Motorola Atrix 4G Could Cost Less than Expected

Virtually all high-end smartphones cost $200 with contract when they launch. Many people have been expecting the Atrix 4G to debut at this same price, but information leaking out of retailers indicates that this cutting-edge Android OS model could go for significantly less.

When AT&T officially announced the Atrix 4G earlier this month, it drew attention not just for its very high-end feature set, but for a pair of innovative accessories that will be able to turn this phone into either a netbook or a desktop.

Advanced devices like this one don't typically sell for a mid-range price, but this one could. The online giant Amazon.com briefly listed this model on its website for $150 with a two-year contract, and information leaking out of Costco indicates that this the big-box retailer is going to charge the same price.

If this is going to be the official price for the Atrix 4G, and not just a special deal being offered by these retailers, it indicates that AT&T and Motorola are serious about selling this smartphone in large numbers. Combining this product's cutting-edge feature set with a lower-than-usual price could spur significant sales.

Information leaking out of Best Buy said that the laptop dock is going to sell for $150, also less than many had expected.

Overview of the Motorola Atrix 4G
When functioning on its own, the Atrix 4G will have a tablet shape and a qHD (960 x 540) touchscreen.

It is going to run Android OS 2.2 on a 1 GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core processor, and have 1 GB of RAM, 16 GB of internal storage, and a microSD/HC memory card slot.

This smartphone is going to be one of the first able to connect to AT&T's 4G HSPA+ network, plus it will have Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a GPS receiver.

An optional laptop dock will offer an 11-inch display, keyboard, and trackpad, but no operating system. The Atrix 4G will provide this. When plugged in, this smartphone will switch to a version of Linux that offers a full desktop version of the Firefox web browser, while also still providing all the features of the Android OS.

In addition, Motorola is also producing a desktop dock that will have three USB ports for a keyboard and mouse, as well as a HD video-out port.

The version of Firefox that will run in dock mode will offer a near desktop experience, with multiple windows, Adobe Flash support, etc.

Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha said this week that this cutting-edge Android OS smartphone is going to be out around the end of next month.

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