Is the Laptop Dock the Culprit Behind the New Droid Bionic Form Factor?

[BigDFSU]

I'm hoping this is not the issue. Sounds like there is still a lot of confusion about the RAM for the Atrix and how it is applied. I like the idea of Webtop, but still feel like they have to work on execution. Until that point it is more of a novelty. Plus at this point I would rather get an Asus Transformer over the dock.

It sucks that all we are left with right now is speculation. To be honest I'm getting a little annoyed with Motorola and the lack of info. I'm not so upset about what happened with the Bionic, if there were major issues then I'm glad that changes are being made. However it would be nice to give us an idea of what is being done and what to expect from some of these improvements.

Nothing to do but wait I guess, but the longer it takes the more likely something else just as nice will be around the corner and at this point I'm willing to wait around for that something else.

 

[Cruiserdude]

I'm really getting sick and tired of waiting, myself. I would think its foolish of Moto to delay this device so its compatible with the Atrix dock. Not saying it isn't the case, just that its a bad move if it is true. Considering the market now and what its projected to be by this fall, I would think Moto would want to have this phone out as fast as reasonably possible. BMX also said the redesign was to keep it competitive with the bleeding edge.

Issues like connectivity problems, poor battery life, overheating, and lack of performance one would expect from the hardware are major issues that HAVE to be fixed, and would force a redesign if any of them could not be resolved. With a redesign underway, things like more RAM, a better screen, better camera, or a case redesign are all changes that could be implemented without much difficulty that would make the phone more competitive. Major hardware changes such as a new processor (OMAP 4) or a redesigned LTE radio would take a tremendous effort, but may be a necessary change if the current hardware was responsible for the issues, and they would definitely make the device more competitive. Adding provision for an external accessory dock that only a small percentage of Bionic owners will purchase, however, does not make it more competitive with existing and near-future hardware, because no other phone has such a dock. Its an exclusive feature, yes, but not one that matches it more closely with competing bleeding-edge hardware. It certainly wouldn't help address any issues the original device had, and will be the deciding factor for almost no one.

I expect the redesigned device will have Webtop functionality, because Moto said it would. However, they initially said this well before anyone knew a redesign was needed, suggesting it does not require major changes to implement. External devices can be adapted as needed to the phone once the device launches, and though Moto may be improving compatibility as part of the redesign, I honestly do not see them allowing that to be the one factor pushing back this device's completion.

Not saying that Moto isn't delaying the phone this long just to improve webtop compatibility, just saying it would be a very foolish move of them if true, making it an unlikely scenario.

 

[Droid800]

I'm really getting sick and tired of waiting, myself. I would think its foolish of Moto to delay this device so its compatible with the Atrix dock. Not saying it isn't the case, just that its a bad move if it is true. Considering the market now and what its projected to be by this fall, I would think Moto would want to have this phone out as fast as reasonably possible. BMX also said the redesign was to keep it competitive with the bleeding edge.

Issues like connectivity problems, poor battery life, overheating, and lack of performance one would expect from the hardware are major issues that HAVE to be fixed, and would force a redesign if any of them could not be resolved. With a redesign underway, things like more RAM, a better screen, better camera, or a case redesign are all changes that could be implemented without much difficulty that would make the phone more competitive. Major hardware changes such as a new processor (OMAP 4) or a redesigned LTE radio would take a tremendous effort, but may be a necessary change if the current hardware was responsible for the issues, and they would definitely make the device more competitive. Adding provision for an external accessory dock that only a small percentage of Bionic owners will purchase, however, does not make it more competitive with existing and near-future hardware, because no other phone has such a dock. Its an exclusive feature, yes, but not one that matches it more closely with competing bleeding-edge hardware. It certainly wouldn't help address any issues the original device had, and will be the deciding factor for almost no one.

I expect the redesigned device will have Webtop functionality, because Moto said it would. However, they initially said this well before anyone knew a redesign was needed, suggesting it does not require major changes to implement. External devices can be adapted as needed to the phone once the device launches, and though Moto may be improving compatibility as part of the redesign, I honestly do not see them allowing that to be the one factor pushing back this device's completion.

Not saying that Moto isn't delaying the phone this long just to improve webtop compatibility, just saying it would be a very foolish move of them if true, making it an unlikely scenario.

I doubt its just webtop. There were rumors of some very serious issues with the Tegra 2 chipset and the LTE hardware, so they probably took the opportunity afforded to them by those issues to add webtop in.

I also think Motorola is putting ALL of its energy and resources right now into fast-tracking the new Bionic. Verizon is the reason they're still around, so they are going to want to make sure this device is out ASAP.

 

[Johnly]

Lapdock reminds me of laptop.....both are old looking, and I will pass. The biometric scanner would be nice. why a carrier gets away with charging to tether and sell a dock is crazy!

 

[Cruiserdude]

I doubt its just webtop. There were rumors of some very serious issues with the Tegra 2 chipset and the LTE hardware, so they probably took the opportunity afforded to them by those issues to add webtop in.

That's pretty much what I'm saying. There's a good chance the SoC and/or LTE radio are being changed, and they would likely optimize it for webtop if those vital parts are being changed anyway. But once the other issues are addressed, I don't see them waiting any longer if webtop is the main thing preventing them from moving to the next stage of development.

I also think Motorola is putting ALL of its energy and resources right now into fast-tracking the new Bionic. Verizon is the reason they're still around, so they are going to want to make sure this device is out ASAP.

I should certainly hope they are, as I explained, it would be foolish for them not to. The Xoom and Atrix both have not received nearly the response they anticipated, partly due to various issues Moto has yet to address. The new DInc2 is a pretty solid flagship 3g device, making it unlikely the X2 will make enough of a splash to keep them afloat. Their shares have been dropping since the first rumors of a Bionic delay, yet they could really turn things around by releasing a device competitive to LG and Samsung's flagships but with LTE and in a timely fashion. If this is a flop, they have NO flagship device for the time being, and will certainly lose their preferred manufacturer status from VZW. So ALOT is riding on this device.

 

[Preach2k]

Motorola Droid 3 & Motorola Targa to have Atrix?s Webtop Capabilities!

Motorola Droid 3 & Motorola Targa to have Atrix’s Webtop Capabilities!

 

[Oxn]

i wouldnt mind webtop if you didnt have to also pay for the service.

Almost as stupid as paying for tethering.

ALMOST.

 

[Smitty_82]

Ok, if webtop just used my unlimited data and the dock wasn't crazy expensive, I would consider it. Just getting tired of waiting.

 

[Castor Troy]

Its looking more and more probable that the Bionic will receive the WebTop. That put me out of this race. So this is my official unofficial step off.

A couple things will bring me back onboard. Only one needs to be met. #1 They don't implement WebTop (highly unlikely) and #2 Bootloader unlocked to rid handset of webtop bloat (highly unlikely)

Looks bleak but it is what it is.

Sent from my Droid

 

[Oxn]

Its looking more and more probable that the Bionic will receive the WebTop. That put me out of this race. So this is my official unofficial step off.

A couple things will bring me back onboard. Only one needs to be met. #1 They don't implement WebTop (highly unlikely) and #2 Bootloader unlocked to rid handset of webtop bloat (highly unlikely)

Looks bleak but it is what it is.

Sent from my Droid

So what would you consider if bionic is indeed out of the picture, and SII doesnt come to verizon?

 

[huskerkate]

So what would you consider if bionic is indeed out of the picture, and SII doesnt come to verizon?

i'm betting CK will either: follow the GS2 to whatever carrier has it; or, stick with his D1 until 2012. i'm betting on the latter... lol

 

[Castor Troy]

So what would you consider if bionic is indeed out of the picture, and SII doesnt come to verizon?

I wont purchase anything this year until the Fascinate 2/Galaxy SII or whatever its going to be called hits Verizon.

I wont waste an upgrade on any of the new equipment Verizon is offering. 2 years is a long time to be stuck with a phone I'm not crazy over.

But as a hypothetical lets say the Galaxy does not drop on Verizon. I will wait until 2012. Huskerkate called it


Sent from my Droid

 

[BigDFSU]

I wont purchase anything this year until the Fascinate 2/Galaxy SII or whatever its going to be called hits Verizon.

I wont waste an upgrade on any of the new equipment Verizon is offering. 2 years is a long time to be stuck with a phone I'm not crazy over.

But as a hypothetical lets say the Galaxy does not drop on Verizon. I will wait until 2012. Huskerkate called it


Sent from my Droid

Have a feeling I will do the same thing if that ends up being the case. Guess I should be prepared to stick with my Storm for the long haul.

 

[Jasper]

After looking at comparisons of Samm'ys screen vs. Thunderbolt and Charge I can def. see why you would want to wait. I do not see anyone else matching the screen anytime in the near future. I guess I am not sold that you will pass up the Bionic whenever it finally launches but time will tell.

 

[Castor Troy]

After looking at comparisons of Samm'ys screen vs. Thunderbolt and Charge I can def. see why you would want to wait. I do not see anyone else matching the screen anytime in the near future. I guess I am not sold that you will pass up the Bionic whenever it finally launches but time will tell.

Lol no really I will pass up the Bionic if they throw that webtop bloat on it (which looks like that will be the case)

I said a while back 2 things would be deal breakers for me. Less than a gig of RAM and/or WebTop. I'm not happy about this to be perfectly honest.

Sent from my Droid

 

[Droid800]

After looking at comparisons of Samm'ys screen vs. Thunderbolt and Charge I can def. see why you would want to wait. I do not see anyone else matching the screen anytime in the near future. I guess I am not sold that you will pass up the Bionic whenever it finally launches but time will tell.

I may have read your comment wrong, but the screen on the charge is the exact same screen on the GSII. If you don't need dual core, the Charge would be a great phone since its got many of the great features of the GSII.

 

[Droid800]

Lol no really I will pass up the Bionic if they throw that webtop bloat on it (which looks like that will be the case)

I said a while back 2 things would be deal breakers for me. Less than a gig of RAM and/or WebTop. I'm not happy about this to be perfectly honest.

Sent from my Droid

That's so weird though. If you don't ever use it, its not going to get in the way.

 

[Jasper]

I was trying to say the screen is amazing, didn't mean compared to the charge though, lol. It is going to be hard not to buy it if we don't hear any bionic news in the next week..

 

[Castor Troy]

That's so weird though. If you don't ever use it, its not going to get in the way.

It's a waste of resources. I don't want or need another OS running on my device. If the bootloader is unlocked (uh huh) and I can strip it off and run a lean and clean version of Android I will rethink my position but until then, Moto can keep their resource hungry WebTop.

 

[Droid800]

That's so weird though. If you don't ever use it, its not going to get in the way.

It's a waste of resources. I don't want or need another OS running on my device. If the bootloader is unlocked (uh huh) and I can strip it off and run a lean and clean version of Android I will rethink my position but until then, Moto can keep their resource hungry WebTop.

Where are you getting the idea that it runs all the time? It runs when you want it. When you don't want it, it doesn't harm the performance of the device.

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