AT&T To Sell Motorola Atrix 4G For $199.99, Or $499.99 With Laptop Dock

If you thought the battle between AT&T and Verizon Wireless was heated before, it's really on starting today. The Verizon iPhone is about to start shipping to customers, breaking AT&T's stranglehold on the phone and providing real competition in a market that needs it so very badly. And now AT&T has little choice but to step it up when it comes to Android and other rivaling platforms. When the iPhone just isn't enough anymore, what's a carrier to do? Getting Motorola's Atrix 4G isn't a bad start.

This Android 2.2-based smartphone stole the show at CES 2011, and now both companies have admitted that the Atrix 4G will soon be on sale in the U.S. Pre-orders will begin on the 13th of this month, with a price of $199.99 with a 2-year agreement. The phone will then go on sale in retail channels by March 6th, but it's hardly the phone that's getting attention. The Motorola Laptop Dock, which basically acts as a docking station for the phone, will be sold for $499.99. That's a very high cost for a machine that needs a phone to even run, but AT&T is making a little easier to swallow if you purchase the dock and the phone at the same time. The bundle will sell for $499.99 (with the dock and phone), but it will require users to buy a Data Pro data plan (for 2 years) and a tethering add-on. That won't be cheap either. But we're hearing that the Firefox browser on the Dock won't work without the tethering plan or Wi-Fi.

But at least that high price comes with at least one major perk. The dock is said to have an internal battery that would provide an extra 5-6 hours of life to the phone, so at least you aren't draining your smartphone as you use the Dock.

We suspect that prices will fall to more reasonable levels in the coming months, but none of this looks like a great value for early adopters. That said, it's still a great game-changer, and we're excited to see what kind of impact this has for AT&T and on the industry at large.

AT&T Announces the World's Most Powerful Smartphone, the Motorola ATRIX 4G, Will Be Available for Preorder on Feb. 13
Unique line of Accessories, Including the Motorola Laptop Dock, Available with Bundled Pricing
DALLAS, Feb. 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

Key Facts

* AT&T* begins pre-sales for Motorola ATRIX™ 4G on Feb. 13
* Motorola ATRIX 4G, powered by the Android 2.2 platform, available exclusively for AT&T customers for $199.99 with a two-year service agreement.
* Motorola ATRIX 4G is expected to be available from AT&T and select retail channels for customers by March 6 or earlier.
* AT&T will offer bundled pricing for the Motorola ATRIX 4G and the Motorola Laptop Dock.

4G Portfolio

AT&T is the leader in smartphones, and expects to widen that lead in 2011. In January, AT&T committed to an industry-leading Android portfolio in the U.S. in 2011 and said it plans to offer two 4G smartphones in the first quarter. An industry first, the Motorola ATRIX 4G is the leading edge of more than 20 advanced, 4G devices AT&T plans to deliver in 2011. AT&T has completed the deployment of HSPA+ to virtually 100 percent of its mobile broadband network, which enables 4G speeds when combined with enhanced backhaul.

Motorola ATRIX™ 4G

The Motorola ATRIX™ 4G Android 2.2 smartphone will be offered exclusively by AT&T and is the world's most powerful smartphone. Featuring a 2x1 GHz dual-core processor for a total of 2 GHz of processing power, a unique webtop application, the world's first qHD display, and Adobe flash player, the, ATRIX 4G delivers a remarkable combination of application processing power with 4G speed capability and a high-resolution qHD display, a first for the industry.

It will be complemented by breakthrough accessories that include a revolutionary, super-thin Motorola Laptop Dock -- for which ATRIX 4G is the "engine" -- and the Motorola HD Multimedia Dock that uses ATRIX 4G's HDMI video output capabilities and processing power to enable a revolutionary browsing, application and media experience.

AT&T will offer two special packages for customers who choose to purchase ATRIX 4G in addition to these unique accessories. The first combines ATRIX 4G and the Motorola Laptop Dock for a promotional price of $499.99 after a two-year service contract and $100 mail-in-rebate after subscription to Data Pro smartphone data plan and tethering add on. Customers who choose to purchase the Motorola Laptop Dock separately pay $499.99. AT&T is also offering an Entertainment Access Kit for ATRIX customers which includes the Motorola HD Multimedia Dock, a Bluetooth® keyboard and mouse, and a remote control for $189.99.

Motorola ATRIX 4G will also include AT&T Mobile Hotspot service built into the smartphone, allowing users to connect additional Wi-Fi-enabled devices.

AT&T U-verse® TV customers will be able to manage their DVR recordings - and U-verse customers with a qualifying TV plan can download and watch hit TV shows – right from their ATRIX 4G handset using the U-verse Mobile application. In addition, any ATRIX 4G user, whether or not they have U-verse TV at home, can still enjoy a variety of video options - including live TV - with the new U-verse Live TV application, preloaded and available for $9.99 a month.

For more information, visit www.att.com/atrix4G. For photos and more information about presales for ATRIX 4G, visit www.att.com/mobilephones-news.