Apple should've have done this first

There has been rumors they are working on it. E.g.
http://www.cultofmac.com/iphone-5-will-enable-ambitious-remote-computing/66825

 

This is really really awesome! It would be so handy if this takes off and phones start having laptop specs! I can just imagine how infinitely useful this would be for students and mobile professionals.

 

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That looks cool!

But while I hate to be a downer, I do have some doubts.

What's the OS? They said it had a "windowed" UI with a Mac OS X like dock, but it doesn't sound like it's actually running a desktop OS, unless you count remote access, which is cool, but not exactly revolutionary.

If it is capable of running a desktop level OS, what's the battery life going to be like when it isn't in the dock? And if it requires the dock station for that level of performance, why not just carry a laptop?

Here's my $0.02. We will see phones of the future carrying our programs and data with us in our pockets. But it won't be with "dumb" terminal/proprietary docking stations. Most of it will be in the cloud, but what isn't (too sensitive, too valuable) will likely live on our pocket mobiles as data and software to be wirelessly pulled off our mobile and used by what ever computer we're sitting in front of at the moment. Not terminals or proprietary docking stations, but regular (though wildly more capable) computers.

A proprietary OS phone/docking station terminal combination thing seems like an "in-between" step (like wireless pagers, stand-alone PND's and mini-HDMI ports on phones)

 

i guess if you're cheap this is a poor mans desktop

my phone
my laptop
my netbook
and my desktop

all serve different purposes

but i think my desktop is special because of the 5 hard drives, dvd writer, bluray player, graphics card, no need to plug into a dock, and much faster processor than anything else

For those who use their Desktops as their central computer/productivity machine nothing else compares

 

Been done (basically) and it didn't work out so well.

 

Tablets have been done before and failed so there is no hope for the iPad right?

 

I'm not sure where you're getting "tablets were a failure before the iPad." Just like there were no good phones before the iPhone?

 

here on earth, where many of us live and work, tablets where pretty much a near non-existant niche product before the iPad. that may be where he is coming from.

now in your world, well, that may not be true.

BTW, what color is the sky there?

 

So because you don't have a use for something or haven't heard of it, it's irrelevant? What color is the sky where you're living?

 

I think this looks great. Especially love the laptop dock. There have been so many times I've been reading an article or watching a live stream on my phone and wanted to switch to a bigger screen and there's no convenient way of doing that right now. I'd definitely buy something like this.

Apple actually have a better chance of making something like this work due to their closed ecosystem. All you'd need is a standard iPhone port on your Apple TV/MacBook/iWhatever and you could have pretty seamless integration between all the devices.

 

Before the iPad tablets were irrelevant not because there wasn't a need for them but because they for the most part sucked. Now with iOS and Android running tablets they are much more functional and useful. My point was that just because something failed in the past that doesn't mean someone can't come along and do it right.

 

I really wanted this, but Palm couldnt deliver

 

Awesome but I wouldnt ever use it....wish Apple would make something like this though

 

It's still Android.
When you dock it, it loads an app called Webtop that has a lot of really nice features from what I've read so far.
Being able to establish a Citrix connection to another machine and then run it full screen is a killer feature.
But a full version of Firefox with Flash 10.1 support... all I can say is nicely done.

I can see a business use for this already for many executives.

 

It will definitely make sitting down and typing an email or opening a document much easier on the eyes than trying to squint at a 4" screen. and type on a tiny keyboard with thumbs.

 

He said tablets were a failure before last year.

Tablets were a failure before 2010.

What tablet was a success before 2010?

 

yup, hot,heavy, poor battery life, poor handwritting recognition, and an OS that was not optimized for a touch interface

let's see what round 2 looks like

 

what the heck are you talking about?

 

Ah yes, the Foolio! Twice the price of the netbooks that were just coming out, and half as capable.... with an unfamiliar OS/UI thrown in to boot. What a class idea that was!

 

Engadget posted a video of the Motorola Atrix in action with the dock and desktop.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/06/motorola-atrix-4g-hd-multimedia-dock-and-laptop-dock-hands-on/

Looks like they got it right. They will probably sell quite a few of them.

 

I don't think this is going to be cheap!

Swiss Army knife gadgets are always interesting and fun, but if they do everything poorly, then who cares?

I do like this concept and believe the Motorola has what it takes to pull it off though.