes I connect my iPhone 4 to my Atrix and I can actually load up Talkatone and make calls with no problem. Also at times I use my Galaxy Tab as a Navigation, so this works out very nice tethered to my Atrix to provide the data to the Tab and keeping my phone clear to make calls and still be able to have the Navigation continue while I do my calls on the phone.

 

AT&T is advertising the Atrix as 4G data phone, and as you can see through out the internet, everyone is not seeing those speeds. In fact, the upload speeds are slower than most 3G phones. Same goes for the download speeds. I was, and I am expecting to have AT&T resolve this issue; which they have said that they will be releasing a update to get 4G working on the Atrix. My iPhone 4 gets around 2-3 Mbps download average, and .90 – 1.5 Mbps upload. Hoping that the update gets released soon to take advantage of the 4G that is advertised on the Atrix.

I was testing some LG Vortex phones from Verizon and wanted to test the speeds from Verizon 3G to compare the so called 4G speed of the Atrix. Well on average the LG Vortex was .80 –1.5 Mbps download. Upload averaged around the same .70 – 1.2 Mbps. Not bad for a 3G data phone.

Overall the Atrix is a very capable phone with the power and great design and has the best specs in the market, compared to other phones, but needs some fixing in the 4G department, and the muffled sound that other users are noticing with the Atrix. I will return the phone, if they don’t announce anything soon, before the 30 days. For now I have disabled the noise suppression, but that might not be a good thing in a noisy environment. I will have to test this out, and see how well the other person can hear me with a noisy background.

The other features that the Atrix has is you can buy  a Standard Dock, HD Multimedia Dock, Laptop Dock, and a Vehicle Dock. You can also connect BT keyboard and BT mouse.