Motorola Atrix 4G Review

Over five years since the launch of the first smartphone, the consumer is confronted with a wide variety of phones with a nearly limitless variety of functions and applications. One of newest and most anticipated smartphones of 2011 is the Motorola Atrix 4G. The device has a number of new and unique features that we review in this article.

In terms of aesthetics, the Motorola Atrix 4G shares much in common with the other popular smartphones currently on the market, such as the Apple iPhone 4, HTC Inspire, and theMotorola Xoom. The device is about 4.6 by 2.5 inches in size, and about 0.43 inches thick. This is only slightly larger than the iPhone 4 and slightly smaller than the HTC Inspire. Users of the iPhone in particular will notice that the Motorola Atrix 4G's display takes up a much larger portion of the device's front side. In fact, the Atrix 4G's 4-inch display is a full one-half inch larger than that of the iPhone 4. The Atrix's 540x960 qHD LCD display is certainly one of the clearest, crispest displays out there, and the extra half-inch can make a noticeable difference when viewing media or browsing the web.

The Motorola Atrix 4G claims to be the first smartphone to have a dual-core processor. The device's Nvidia Tegra Dual Core 1.0Ghz processor gets a jump on its competition and provides true multi-tasking capabilities which would expect from any laptop or netbook. TheiPhone 5 is rumored to also have a dual-core processor, but obviously Motorola has beaten Apple to the world of dual-core smartphones. The phone also has 1 GB of RAM - about the same as most netbooks - and 16 GB of storage space, upgradable to 48 GB.

Not surprisingly, the Motorola Atrix 4G has 4G connectivity, a major plus for those who regularly use their phone for browsing the internet. The phone also sports other standard connectivity options including 802.11 wifi, stereo bluetooth, and a micro USB port along the bottom left side. The phone can also act as a 3G mobile hot spot for up to 5 other wifi capable devices.

The Atrix 4G is perhaps best known for its connectivity with other digital devices. The phone can "stream, store and share" pictures, movies, files, music and other digital media with a range of compatible devices, including HDTVs, gaming consoles, and computers.

Near the bottom of the device, where most would expect them to be, are the standard capacitive touch Android buttons including options menu, home, previous, and search. The large display, smooth surface, and the limited room at the bottom of the phone makes it easy to touch these buttons even when you don't mean to.

The Atrix 4G is Motoblur enabled, which has a number of interesting and useful features. Some of the features include Caller ID (set up your friends and family with picture/ ringer ID), phonebook that syncs with work and personal contacts, photo sharing through myspace, photobucket, picasa or facebook, and a fully customizable home screen. These features help provide a level of customization and personalization that allows you to make your phone your own. Combined with great portability, a nice universal design and a large, bright screen and it's likely Motorola has a winning combination in the new Atrix 4G.