KT Spider phone 1-ups the Motorola Atrix with laptop, tablet, and gaming docks
If you were impressed with the Motorola Atrix's laptop dock or a fan of the Asus PadFone and its tablet dock, then I have what should be exciting news for you. A new device from Korean manufacturer KT is going to have not one but three different Atrix-like accessories designed to extend its functionality.
Called the Spider, the phone itself is no slouch in the hardware department. It packs a dual-core 1.5 GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, and a 4.5-inch 1280 x 800 display. All this power is crammed into a case only 0.37 inches thick, so the Gingerbread device shouldn't be bulky.
Still, the real excitement about this product comes from the accessories. The first is a Bluetooth gamepad, which allows the phone to dock between the two sets of buttons. It looks like an awkwardly sized PSP, but it should still provide a better gaming experience than a touchscreen.
When you want a larger screen, you can dock the phone into a 10.1-inch tablet, which in the pictures looks pretty sleek (considering the phone docked in it). When using the tablet, the device's Gingerbread UI will be tweaked for the larger screen.
Lastly, when you need to use a real keyboard and get work done, you can use the laptop dock. The phone integrates as the laptop's touchpad, instead of docking in the back like the Atrix. 1GB of RAM and a dual-core processor should be sufficient for most tasks, and yet again the UI has been optimized for a desktop experience. Both the laptop and tablet docks have their own batteries, so you don't need to worry about draining your phone when using them.
No pricing for the device was announced at the event today, and the company is so far only planning a release in Korea. However, if the Spider does make it to the US with its numerous accessories, it could change what people mean by having a smartphone as the center of your digital life.
[Android Pit]
