Which Lapdock would you buy?

[jimbarr]

Hypothetically, if all models of Lapdocks cost the same, which would you buy? The Bionic-specific model, the 100, or the 500?

I've read that though the 500 offers many bells and whistles, that it isn't as compatible with the Bionic as the Bionic-specific model is. On the other hand, the 100 and 500 have better keyboard layouts and more responsive touchpads.

 

[Stelv]

I have the lapdock 100 for my Bionic. I havent tried the others yet. The sales person at verizon tried to tell me it only works with the razr. I told him to look at motos webpage.

Anyways it works pretty good with bionic. It fits kind of snug into back slot and has to be tilted slighty so the connectors dont pop out...but it holds pretty good.

Typing was trouble at first until i adjusted the typing speed within the lapdock software. The keyboard physically is pretty nice. The touch pad is a bit non responsive at times, a mouse works better.

Browser works ok, but i do get the low memory warning if too many things are running at once. I try to only keep one tab open at a time.

Talking on the phone while surfing the web works pretty good.

*edit: webtop does work with custom roms, just not in safe system in safestrap.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk

 

[bladewriter]

In an explosion of extravagance, I purchased all three lapdocks to use with my Bionic. Here are my impressions:

Original Bionic lapdock: Biggest problem I have with the original is that you have to directly dock the phone into the back of the dock. This means you have to remove the Bionic from any larger cases like the Otterbox Defender. Screen is adequate but not as crisp as some of the other lapdocks. Keyboard feels a bit small to me. This item is completely compatible with the Bionic.

Lapdock 100: I really like the pull-out cable to plug into the Bionic, however it still didn't play well with the Defender case. So I took my Dremel tool and cut out a bit of the inner plastic case where the opening for the microUSB and HDMI ports is. Screen is small and the keyboard is too, not really optimum for the amount of typing I do. One oddness is the seemingly permanent USB icon in the upper right with a exclamation point suggesting an error. However, when I plug USB flash drives in, after a while the lapdock will mount them (must be FAT32 format). Other than that, it seems completely compatible with the Bionic regardless of what the VZW marketing stuff says. Works fine with my USB and my bluetooth mouse.

Lapdock 500: Nice big bright crisp screen, and a comfortable keyboard.  Also has a pull out microUSB/HDMI connector but it's a bit thicker and differently oriented so it does not work with my Defender case, even with the mods. I may have to pull out the Dremel again. First time I tried using this dock, the icons for settings etc were missing from the upper right but after clearing Webtop data and trying again, they showed up. There is a webcam on this model, but this is one of the features that the Bionic can't use yet until it gets a Webtop upgrade (at least I couldn't make it work with Camera FZ which does access the front camera on the phone. Haven't tried Oovoo or Skype yet.) I like this lapdock the best, but it occurs to me: if I'm going to carry this thing around, then maybe I should just carry my Macbook Pro instead (which doesn't weigh all that much more and is a bit smaller) and just tether to the Bionic.

Note about Webtop: The Bionic running 5.5.893 has Webtop version WT-1.3.0-108_DBN-21, whereas the Razr is running WT-2.0.0-113. So I'm guessing there must be some way to upgrade the Bionic to use all the Lapdock 500 features? Maybe there are some Webtop gurus out there who know.

 

[Stelv]

Yea I was going to see if there was a way to push/port the webtop from the Razr to the Bionic. My girl has the Razr and it's webtop app has nice additional features, like being able to add apps to the tray instead of just links. The apps for webtop also work on Razr as they don't on my Bionic.

 

[Batman8]

I recently bought the Bionic Lapdock and I like it more than the Motorola 100 or 500. The 100 is a bit too small and the 500 is waaaaay too big for my taste (if carrying around something that big, I might as well lug my Mac around instead).

I also like the all black color of the Bionic version and it is so small, light and thin that I often carry it concealed inside of a standard inter-office envelope which I don't think you can do with either of the Motorola versions because they both "look" to be too thick. One thing that I don't like so far are the Webtop apps. The few that I have seen seem to be totally useless to me IMHO. Hopefully better ones will come out later that actually do something useful that I can't already do.

Another thing that I really liked about the Bionic version however was that I could walk right into a Verizon store and see/touch it to get a good idea of the exact size and weight. I too, only wished that the phone could fit on the dock while still inside a case, but unfortunately you will have to take the phone out of it's case to use it in the dock.

I called Motorola and spoke to 3 different people in their sales department and NONE OF THEM were even able to tell me the pricing nor where I could buy a lapdock 500 which I found pretty pathetic on their part that they have no idea where consumers can buy their own products!! I later found the pricing myself for the lapdock 500 which turned out to be $350 when I only paid $200 for the Bionic version.

All that made my choice of the Bionic version even easier for me. So far, I like it a lot with the exception of getting that damn "low memory" error all the time if opening too many windows or tabs when surfing the net!!! Hopefully the next software update will get rid of that. Currently, I can open about 3 tabs before getting the error.

The best thing in my opinion about all of the docks is that they allow you to surf the net as a "desktop" device instead of as a "mobile" device which makes a huge difference sometimes when downloading files to the phone or trying to watch certain sites like Hulu (although there is an app for that now).

Hopefully this info helps.

 

[jayman350]

I have not been able to find the 500 available anywhere, but that would be my choice. I don't care that it would be bigger than any of the other ones, actually that is the reason I am interested in it, 14" screen, full size keyboard, etc. I already have a 10.1" netbook, so if I want to type on an undersized keyboard and use a smaller screen I would just use that instead.

I have a PC and a netbook, so the 500 would be a nice intermediate step between the two.

 

[bladewriter]

1929958[/URL]]I have not been able to find the 500 available anywhere, but that would be my choice. I don't care that it would be bigger than any of the other ones, actually that is the reason I am interested in it, 14" screen, full size keyboard, etc. I already have a 10.1" netbook, so if I want to type on an undersized keyboard and use a smaller screen I would just use that instead.

I have a PC and a netbook, so the 500 would be a nice intermediate step between the two.

I got my Lapdock 500 at shop.vzw.com. $299 plus free shipping. First I tried amazon but they wanted $349 and it was always "temporarily out of stock". On vzw.com however you have to pretend you have a Razr, otherwise you can't put the item in your cart.

 

[jimbarr]

I dropped by our local Verizon store today, and got to compare the Lapdock Bionic with the Lapdock 100 head-to-head.

First impression? Holy crap!

I can't believe how small the Lapdock 100 is. I had no idea. And to me, it's an amazing size--not too big, not too small. And the Bionic version isn't that much larger. Kinda reminds me on my Google CR-48 Chromebook.

Anyway, I saw the differences and similarities, so I now have to decide which I want. I'll probably wait until after Christmas to see if the prices drop.

In any case, these look like amazing accessories that truly transofrm and provide extra productivity to the Bionic.

 

[surge]

I can't find the 500 available anywhere and I have been looking. Even on the Motorola site it says coming soon.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using DroidForums

 

[mikespe]

I have the 100 and like it a lot. Like others mentioned the apps on the webtop aren't all that great except for firefox...however this can be fixed with a software upgrade. I used to have issues with the low memory warning but once I flashed the leaked 5.7.893 update it seems to be fine now. I have 4 tabs open yesterday and no warnings. The cable attachment is a nice feature but again as mentioned it is in an awkward position for the Bionic. For my needs the 100 offers everything i need. The screen is a good size (about a little bigger than a netbook), works great for typing documents or streaming movies from netflix, get a wireless mouse and it works just as good as a laptop.

 

[surge]

Ok, I just ordered the 500 from Verizon. Should get out in a few days.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using DroidForums

 

[surge]

Got it been using it for a few days. Very nice accessory. The only knock I will give it is the trackpad. The buttons should be independent of the pad. Paid $249 and it is well worth it.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using DroidForums

 

[haupman]

How well does it work/fit when the Bionic has the extended battery?

 

[hisself]

(skip)

*edit: webtop does work with custom roms, just not in safe system in safestrap.

So how do I get Kin3tx for .901 on my Bionic without using safestrap??

 

[harpdoc]

If AT&T is still selling the refurb Atrix lapdocks for $75, it's a hell of a deal. The mod to make it work with a Bionic is easy and I'm loving it. Once you overclock the Bionic, it's even relatively snappy. I'm sure the 500 would be better, but it costs a lot.