Hello,
Just had some questions about the RAZR / RAZR MAXX and the laptop dock.
1. Does VZW require a tethering plan for use with the dock?
2. Just how awful is the webtop experience? Is it at least partially usable when it is using the actual phone interface in full screen / landscape mode?
3. Are there any existing roms that make the webtop more efficient / usable?
4. Do you think there is any chance of ICS redeeming the webtop setup?
5. Finally what is the actual battery life of the MAXX?
Thanks.
SquareBare said:
Hello,
Just had some questions about the RAZR / RAZR MAXX and the laptop dock.
1. Does VZW require a tethering plan for use with the dock?
2. Just how awful is the webtop experience? Is it at least partially usable when it is using the actual phone interface in full screen / landscape mode?
3. Are there any existing roms that make the webtop more efficient / usable?
4. Do you think there is any chance of ICS redeeming the webtop setup?
5. Finally what is the actual battery life of the MAXX?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can only answer to the battery life which is outstanding. I am a light to moderate user depending on the day. I am at 21 hrs and still have 60% battery left. I have used it lightly since it has been off the charger and through the night. I have almost 2 hrs of screen on time, some email and texts, about 30 mins of phone time and very light gaming. I would easily get 20-24 hrs with heavier use.
Have had my Maxx for three days now. Battery is simply amazing. Far better than my iPhone 4s. Also better than my EVO with extended battery.
According to the Rep at the store, you do not need a tethering plan with the dock. The dock and the phone function as one device. Not two separate internet connected devices.
XGear said:
According to the Rep at the store, you do not need a tethering plan with the dock. The dock and the phone function as one device. Not two separate internet connected devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is good to know. At&t wanted us to have to pay for tethering on the ATRIX when it and the lapdock first came out.
My solution to all of this was going to be the Asus Padphone but it seems somewhat lackluster.
I think the best way to have this done is to implement a generic laptop / tablet dock that works for all phones, has a storage compartment and a few flexible ribbon cables that use MHL / HDMI and transfer input back via bluetooth. It really isn't that far fetched now, ICS does most of that work already.
SquareBare said:
I think the best way to have this done is to implement a generic laptop / tablet dock that works for all phones, has a storage compartment and a few flexible ribbon cables that use MHL / HDMI and transfer input back via bluetooth. It really isn't that far fetched now, ICS does most of that work already.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That pretty much sounds like the current dock for motorola phones including the Razr except that it uses the microUSB for input or you can use the bluetooth that is already part of the phone for input as well. The current dock uses a generic holder to hold the phone and a flex cable that plugs into the usb and hdmi on the phone. I was even able to succesfully plug it into my old Droid X however triggering the hdmi out on that did not "wake" the lapdock up. Probably something that's triggered through recognizing a supported phone.
I have a regular razr and the lapdock. It all works as one device, you get your signal and data through your phone. I am enjoying the lapdock. Works well and is super convenient when playing on your device for long periods of time. The much bigger screen and keyboard ( and a wireless mouse) make it so much enjoyable and easier to play/mod/etc. etc. with. The best part was the great deal I got on it.
Wasn't impressed with the Lapdock
I got a Lapdock 500 Pro as a great deal and tried it out, but I wasn't impressed. It's great for watching videos from your phone, ok for surfing online, and if you have to access a Citrix server, but not much else. Texting from it is buggy, and mostly you just access the phone's screen that's mirrored on the lapdock screen. I'm selling mine.
It does run off your phone's data connection, so whatever your phone is using is fine. It has a built-in battery that recharges the phone, which is convenient.
Outside of the lapdock, I use my Razr Maxx moderately for texting and occasionally playing games or checking email. If I unplug it by 8am, it usually still has at least 60% battery by 5pm. I keep it on wifi and use the Smart Actions to turn off background sync while the screen is off and it's sitting on the desk.
jcreemer said:
and mostly you just access the phone's screen that's mirrored on the lapdock screen. I'm selling mine
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is what I think they should have done from the beginning. Just simply mirrored the Phone's screen instead of trying to create an OS that the phone cannot run properly. Now with ICS, Onlive / Onlive Desktop, Splashtop and other software there is no longer a need to have a "desktop OS" on your phone because Android is pretty much there already.
I was hoping that Moto would just abandon webtop and simply make the phone mirror itself to the lapdock with ICS. That's what the Padphone does. But unfortunately the padphone has pretty weak specs on the actual phone.
http://www.asus.com/Mobile/PadFone/#specifications
The main problem I am seeing is the 1520 mAh battery. That pretty much ensures that you are going to have to either drag a charger or the paddock around all day. Or cut out part of the dock to squeeze an enormous extended battery into.
The best solution would be for a third party manufacturer to create a tablet dock using a combination of MHL, HDMI and Bluetooth as to be universally adaptable among all ICS phones, not just moto ones.
Related
I was very interested in the Atrix, mostly for the lapdock, but a number of reasons turned me away from it. The lapdock is now a mere $200 after rebate, so has anyone found a way to get it to do display mirroring, keyboard, and battery charging with any phones other then the Atrix?
I'm sure Motorola designed it to only recognize the Atrix, and non-Atrix phones won't have the software to run the lapdock environment, but honestly, I'd pay $200 for a larger screen, keyboard, and extended battery for business trips. While the ports may not line up, many new smartphones have the USB and HDMI ports necessary for the physical hookup, the only question is if there's a way to get the phone to output to the lapdock's display and receive input from the keyboard.
If no one has tried to look into the problem, we should open a bounty for it. I'd definitely contribute.
I just stumbled on this - has anyone tried it, or done business with this company?
I don't need a cradle with HDMI connectivity, and prefer not to pay $99 for the Motorola HD Multimedia Dock.
http://www.smartphonebay.net/Cradle-Dock-for-Motorola-Photon-p/crad-motopht4g.htm
levman said:
I just stumbled on this - has anyone tried it, or done business with this company?
I don't need a cradle with HDMI connectivity, and prefer not to pay $99 for the Motorola HD Multimedia Dock.
http://www.smartphonebay.net/Cradle-Dock-for-Motorola-Photon-p/crad-motopht4g.htm
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nice find...if it were a little cheaper i would jump on it...
Want!z
Sent from my MB855 using xda premium
the moto dock is here ... still pricey for me
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...y=123417&_trksid=p5197.c0.m619#ht_3014wt_1085
I have all the motorola photon accessories I bought them from sprint, and they are all fan freakin tastic, the docking station the car cradle and the motorola blue tooth keyboard, everything is from motorola. I have my photon set up to use as a web tv on my flatscreen its absolutely amazing, I am using it right now typing on the bluetooth keyboard, there are no downfalls to this surfing is fast and snappy but I will tell you this I have netflix also and I have to open the app from the phone and switch it to full screen because if you use the mozilla firefox web browser to go to the netflix site it won't register a an authorized device so open the app from the phone and switch to full screen I am fortunate enough to live in a great 4g coverage area and I have no lags whatsoever or buffering, and. Jsut so you know I am running the stock rom the only thing I did was root the photon for the free wifi, I have had my photon for about 2 weeks, since I broke my epic, and was a die hard epic fan now I have both I started a new line of service and it only cost me an extra 15dollars a month for 2 lines so I switch back and forth when the battery gets low and I don't want to wait I just grab the other phone and off I go, but I will tell you this that having the docking station and the keyboard I don't use my laptop as much anymore, I work in web based IT so I am always on the net and this setup does averything I need, I walk up to my next project pop out the kick stand and pull out the keyboard and off to work I go, its really simplified my life a whole lot I hardly ever use my epic anymore, but it was my favorite so I can't see myself giving it up. Well my friends as for the car dock its amazing once you put the photon in the car dock it turns into a gps automatically and it comes with all the wires you need if you want to hook it up to the auxhillary port (hmm don't think I spelled that right!!!) Then the main screen give you 4 slots to put whatever app you use most, I use my phone to listen to my music thru the car speakers so that's how I have mine set up, well that's the end of this long post I hope it was helpful, if so don't forget to hit the thanks button, Later!!!!!
Motorola 89501 Photon Station
Great phone love this thing, did not even know about the docking station did some research and found this one at $29.95 anyone heard of this or do you have one and how does it compare
I cannot post the link but it is for sale at IncrediCell [/url])
Donkeyloco said:
Great phone love this thing, did not even know about the docking station did some research and found this one at $29.95 anyone heard of this or do you have one and how does it compare
I cannot post the link but it is for sale at IncrediCell [/url])
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually found this a few months back. here's the link
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1475723
I purchased the 89529N Motorola Navigation dock and for some reason it's not recognizing my Droid Razr.
I watched several videos on youtube and it showed the Razr entering car mode as soon as placed into the dock and the sliding micro-USB plug inserted.
While my droid recognizes that it's charging, it doesn't enter Car Mode, does not launch the Motorola Car Finder app upon removal nor does it output audio via the USB-Audio Cable.
I've spent some time looking to see if other people are having this issue and the only other report I've found is a review on the product via Amazon:
amazon.com/Motorola-89525N-Vehicle-Navigation-Charger/product-reviews/B005W8NLG0/ref=cm_cr_pr_hist_1?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&filterBy=addOneStar
I have now gone through 3 of these docking stations. I WANT it to work but after the phone snaps into the mount (nicely managed) there is a squared black slider that has the male USB end that is supposed to slide into the top of the phone's USB port. This connection was flaky in the first two units i purchased and i ended up needing to slide a business card in behind the phone to put enough pressure to cause the phone Car App to start and for the port to think it had a power cable inserted...
The business card approach finally quit working this morning (11.21.2011) so I took the unit into a local Verizon Store and showed them. This happened with 3 RAZR phones from the store so it was not the phone. I then ended up going through 3 of the car dock boxes and the first two ALSO had this problem. The third unit worked but i had to push the black slider back a tad to put some positive pressure on it before it will slide into the phones USB port...
I need this thing to work. I want the Car Nav App to start and for the phone to charge... Verizon, you need to take a look at the design of this device. The quality of it seems fine. It is sturdy and mounts wonderfully but the slider idea seems to be a problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, does anyone else with this dock have the same problem?
I had the same issue with mine. It worked for the first few days then it tanked. Returned to Verizon for another unit. This one has been working for the past.
Check the RAZR forums on the Motorola support site and there are several other folks that have been experiencing the same issue.
No problems at all with the car dock. I use it daily and it has always worked as advertised.
How long is the power cable the comes with the version of the car dock that comes with a power cable?
If it's not super long I may just buy the cheaper version of the dock.
I had the same problems with my first dock. I returned it and got another and so far so good. A couple of times it's failed to recognize the phone, but sliding out the usb and putting it back usually fixes it.
I bought the car dock and so far it works perfect. I drove about 1100 miles over the holidays, and it worked perfectly the entire trip with a CHEAP generic micro USB cable and CHEAP generic car charger from monoprice.com Phone was running GPS and nav the whole time and I was impressed that it never got hot or too warm (just EVER SO SLIGHTLY warm. My old HTC Incredible would get hot as hell running GPS for several hours)
seanmcd72 said:
How long is the power cable the comes with the version of the car dock that comes with a power cable?
If it's not super long I may just buy the cheaper version of the dock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did have the problem when I first received the dock. After studying the dock I realized the bottom plate can be removed. I did just that and the holder works great. Can even use it with the protection case.
I've also had my car dock for some time now and have been using it with a commuter series OtterBox. I've seen no problems with it, in fact while running Google navigation since the new update I've not seen any substantial overheating issues at all. Overall I'm very pleased with its operation. It is a little disconcerting to hear several of you have had problems with it.
I have not had any issues with this dock. The HD dock, yes but so far I love this navigation dock over the one my Thunderbolt and Original Moto Droid had. However, where do you people find this USB/Audio cable? I purchased the mount right from verizon and it did not come with it. Can't seem to find the cable anywhere either.
h1p1n3: http://www.store.motorola.com/dp/B005NDKQ3K
It doesn't have a picture and the description makes it sound like a basic usb cable that's really expensive, but I ordered it for the same reason you are and I can assure you that it is a basic USB cable that's really expensive... with the audio dongle on the end. At $20 it's a bit of a rip-off, but it's what you need.
mine works like a champ, it gets used on a daily basis.
Sent from my Xoom using xda premium
I just bought the car dock, is there a way to setup a alternative navigation app?
I want to use Sygic instead of Google Maps. Anyone?
b.o.n.s said:
I just bought the car dock, is there a way to setup a alternative navigation app?
I want to use Sygic instead of Google Maps. Anyone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can add an app of your choice on the "Music" page of the Navigation app.
Thanks found it! i hope Moto will update the Car Dock so you can choose your own software
I don't have my Razr yet to test this, but try the Car Home Ultra app. It's fully customizable and can be launched by the dock.
I purchased a car dock its work for me fine.
karnovaran said:
I don't have my Razr yet to test this, but try the Car Home Ultra app. It's fully customizable and can be launched by the dock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had my car dock now for about a month, and it works like a charm for me. Car Home Ultra is a great app and you can add a bunch of different apps to it's home screen so you can set it up the way you want.
I have 2 car docks it use to work on both now it doesn't work on either of them, ever since i re flashed using 9.8.2O-124_SPUL-18_Rogers_P005_A006_S1FF_fb_CFC.xml.
droid razr m Vehicle navigation dock
just got mine yesterday and hooked it up no problem Love it
plays slacker and maps at the same time and the phone calls come through my speakers and my wife can here me very clear
Love mine
took out my Garmin and the 17mm ball mount works with the droid razr m Vehicle navigation dock
Currently I just have the tablet and have been thinking about buying the keyboard dock.
Is it worth $130? I currently have a laptop here at school, along with a desktop, and my tablet. My brother thinks it would be dumb to get the keyboard dock, because I would essentially have 3 computers.
Opinions?
I've heard people say that once you use the dock, you "almost" forget about using your other options. I just got my wife a TF101 and the dock for Valentine's Day and she doesn't want to use the tablet without the dock. I plan on picking up a dock for my Transformer soon because after playing with hers, I definitely need to have one. Hope that helps but at the end of the day, it's your decision and your wallet that's being affected.
I got both..
The question is
Is this replacing your laptop? If so i would say get a dock.. Its easier for me to type with the dock.. I only have it out the dock when going outside or gaming.
Other plus is the battery in the dock.
Just my 2cents.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using xda premium
i thought i will get the dock play with it for a week and leave and idont its one of the best buys i had and consider the fact that here is costs 250 us dollars
ifind the dock a very good replacement for my other 2 laptops first of all its quite smaller than a mini laptop so its great for me to carry around
second the battery is awesome im working with it almost every day all day and the battery never died
even when im browsing the internet listening to music and downloading torrents
the time here is 18:20 right now im using it since around 4:30 i have 74 battery on dock
also it supports a few games so it nice to play with it
there are also 2 usb ports for DOK or xbox controller or ps3 controller for gaming
even some 3g dongles are supported
i pesonally find the dock one of the best buys for me
now it up for you to decide
p.s sorry for writing too much lol
You can never have enough computers
I bought the dock three days ago and am very pleased with it.
Typing is faster than the onscreen keyboard and battery life has doubled.
I also use it as a stand, so I don't have to use a case as a stand.
not sure if this has been answered before but can the dock charge other thing through usb like say a phone
i had the tablet for about 3 months without the dock and loved it. I got it about 2 months ago and its awesome. great build quality, battery is great, you can plug just about anything usb into it, thumb/hard drives, wireless mice, etc.
you wont use your laptop except to burn dvd's.
Hell, its great even to have as a charging station, its so easy to take on and off.
If you've got the money to spend, you wont regret it.
---------- Post added at 07:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:49 PM ----------
Ligerblue said:
not sure if this has been answered before but can the dock charge other thing through usb like say a phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, when the tablet is on the dock it will charge phones etc.
if you remove the tablet it becomes useless, except to charge itself.
I agree with the other posters; the dock rocks! I use my tablet pretty much exclusively with the dock. With it the Transformer can easily replace a laptop.
One advantage I haven't seen mentioned yet (at least in this thread) is the dock also protects the tablet's screen, when they are folded together.
Hermit, when the transformer is folded into the keyboard dock, is it secured by some mechanism?
LeoBloom. said:
Hermit, when the transformer is folded into the keyboard dock, is it secured by some mechanism?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
its kinda like spring loaded. Its a very firm hold, it doesn't flap around or anything.
If thats what you mean,
if your talking about how the tf attaches to the dock, then there are two hooks on the dock that lock into the bottom of the tf. then you have to slide the switch over to get it out. again very secure and firm.
Get the dock! I bought tablet alone at first but after a two months I decided to get the dock - and it changed the whole game! More juice, easier typing when needed, usb ports, card reader, even (rom based) 3g dongle!
Deffinetely go for it!
BTW - since I got TF (and the dock later) I didn't touched my laptop more than few times!
Bought it yesterday and got it today (F'yeah Amazon Prime)
It's awesome! I don't know why I have a laptop now >_<
dock is really awesome
it looks and feels amazing with tab attached to it! and battery life is incredible
I have to agree with everyone's comments about the dock - and as to "replacing" or having an extra computer......I have a dual screen I7, TF101, a hand me down Toshiba Tecra running as a home server, and a now dead Asus Slate (still trying to fix).
I have a Dell Studio XPS laptop that always overheats and runs out of battery way too fast. It's great and all but not practical for school use. I don't get much time near a charger so it's annoying to lug around a dead laptop.
I bought the tf in my first semester of college and absolutely adored it. I used it for everything and used it all day to bring it home with still 60-70% charge. 6 months later I bought the dock and it's just the cherry on top. It works beautifully, it's small, it's fast, it does everything I need it to do (Web surfing, music, study, gaming) and last days without charging (Doesn't heat up at all, only a little tiny bit when charging)
My laptop now stays at home as my webserver as an alternative to buying another desktop.
It's all up to you if you're going to use it enough to pay the $130 for the dock.
I just got the dock yesterday and have to say, it is very nice indeed.. I have a question though.
How do the little doors/flaps hold up for the USB connectors? They seem a bit flimsy and I was wondering if anyone has had any problems with those?
Get the dock.
The Transformer is only as good as the other offerings (Xoom/Tab/iPad) without it. With it, it's the best tablet on the market bar none...
Sell one of your laptops to fund it
Just to echo what everyone else is saying,
When I first saw the TF at I think it was CES (or MWC) last year, I thought it was just another android tablet. Its got a keyboard? Great, iPad has stuff like that too, so whatever.
But then my friend got one in the summer AND IT FOLDS UP LIKE A LAPTOP?! Sold! AND ITS A BATTERY?! AND A TRACKPAD?! USB PORTS?!
Needless to say, I was incredulous. The keyboard I think is what sets it apart from everything else on the market (save the prime). You can have your galaxy tabs and your xooms and xyboards - have fun typing on them. Not to mention all the function keys along the top row with shortcuts for the browser, settings, volume, brightness, probably some other stuff.
And it probably wouldn't be the worst idea in the world to throw a sizable SD into the dock to supplement your storage.
I wouldn't wait a second to buy the dock. Best addition to a tab ever. So much easier to type and the screen is protected during travel. Only downside is the additional $$$ really.
The extra battery life alone makes the dock worth it. Since getting the dock, I've put my Macbook pro up for sale and am just using my tablet (use my media pc for everything else).
One thing I wish is that the trackpad worked more like a real mouse (ie. when you're trying to drag something on the screen (to select text or drag the screen of a flash window). Right now it just acts as though you are touching the screen with your finger. It's still a lot better though. I find myself using the touchscreen more than the trackpad though (unless I need to make more precise touches).
I have no regrets of getting the dock.
Be warned though, if you let the battery in the dock completely die, you will need to plug it into a 5V power adapter to get the tablet to communicate properly with the dock's battery (will show up as 0% even if it's fully charged). I just plug my USB cable into my USB-110V adapter for my blackberry for a few seconds and it's good to go again.
I have seen the Motorola Lapdock being used with some other phones (Sony Xperia?) and even with stuff like an Xbox 360 or PS3, just wondering if anyone knows if the Rezound would work using the MHL HDMI adapter. If it would charge the phone, and the keyboard and touchpad worked, that would be great, but I am primarily just wanting to use it as a portable display during my 12 hour shift at work where I spend most of my time in a parked car.
If this doesn't work, does anyone know of an alternative? Possibly a thin portable monitor that can be run on a battery or plugged into a car? Again, my primary goal is just to output to a bigger screen for video and the occasional websurfing or game, I can always control everything via the phone or like a bluetooth keyboard or something.
vphreeze said:
I have seen the Motorola Lapdock being used with some other phones (Sony Xperia?) and even with stuff like an Xbox 360 or PS3, just wondering if anyone knows if the Rezound would work using the MHL HDMI adapter. If it would charge the phone, and the keyboard and touchpad worked, that would be great, but I am primarily just wanting to use it as a portable display during my 12 hour shift at work where I spend most of my time in a parked car.
If this doesn't work, does anyone know of an alternative? Possibly a thin portable monitor that can be run on a battery or plugged into a car? Again, my primary goal is just to output to a bigger screen for video and the occasional websurfing or game, I can always control everything via the phone or like a bluetooth keyboard or something.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure about the Moto dock. I would imagine that you could get an LCD that is made for putting in headrests and whatnot for custom car applications that has an HDMI input and you would be set.
http://www.lilliputuk.com/
http://www.lilliputuk.com/index.php?page=869GL
I would look ^here^
Hmm this is giving me ideas... I was fist thinking of making my rezound dockable with my desktop monitor when ubuntu for android came out, but now im think of making a complete lapdock type thing... interesting.
Keep in mind the charging limitation of the MHL adapter. Because it needs the data pins, they can't be shorted out and in turn the phone will only draw 500mA to charge with, there's a number of complaints about batteries dying while using the adapter as a result.
mjones73 said:
Keep in mind the charging limitation of the MHL adapter. Because it needs the data pins, they can't be shorted out and in turn the phone will only draw 500mA to charge with, there's a number of complaints about batteries dying while using the adapter as a result.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahh yes, the beauty of dual extended batteries.....