Tablet War: Why do I need a tablet, anyway?

Wallet Moths:

Motorola Atrix 4G

Motarola Atrix Lapdock

OK. for thise who've been following with bated breath, you'll know a week or so ago I got the Motorola Xoom in anticipation of the iPad 2 release. I've had an iPad since day one last year and I've really liked it. But since then, I've been curious as to what the upstarts (Android) can do.


I gravitated from an iPhone to the Samsung Captivate last summer. I liked the promise of Android and aspects of the Captivate, but at the same time, the phone was buggy and frustrating from day one. I wanted to throw it against the wall most of the time. But when I upgraded the phone to Android 2.2 it got better.  Not good, but better.

The Xoom has better specs all around than the iPad 2. Android doesn't have the ecosystem of apps that Apple has. So I picked up the Xoom with every intention of returning it after i played around with it a while. And return it I will. At this writing, there's no other option in purchsing the Xoom other than buying the 3G version for $800, even though I have no interest in 3G. There is a wifi version coming out in a couple weeks, but that's going to be $600. Still more specs than the bargain basement iPad at $500, but still the same problem in terms of the apps and usefulness. I know that the Android Marketplace will catch up eventually, but what am I going to do with the thing until then?

That question got me thinking: What the hell do I need a tablet for anyway? The iPad is cool and I've used it, but my real hope was that it'd become an extension of my studio and a real boon to on-the-go writing and, well, it hasn't. It's a fun toy and great for surfing the web (but not as great as the Xoom). My daughter uses it more to play games like Big Buck Hunter (don't ask) than I do. What I use it most for is taking quick notes in meetings and such. Is that really worth $500?

Then I got to thinking. I hate my current phone, I like the Xoom. Motorola just came out with the Atrix, which is exactly the same as the Xoom inside, but is a phone. If I could convince the folks at ATT to let me upgrade early--really early--then I could solve all my probelms, because the Atrix also has waht they call a "Lapdock." It's this 11.6" super thin laptop shell that is powered by the phone itself. You can access all the functionality of the phone, including calls and texting. You can access all the apps. And the Lapdock uses a Webtop interface when paired to the phone to access a really limited bunch of apps and Firefox.It's a barebones setup, but compellig because it kills two birds: I have to have a phone but I also want to be able to do work with a lighteight, portable interface. Honestly, while using the keypad on the iPad was fine most of the time, it wasn't ideal and i'm not sure it ever will be. For one thing, as a writer, I cursed the burying of the quotation marks on the second screen of the keyboard. It made it impossible to do serious work on the thing. I found a couple apps that change the keyboard, but they had their own problems. I did like to edit on my iPad though, for some reason.

So yesterday I was at the mall for a few errands and I stopped into the ATT store to complain more about my Captivate. And I took a look at the Atrix. A very sweet phone. Comparable to Xoom in terms if speed, etc., although I like the unadulterated Honeycomb OS of the Xoom better than the Motoblur of the Atrix. Then my ATT guy (I know, weird I could say that, right?) jacks the phone into the Lapdock. It boots right away, like, in a few seconds. There's the phone. There's Firefox. Seems cool. I'm more than intrigued.

Let's get this out of the way: minutes before I'd bought a $100 gift card at Best Buy to reserve an iPad 2 when the next bath comes in (I was shutout on launch day because of personal issues beyond my control). But before that I was bemoaning to the wife how in many ways a netbook is more attractive to me than a tablet, especially if the idea is productivity. Now, I have no desire for a netbook. But there in the ATT store was what amounted to a netbook that I could power with my phone. If I could convince the ATT folks to let me upgrade after only 8 months with the Craptivate.

So I asked my guy what I could get out of the store paying  for the phone and the Lapdock. Out of contract, the phone is $600 and the dock $500. No way. And supposedly you have to add tethering to a data plan to the tune of $45 all tolled. Also not happening. I thought my dreams of trying this combo instead of the iPad were dead. But then my ATT guy worked some magic and I walked out of the store with the Atrix and the Lapdock for $500 and no tethering plan. It was black gadget magic. Pretty slick.

So now I'm typing this blog post on the Lapdock. The Lapdock is powered by my new phone (which is awesome) and it is nice to use a real keyboard while watching round one of the Tournament. Could I be using the Macbook resting three feet away? Yes, but this is compact and light. I said IT'S COMPACT AND LIGHT!!!!

Is it an iPad killer? No. But I think its also a harbinger of the future. As phones get more powerful, they will subsume the other devices, making the iPad obsolete, until the head of Steve Jobs in a glass jar invents the iPaper.

The Lapdock is good enough, but not full featured. It's balky in performance and ultimately won't offer enough performance to justify keeping it, just like the Xoom. But it is a device worth noting.

But let's be honest, when the call comes that my iPad 2 has arrived, this thing will go back to the store and the iPad will take its rightful, if not reluctant place in my bag as the best of a bunch of imperfect devices out there. If Moto and others really wanted to compete with Sensei Jobs, they'd do a better job of matching price points and concentrate on a few products and making them great instead of many that remain underdeveloped. That's how Apple dominated the market. Others who wish to compete need to learn the lesson.