CES: Motorola Atrix 4G is Already Best of Show

The big CES in Vegas is only getting started for real today but the rash of coverage preceding the event shows the best thing at the event so far is the Motorola Atrix 4G smartphone. Two features set the Atrix apart from other gadgets at CES, the Nvidia Tegra dual-core processor and the ability to snap the phone into either a multimedia dock or a laptop dock. As Matt Miller correctly points out, the Atrix with the laptop dock is nothing new, it is rather like the Celio REDFLY all grown up.

The REDFLY may have been ahead of its time and without mass appeal, but Motorola may have a hit on its hands with the Atrix 4G. Debuting on the AT&T "4G" network (whatever that is), the Nvidia dual-core processor makes the phone one of the most powerful smartphones yet. This makes the Atrix 4G a good engine to power the laptop dock, which is basically a laptop shell that uses a full keyboard, display and trackpad to interact with the phone that plugs into the back of the dock.

Laptop Magazine has a first-hand look at the Atrix 4G and laptop dock including a video that is worth checking out. Motorola has paid good attention to the interface on the laptop in use, which integrates the phone display and other running tasks on the big laptop screen. A full browser (Firefox) is available when using the laptop dock that has no compromises found on most mobile browsers.

As is always the case with cool new gadgets the devil is in the details, namely how much the Atrix 4G will cost with the laptop dock. As long as Motorola doesn't price the dock too high, this may actually make it into consumers' hands. It definitely has plenty of mobile mojo.