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After undergoing a planned upgrade to its gearbox that enabled it to operate at full engine power, Eurocopter's X3 hybrid helicopter demonstrator has surpassed its original speed target of 220 knots (407 km/h or 253 mph). In a flight on May 12, the X3 maintained a true airspeed of 232 knots (430 km/h or 267 mph) for several minutes during stable, level flight.
Equipped with two turboshaft engines powering a five-blade main rotor system and two propellers on short-span fixed wings, the X3 demonstrator combines the vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and hover capabilities of a helicopter with the fast cruise speeds of a turboprop-powered aircraft.
Flight testing of the X3 demonstrator began in September 2010, with the aircraft achieving its initial true airspeed goal of 180 knots (333 km/h or 207 mph) in November when operating at a reduced level of engine power. After an upgrade that integrated its definitive gearboxes to enable it to operate at full power, the aircraft returned to flight testing last week at the DGA Flight Test Center in Istres, France, and achieved the 232 knot milestone on only its third mission.
"We were impressed by the ease at which this speed objective was attained," said flight test engineer Daniel Semioli and test pilot Hervé Jammayrac, who were aboard the aircraft for the May 12 flight. "The X3 handles extremely well, demonstrating remarkable stability at high speed - even with the autopilot off."
In the latest flight tests conducted at full engine power, Eurocopter says the X3 demonstrated "impressive climb and descent rates, as well as excellent maneuverability, while also confirming the hybrid propulsion system's outstanding capabilities for acceleration and deceleration."
Eurocopter says the flight tests to date have also validated the X3's basic handling characteristics and confirmed the aircraft's low vibration levels and ability to provide flight characteristics comparable to the best traditional design helicopters currently in service - all without the use of passive or active anti-vibration systems and without the need of a stability augmentation system.
The company envisions the X3 being utilized in a wide range of applications, including long-distance search and rescue (SAR) missions, coast guard duties, border patrol missions, passenger transport and inter-city shuttle services. It also says the aircraft could be tailored for military applications such as special forces operations, troop transport, combat SAR and medical evacuation.
Eurocopter's X3 flight test program is set to continue throughout 2011.
A year on from the first unveiling of the EC145 Mercedes-Benz Style multi-purpose helicopter concept at last year's European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE) in Geneva, Eurocopter has shown the first finished aircraft at EBACE 2011. Inspired by Mercedes' high-end vehicles, the twin-engine Mercedes-Benz Style helicopter features a versatile interior enabled by a modular approach that allows the aircraft to be tailored to suit a range of travel needs for the well heeled – be it taking the family for a weekend away or ferrying corporate clients around in style.
The helicopter's interior design, which was created in the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studio in Como, Italy, was inspired by the automaker's luxury-class saloons and offers top-shelf materials, wood paneling and spacious multi-function boxes with various equipment options. There's also ambient cabin lighting that can be adjusted to a number of different color and brightness settings like that found in the S and E-Class to ensure the sensitive traveler doesn't receive a shock to their system when transferring from their car to the helicopter.
Interior versatility is enhanced with all seats fixed to rails so they can be easily rearranged into a number of different seating configurations to suit four to eight passengers. The seats can even be removed altogether to provide space for luggage, with the load area offering a range of anchoring options on the floors and walls in such circumstances.
Falling into the medium-sized, twin-engine helicopter category, the EC145 is a turbine-powered aircraft that incorporates a hingeless rotor system and enhanced rotor blades that are claimed to reduce sound and vibration levels.
"Only one year after Eurocopter presented the EC145 'Mercedes-Benz Style' concept at EBACE 2010, we now are unveiling the first aircraft and can already announce the initial sale to a European corporate operator," said Olivier Lambert, Eurocopter's Senior Vice President Sales and Customer Relations.
"We are very pleased to have realized the first product of 'Mercedes-Benz Style' with Eurocopter," added Prof. h.c. Dr. Gorden Wagener, head of design at Mercedes-Benz. "The interior design of the EC145 'Mercedes-Benz Style' helicopter represents the classic passion of the Mercedes-Benz design language and fulfills the very highest expectations in terms of elegance, luxury and comfort."
Eurocopter will be displaying the EC145 Mercedes-Benz Style helicopter at EBACE 2011 in Geneva, Switzerland, from May 17 to 19, after which it will be delivered to a European corporate buyer.
Since their introduction in the 1960's, automated teller machines (ATMs) have provided bank customers with a convenient way to access their cash 24 hours a day seven days a week without having to wait until banking hours and queue to see a teller. Now the world's biggest ATM provider is putting the "teller" back in the automated teller machine with the unveiling of an ATM with integrated two-way video conferencing that lets users talk live with a remote teller.
Along with letting customers choose the standard self-service functionality with which we're all familiar, the new multi-function NCR SelfServ 32 ATM also lets users opt for an Interactive Teller interface to carry out a transaction with a remote teller that would typically take place within a branch.
NCR says the technology will let financial institutions centrally locate tellers at a remote location and allow such institutions to provide 24 hour access to teller services. It could also allow financial institutions to build new small-footprint branches and provide teller services in areas that are not serviced by bricks and mortar branches.
"Consumers cannot always bank during banking hours. They want service at a time and place that is convenient for them," said Michael O'Laughlin, senior vice president, NCR Financial Services. "Interactive Teller on NCR SelfServ ATMs offers the best of technology - convenient self-service for simple, typical transactions, and personalized banking for after hours and remote service."
NCR's new interactive teller machines, which are powered by technology from Utah-based video banking specialists uGenius Technology, are currently on trial in the U.S. Whether they will simply result in bank queues being relocated from the interior of branches to the sidewalk as a remote teller walks a customer through a complicated transaction remains to be seen.
Grant Schindler, a computer scientist at the Georgia Institute of Technology, has created what is admittedly a pretty cool iPhone 4 app. It's called Trimensional, and it allows your phone to act as a 3D scanner. While you could use it to obtain a three-dimensional frontal image of pretty much any object, if the product's website is anything to go by, users' faces seem to be a particularly popular subject.
To use Trimensional, you go into a room and turn out the lights (the darker, the better), turn the brightness all the way up on the phone's screen, put the phone within 20 centimeters (8 inches) of the object you wish to scan, then hit "capture." The phone will proceed to take four photos, each one lit from a different angle - even though the phone itself is held still. The software will then combine those four photos into one 3D image.
Besides just rotating the image back and forth on your iPhone's screen, you can also save and post it as a jpeg, animated GIF, or looped QuickTime movie, or export it into any number of graphics programs. More intriguingly, should you have access to a 3D printer, you can also create a physical model of the image.
Trimensional is clearly intended to be mostly a fun/artsy app, although it can undoubtedly be put to practical use in some situations. Considering that prices for dedicated 3D scanners start at around US$3,000, a 99-cent program - even if you have to buy a $500 iPhone to go with it - is definitely a decent deal, if it suits your purposes.
The app also works on the iPad 2 Wi-Fi and 4th generation iPod touch, and is available through iTunes. You can watch Schindler putting it through its paces in the video below.
The inclusion of a new all-in-one desktop computer in Lenovo's Live Quarterly Update has prompted the company to come clean about the first of its new Edge family. With up to quad-core Intel Core i7 configurations available and at just 3.18-inches thick including the frame stand at the rear (or 2.5-inches thin if you care not to consider such trifles), the ThinkCentre Edge 91z is a might more powerful and a good deal slimmer than an iMac or, perhaps more relevantly, the company's ownThinkCentre M70z. Lenovo's "Do Machine" has been earmarked for small businesses and users looking to save some table-top space, and will be available in a number of configurations.
Lenovo has revealed that its new 21.46 x 16.31 x 3.18-inch (545.2 x 414.3 x 81 mm) ThinkCentre Edge 91z all-in-one desktop computer will have a 21.5-inch, 1080p high definition LED Infinity display with optional touchscreen panel and front-facing controls, a 2 megapixel web camera with built-in microphone, and a wall-friendly VESA mount. It will come pre-loaded with Lenovo Enhanced Experience 2.0 for Windows 7, that's claimed to boot 30 percent faster than non-optimized models, and can be loaded up and ready for action in just 20 seconds if an optional 80GB solid state drive is chosen. Otherwise, there's up to 1TB of 7200RPM HDD storage available.
The computer comes in low power Core i3 (up to 3.3GHz), Core i5 (up to 2.7GHz) and Core i7 (2.8GHz) processor options on an Intel B65 chipset, with support from up to 8GB of DDR3 system memory. There's either integrated Intel HD or discrete AMD Radeon HD6650A graphics with 1GB of dedicated video memory available, and integrated Realtek ALC269Q audio, which feed sounds to a pair of 3W stereo speakers. Other options include 150W or 180W internal power supplies, a spill-resistant wireless keyboard that tucks neatly under the unit when not in use, and a Blu-ray/DVD optical drive combo.
Connectivity comes courtesy 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, plus there's optional Bluetooth via USB dongle, Ethernet, a 6-in-1 media card reader and four USB 2.0 and two USB 3.0 ports - positioned four at the back and two at the side. HDMI output is joined by a VGA input, which allows the unit to be used as a display monitor.
The new Edge 91z is set for July release at an estimated starting price of US$699.
Sharp, in cooperation with Japanese TV network NHK, has recently introduced a new 85-inch LCD TV that is compatible with the newly developed Super Hi-Vision format. The said TV is said to be the world’s first in terms of viewing on Super Hi-Vision, a new television broadcast format that is said to be the successor to HDTV. The said new TV format will come with a higher resolution than current HDTV’s.
The Sharp Super Hi Vision LCD TV comes with an incredible full 7,680 x 4,320 pixel resolution. This comes at 103 pixels per inch, nearly 3x that of current 1080p HDTV’swhich average 36 pixels per inch. This means super clear and incredibly detailed images possible on such a giant 85-inch LCD TV display. The new Sharp 85-inch Super Hi Vision LCD TV will be shown to the public at the NHK’s Science and Technology Research Laboratories in Tokyo from May 26 to 29.
It will only be a matter of time before printed, paper-based books will go the way of the dinosaur as a business model in publishing. With e-book readers and tablets now proliferating the world, more and more people now prefer reading the electronic version of popular book titles than the traditional paper-based sort. And this time, the change may be evident in the numbers that Amazon has recently provided.
Amazon, the popular online book retailer for both the electronic and the traditional kind, recently announced that its customers are now buying more e-books for its Kindle e-book device than traditional books, both the hardback and the paperback versions combined. It took around three years (the period that the Kindle has been available in the market) for this to happen, the quick turnover of which also caught the online company by surprise.
According to Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon, “Customers are now choosing Kindle books more often than print books. We had high hopes that this would happen eventually, but we never imagined it would happen this quickly — we’ve been selling print books for 15 years and Kindle books for less than four years.”
Although this may already have been expected to happen any time soon, it may not totally represent the whole picture. The sales of printed books from other book shops and book retailers have not yet been factored in. The numbers may only refer to the sales that Amazon has made for both its Kindle and printed book divisions. On the whole, e-books still remain as a small part of the overall book market. But it is expected to reach 20 percent growth in a couple of years, according to analysts.
Creative's ZiiLABS has chalked up two new additions to its ZMS media processor family that offer Android tablet manufacturers a significant boost in performance over previous versions. The ARM-based ZMS-20 system-on-a-chip is reported to perform four times better than the ZMS-08 launched in 2009, while the ZMS-40 gets an array of up to 96 Stemcell media processing cores for a boost of up to 100 processor cores.
The new chips have been "specifically engineered to meet the performance and power efficiency requirements of high resolution Android tablets more effectively than any other processor on the market" according to president of ZiiLABS Hock Leow.
The ZMS-20 is built around a combination of Dual-Core ARM Cortex A9 processors running at 1.5GHz and a 48 Stemcell media processing array with 32-bit floating point cores that's said to be capable of computing at 26GFlops. Capable of H.264 video playback at full 1080p high definition at 30 frames per second and able to process images at 150 megapixels per second, the chip also benefits from OpenGL ES 2.0 3D graphics compatibility, VP8 support and accelerated OpenCL 1.1 (desktop profile) integrated into Android native development kit (NDK).
There's also support for 1GB of DDR3 or LPDDR2 memory, integrated HDMI 1.4 with so-called 3D stereo support and dynamic power management for longer device battery life. Like the ZMS-08, the new chip also features dual USB 2.0 controllers, three independent SDIO/MMC controllers and advanced Xtreme Fidelity X-Fi audio effects.
The ZMS-20 is sampling now ahead of wider availability in Q3.
Unfortunately, ZiiLABS is keeping much of the nitty gritty of the ZMS-40 chip under wraps at the moment but we do know that it will feature Quad-Core 1.5GHz ARM Cortex A9 processors and offer a clock speed of up to 6GHz. We'll fill in the significant blanks as soon as the information is released.
In the meantime, the company says that some Android 3.0 tablets based on the ZMS-20 will be on show at the ZiiLABS suite at Computex 2011 in Taipei, Taiwan from 31 May to 4 June.
Following previews at CES 2011 and the Mobile World Congress, and boasting pre-orders from 56 network carriers in 50 different countries, LG is set to debut its Optimus Black smartphone in Europe. Slimmer (just) than an iPhone 4, the Optimus Black features a 4-inch capacitive touchscreen 1GHz processor, front and rear facing cameras and runs on Android 2.2.
LG says its world first "NOVA" 700-nit IPS LCD delivers better outdoor visibility, more natural colors and true blacks and whites. By comparison, the iPhone 4 is 500 nits and the Samsung Galaxy S – with its AMOLED screen – is 300 nits. but the 800 x 480 resolution of the Optimus Black is trumped by the iPhone 4's 960 x 640 display. There's also a built-in environment sensor which automatically adjusts power consumption when indoors.
At 4.8 x 2.51 x 0.23 - 0.36-inch (122 x 64 x 6 - 9.2mm), it's just a tad slimmer than the iPhone 4 but around 20 percent lighter at 3.84 ounces (109 g). The Optimus Black is powered by a 1GHz OMAP 3630 processor from Texas Instruments, has 2GB onboard memory with expansion via microSD and runs on Android 2.2 – with an upgrade to Gingerbread (v2.3) in the works. Gesture control allows users to take calls, activate the camera or start music playing by lifting, shaking or tapping the phone.
The smartphone has built-in 802.11b/g/n connectivity and Wi-Fi Direct technology, which allows wireless file transfer direct to compatible devices. The 2 megapixel camera at the front is joined by a 5 megapixel autofocus snapper at the rear and back covers will be available sporting artwork by Keith Harring.
LG says that after its initial launch in Europe later this month, the Optimus Black will head stateside, and that white and pink versions are to be introduced in June.
Since 1984, when cell phones hit the shelves, thier functionality has been expanded only a few times. In the nineties these milestones were first smartphone, and then the PDA based on Windows Mobile. Finally, in January 2011, another milestone was the product from Motorola. What's next - is not known and not so important in the context of this material. Now we're talking about a future that has already become real - on the Motorola Atrix 4G.
Processor: Dual Core, NVIDIA Tegra 2 with a frequency of 1 GHz
Memory: 1 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal memory
Memory card: microSD, up to 32 GB
Display: 960 by 540 pixels, 4-inch diagonal (PenTile)
5-Megapixel camera with video recording in HD
The camera on the front side of the phone for video calls
Fingerprint Scanner combined with the power button
Two microphones. Noise reduction technology used in conversation
Built-in codecs for video
HDMI output and miniJack for headphones and headsets
MOTOBLUR Shell, as well as proprietary software from Motorola that allows you to use your phone as a "brain" or "system unit" for the various docks.
A good set of accessories and even includes a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse.
All the benefits of Android 2.2
Package Contents:
Phone Motorola Atrix 4G
Battery BH6X 1880/1930 mAh
HDMI cable
Cable microUSB, for PC and AC Charger
AC Charger
Documentation
Unboxing Video:
Design, materials, case
In appearance Atrix more like a small tablet, rather than phone. In modern mobile phones, most of them, the screen is slightly shifted vertically relative to the center hull. Such a decision caused by the presence of the front controls. In the case of Atrix display is located exactly on the center, which, in my opinion, it is more convenient when typing on the keyboard in landscape mode.
The main body material is a sleek, black, not glossy plastic. Fingerprints are not particularly visible on it, and can be removed without any problems with a piece of soft tissue. The back side is simulating carbon texture. Plastic does not feel expensive; however, it cannot be called cheap. All the edges are rounded and it almost has no sharp corners. The size of Motorola Atrix 4G is not much different from other devices that are now present on the market. Comparing it with other dual-core smarphones we get the following results:
Motorola Atrix 4G
Samsung Galaxy S2
LG Optimus 2x
Width
63.5
66.1
63.2
Height
117.7
125.3
123.9
Thickness
10.9
8.5
10.9
Weight
135
116
144
Screen
qHD, 540*960 pixels, 4", PenTile Technology
WVGA 480*800 pixels, 4.3", SuperAMOLED Plus
WVGA 480*800 pixels, 4"
Processor
1 GHz, NVIDIA Tegra 2, Dualcore
1 GHz, Samsung S5PV310 Exynos 4210, Dualcore
1 GHz, NVIDIA Tegra 2, Dualcore
RAM
1 GB
1 GB
512 MB
Storage
16 GB. 2 GB of that is reserved for progams, 10 GB is for user's use
16 GB, 32 GB
8 GB. 1.5 GB of that is reserved for progams, 5.5 GB is for user's use
Memory Card
microSD, up to 32 GB
microSD, up to 32 GB
Main camera
5MP, recording in HD quality. FullHD recording will be available soon.
8 MP, video recording in FullHD.
8 MP, video recording in FullHD.
Front camera
Yes
2 MP
1.3 MP
Wireless Connectivity
GSM\UMTS, Wi-Fi (a\b\g\n), Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
GSM\UMTS, Wi-Fi (b\g\n), Bluetooth 3.0 + HS
GSM\UMTS, Wi-Fi (b\g\n), Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
Battery
1880-1930 mAh
1650 mAh
1500 mAh
OS version
Android 2.2, will be updated to Android 2.2
Android 2.3
Android 2.2, will be updated to Android 2.2
UI
MOTOBLUR
TouchWiz 4.0
Interfaces
Audio 3.5 mm miniJack, microUSB, HDMI
Audio 3.5 mm miniJack, microUSB
Audio 3.5 mm miniJack, microUSB, HDMI
The front side is completely covered with protective Gorilla Glass. There are the frontal camera and an opening of the earpiece on the upper side. Under the display, there are usual touch keys for Android (Menu, Home, Back, Search). At the bottom you can see the microphone.
There is a fingerprint sensor on the back side, and it is combined with the power switch. It is situated at an angle of 30 degrees.
Build quality at a good level. Backlash and squeaks body was found.
Controls
One of the benefits, according to many, is the fingerprint scanner, which, as I said above, combined with the power key. You can activate it and set up for the index fingers of the left and right hands. Immediately you will be prompted to install four-digit code to unlock the device in case when unlocking via the scanner is not possible. When you press the power button screen lights up and then you just hold your finger on the scanner - after half a second (time needed for identification) device is unlocked. I can't say that this solution is suitable for everyone, it is necessary to consider several things. For example, swiping finger at certain speed, and it's not always convenient. Unlocking the device by pressing the power button and swiping display will work much faster. But that's not all. Note the location of the button, it is easy to use only if you hold it only in certain way, otherwise, if you hold it upside-down it won’t be so convenient.
Volume control buttons are small, but have very good feel. They have a short stroke, a muffled click, and yet easy to use. Touch keys are also not satisfactory, they work with every touch, however, and they are pretty far from the screen itself so you won’t miss it.
Screen
One of the main advantages of this device is four-inch display with qHD resolution (960 * 540 pixels). It uses PenTile technology but its quality is not great.
Instead of the usual location of RGB (Red, Green, Blue) subpixels PenTile uses different order: Red, Green, Blue, Green. In terms of area green subpixels are two times smaller than red and blue ones, so the amount of green, and hence colors have not changed. It would seem that there is nothing terrible in this, but due to the asymmetric colors, it change the way horizontal and vertical lines are displayed. If you closely compare displays of Atrix and Milestone the difference will be evident. It is easily seen on the green battery icon in the top status bar. It consists of green rectangles, arranged in a checkerboard pattern, which would not have been on conventional RGB technology display.
There is also problem with displaying fonts on the new display. Fonts on Artix compared with the usual display are not as crisp, but here high resolution and screen size come into play. The difference is not very noticeable. Sometimes fonts can turn to unclear mush, and it is perfectly clear when it is on a yellow background.
This is all the disadvantages of technology PenTile, which can be seen on a lot of phones with AMOLED Super-AMOLED or screens of (Samsung Galaxy, Galaxy S, Wave, HTC Nexus One, and so on).
The viewing angles are pretty standard for the market and raise no objections. Brightness is also quite enough for any type of light, it is comparable to the brightness of the iPhone 4 display. It is necessary to tell about incorrect colors of new Motorola Atrix. Indeed, the color gamma is slightly shifted, and it is perfectly visible on the photos of the screen. For example, yellow color is a bit dirty, with a little touch of green. The same goes for other colors. After a couple days of using this gadget this problem is no longer evident. Moreover, you simply don’t notice after a few days of use. In the end, the difference for you as an owner of Atrix will be noticeable only in direct comparison with similar phones.
Interface
A distinctive feature of the Motorola phones for the U.S. market is MotoBlur shell, which primarily focuses on work with social networks and services. When you first start the device it offers you to create an account with MotoBlur, and it is impossible to skip this step of setup. You can connect the following social networks: MySpace, Facebook, Last.fm, Twitter, Email, Corporate Sync, Picasa, Photobucket, LinkedIn, Yahoo! Mail, or only connect to Gmail.
In addition to some changes in standard applications (which we'll discuss later), they have also created a few branded widgets.
Despite the existence of a standard for Android wireless networks management widget, Motorola set up its own - it has airplane mode, Bluetooth, GPS, Wi-Fi. Their advantage is that they are separate and are much larger than standard ones.
There is a calendar widget. Its main advantage over other existing for Android is that it can be scaled. It can take as a single line or all the free space on the desktop.
Date and time widget can occupy a single cell (shows only time) and all 16 cells. In full screen mode it also shows the date, month, day of week and calendar.
Weather widget is not as easy to use and not as informative. In addition, the maximum size of weather widget is only four cells. But when pressed on it a window appears with more information.
The same applies to other widgets. For example, the standard size of a contacts widget has only two cells, which can fit buttons for phone call, SMS, email, instant messengers, social networks. But once it is stretched to full screen it then fits eight cells for shortcuts. If you want you can get quick access to all modes of communication with the selected subscriber.
Messages widget can display incoming SMS messages and messages from Facebook and Twitter. If you like you can change the name of the widget, such as Twitter and display information only from this social service.
News from RSS feeds can be displayed on the desktop via its own widget. You can make more of these widgets, subscribing to various channels and giving them correspondent names. Clicking on these will bring out pop-up window displaying more information and a link to the source.
Photo widget is virtually no different from the standard in Android, but it can also be scaled.
There is a much more interesting widget - Picture Frame Puls. In addition to displaying images, it also contains camera button, gallery button and a button to run a slideshow right on the desktop.
There is a special social networking widget that displays a text message and the avatar of its author. When clicked on it pops up a window where you can reply to the author, add message to your favorites or retwitt.
Notes widget deserves our attention too, simple and great tool for every day. Its size can also vary depending on your needs. You can change the title and color of the "paper". In my opinion, this is the most simple, beautiful and right tool of this among all other available in the market.
Impressions from the Motorola Atrix 4G widgets are generally positive. At first it is a bit difficult to use them due to their high functionality, however after some time you will actively use them with ease. Their distinctive features are scalability, which is very convenient, simple and concise in design. It is a pity that they are not on the market.
Music
For music function Atrix uses standard android Android 2.2 player. It is possible to sort tracks by artist, album or track names. There are also Random and Shuffle functions available, as well as a number of equalizers for headphones and for speaker.
Atrix today produces the best sound, among other phones (including iPhone). If it is a merit of NVIDIA processor we would like to hear LG Optimus 2X in future.
Video
Motorola Atrix 4G supports two most used codecs: DivX \ XVid, and processing power is enough to decode FullHD video. Therefore user will not have any problems viewing most videos. However, the built-in player has not much functionality. Play/pause buttons, rewind slider and a button to show the parameters of the video clip. However, it is not tragic, as there are free video players in app market that have functionality that will satisfy most users.
Camera
I must say that Motorola phones with cameras have always been bad, except for the Motorola MOTOZINE ZN5 which was developed in conjunction with Kodak. As you might guess Atrix has not changed the situation. Its camera is pretty average as it has a lot of digital noise, pale color transfer, plus the flash like "light up" subject, if it is close.
Capabilities of the camera are not much different from the standard. There are six scenes:
Auto
Portrait
Landscape
Sport
Night
Macro
Effects:
Normal
Black and White
Negative
Sepia
Solarize
Flash:
On
Off
Auto
Also in the Quick Access Toolbar you can switch to front camera or video mode. You can go to the full settings list via the Menu button. The camera can shoot at following resolutions:
Large (5MP)
Medium (3 MP)
Small (2 MP)
Very Small (1 MP)
Video Recording Resolutions:
Widescreen HDTV (720p)
Widescreen SDTV (480p)
Large (VGA)
Medium (QVGA)
It is possible to automatically upload video clips to different online media services. Pictures can be stored to phone memory and on to microSD card.
Video quality is not much better. It is quite slow to react to changes in the brightness of environment. In comparison with the iPhone 4 and photo / video is much worse.
There are three scenes:
Everyday
Outdoors
Concert
Effects identical to those that we could see in the photo. Flash work as a flashlight while shooting video. Resolution of the front camera is only 640 x 480 pixels, so the video in this case is recorded in VGA quality.
Performance
The device is based on dual-core (Cortex A9) NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor with a frequency of 1 GHz. This allows the unit to encode and decode FullHD video (corresponding to the specifications) on the fly. Power of this solution in 3D graphics will be gradually implemented through games designed specifically for Tegra 2. Already there are few applications with an interesting graphics; however there are still ways to go in this direction.
Based on the synthetic tests, the performance of solutions from NVIDIA is twice as high as other top Android devices that you can buy now.
Later this year Motorola Atrix’s operating system will be upgraded to Android 2.3 (which also does not support dual core processors). New OS will have a certain increase in speed and possible "supplements" in functionality. But let's talk a little about our impressions of the performance.
Definitely we can say that the interface is faster. Lists scroll more smoothly (compared with the HTC Desire) it also takes much less time to download and install applications. The browser works great, you can even try to play flash games. Of course, you should use the application from the Tegra Zone. But at the same time there is one problem. Sometimes (very rarely) it takes 4-5 seconds to start the browser. This is definitely a glitch of the firmware, and there is no doubt that it will be corrected.
Wireless interfaces
The American version of the device is not much different from European and, as it turned out, Motorola Atrix 4G works fine with any 3G network. Supports the following standards: WCDMA 850/1900/2100, GSM 850/900/1800/1900, HSDPA 14Mbps (Category 10) Edge Class 12, GPRS Class 12, eCompass, AGPS.
Work in 2G, including GPRS and EDGE connections are not satisfactory.
Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR module has the following profiles:
A2DP 1.2 - transfer of stereo audio over Bluetooth
AVRCP - control music playback via wireless headset.
Hands-Free Profile 1.5 - Profile is used to connect a wireless headset and the phone
sends mono sound in one channel.
OPP - basic profile for sending "objects" such as pictures, virtual business cards etc.
HID 1.0 - Provides support for devices with a HID (Human Interface Device), such as mice, joysticks, keyboards and so on.
PBAP - profile lets you share your phone book entries between the devices.
(Supports profiles: A2DP 1.2, AVRCP, HFP 1.5 AG, HID 1.0 Host, HSP 1.0, OPP, PBAP PSE)
Wi-Fi (802.11 a / b / g / n) - there are no complaints in this modules functionality. The device automatically connects to known networks. The phone can operate as a router and supports simultaneous connection of up to five devices.
Battery life
Having such a capacious battery the phone does show a record time for Android-devices. In normal operation it will last for two days. With my fairly hard usage scenarios the device worked for a full day - a great result. You will probably not see this result anywhere else. Battery lifetime can be increased by adjusting the power saving mode that disables the data update and adjusts the brightness of the display.
Conclusions
First, let us recall the strengths of Motorola Atrix 4G. This is of course NVIDIA Tegra platform 2. Highest battery capacity among similar devices provides a better lifetime. Perhaps this is one of the greatest benefits among similar products. Fingerprint scanner in my opinion is a more convenient solution than input of a four-digit code. The presence of 16 gigabytes of built-in memory and microSD slot allows users achieve the maximum amount of memory - 42 GB. Entertainment Center turned out to be far from useless. It is very convenient to watch videos from the device on your TV. It has a unique set of accessories - a mouse and a keyboard and a docking station, including a remarkable Laptop Dock. Screen is, admittedly, not a plus, despite its resolution. Traditionally Motorola’s advantages are voice quality and signal reception. There really is no problem - everything is at the highest level. The speaker volume is more than enough. Phone Portal is also its advantage since it is really a handy feature. Well, the quality of the music of Motorola Atrix is considered the best music phone to date. As minuses I note minimalist design and lack of metal casing and display.
It is up to you to decide whether to buy this phone, or look in the direction of the competition. If display problems are not critical for you the phone will work great for you. It's really a good quality product.
Despite all the shortcomings, Atrix is a unique device on the market, forming a new phenomenon, a new scenario for using your phone as a computer. I have no doubt that such decisions sooner or later appear in other manufacturers products. Surely, their implementation will be better, but we must admit that Motorola has been and remains a pioneer in its field.
One of the benefits, according to many, is the fingerprint scanner, which, as I said above, combined with the power key. You can activate it and set up for the index fingers of the left and right hands. Immediately you will be prompted to install four-digit code to unlock the device in case when unlocking via the scanner is not possible. When you press the power button screen lights up and then you just hold your finger on the scanner - after half a second (time needed for identification) device is unlocked. I can't say that this solution is suitable for everyone, it is necessary to consider several things. For example, swiping finger at certain speed, and it's not always convenient. Unlocking the device by pressing the power button and swiping display will work much faster. But that's not all. Note the location of the button, it is easy to use only if you hold it only in certain way, otherwise, if you hold it upside-down it won’t be so convenient.
One of the main advantages of this device is four-inch display with qHD resolution (960 * 540 pixels). It uses PenTile technology but its quality is not great.
There is a calendar widget. Its main advantage over other existing for Android is that it can be scaled. It can take as a single line or all the free space on the desktop.
Messages widget can display incoming SMS messages and messages from Facebook and Twitter. If you like you can change the name of the widget, such as Twitter and display information only from this social service.
There is a special social networking widget that displays a text message and the avatar of its author. When clicked on it pops up a window where you can reply to the author, add message to your favorites or retwitt.