Yesterday, I joined the ranks of the smart phone users. I've wanted an iPhone since they first came out, but I never could justify the expense, even though I qualified for an upgrade. It also didn't help that the iPhone didn't qualify for the discount I get through my employer, so I've just contented myself with a Motorola RAZR.
The good thing is, if you've got to content yourself with a phone, the RAZR is a great one to settle for. I've been using one since 2006 and it's given flawless service. I was actually kind of sad yesterday when I shut it down and pulled out the SIM card for the last time.
The decision to make the jump to a smart phone was kind of an impulse. I was on AT&T's Web site late last week, making an adjustment to my account that would save me a few bucks a month, and I decided to see what phone upgrades might be available. I looked at several Android smart phones and read some scary user reviews, then I spied the Motorola Atrix 4G. There were no user reviews, but when I brought up reviews from respected publications like PC Magazine, C-NET, and Endgadget, the consensus I read was that it was a pretty good piece of hardware. It even compared favorably with the iPhone 4. As if the reviews weren't a good enough enticement, AT&T was offering the Atrix 4G for a penny. It's sort of hard to argue with that kind of a price tag.
Placing an order for the phone on AT&T's seemed like it would be an easy thing, but I couldn't have been more wrong. A malfunction on the site prevented it from processing the instant rebate of $199.98 and thus was attempting to charge me $199.99 instead of one cent. Repeated online chat sessions with a supposed customer support representative didn't solve the problem. I'm nearly convinced there wasn't actually a real person there. The responses were too formal and too formulaic.
The last chat session ended with the suggestion that I call the customer service number, which I did--and got transferred a total of three times--before I ended up talking with someone who was empowered to process the order and apply the discount. The individual even waived the $18 upgrade fee to compensate me for my inconvenience It only took me three hours to make all that happen, and three days later, the phone was in my hands.
Since I've never owned or used any other smart phone, I have nothing with which to compare it except the other mobile phones I've owned. All but one of those phones has been a Motorola and all but one of those has been of excellent quality, so with the good reviews I read, I had few qualms about going with a Motorola smart phone.
The Atrix 4G seems to be built to Motorola's usual high standards, although the plastic back panel is a bit of a disappointment after five years of the RAZR's machined aluminum outer shell. While it doesn't exactly feel cheap, the panel's satin finish makes it somewhat slippery and hard to hold onto. It's also a bit difficult to remove. This design was improved somewhat with the Atrix 2, which has a rubberized back panel. Too bad they aren't swappable.
As a phone, the Atrix seems to function acceptably with excellent sound quality. I actually got rid of my landline a few years ago because my RAZR's sound quality was so superior to that of the house phone that I tended not to use the latter if I could avoid it. But the phone function is also where this device begins to differentiate itself from the RAZR. Whereas the RAZR was primarily a phone with a few PDA-like features thrown in for good measure, the Atrix 4G--probably like all smart phones--is a handheld mobile computing device that also happens to function as a phone. As it turns out, this is an important distinction because the Atrix takes an extra step or two just to access the phone to make a call. It's actually little wonder that so many people who have smart phones tend to text more than they talk.
So right now, I'm on a learning curve with this phone. Some features are more intuitive than others, and dialing on a slick glass surface takes some getting used to. I'll check back in when I've had more of an opportunity to live with it and let you know whether I'm a convert.
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