Just A Thought

Does anyone remember the Lapdock? It was a laptop-like device that did nothing. Well, until you plugged your smartphone into it, and it turned into, basically, a netbook. In theory, it was a neat idea. In reality, it sucked. It sucked so bad that the Lapdock never saw its 2nd birthday. There are a few reasons for it's demise:

1. The cost. Motorola thought it was a good idea to put a price tag of $500 on a laptop that was useless without a smartphone plugged in to it. Fail.
2. Lack of options. Motorola made the Lapdock, so compatibility was limited to a few certain Moto phones.
3. More fees. Of course, when you bought the Lapdock from your cell carrier, they wanted to add their beloved tethering fee to your plan.

So... yeah.... there's not much to wonder about why the Motorola Lapdock failed. But I still believe in it.

Well, not Motorola's version, but the idea of it. A better, cheaper, more useful version. What if...

What if Google's Chromebook could become a lapdock? Now, hang on... just hear me out. The Chromebook and Chrome OS have already been proven. They're not pulling in the sales that Google would like to see, but they work, and they work well. In fact, I'm writing this post on a Chromebook while tethered to my Galaxy Nexus, so in essence... it is a lapdock. No, it's a better lapdock.

(Quick break: at this point in the post, I have written the word lapdock eight times. I just wanted to take a moment to say I really think it is a stupid word. OK, let's continue...)

How is it better, I'll pretend to hear you ask? Well, unlike Motorola's attempt, the Chromebook functions without a phone. It even functions without an internet connection. It's limited in that regard, mind you, but it does function. Which means you can still use the laptop without having to give up your phone, something that the Motorola Lapdock didn't do.

If it's basically already a lapdock, what am I complaining about? Well, there are some additions that could make the Chromebook an awesome lapdock. For starters, Moto had an actual dock on the back of theirs. In the Asus Padfone, you insert your smartphone flat against the back, so it's more streamlined. That would be useful on a Chromebook dock... a Chromedock, if you will.

With Motorola, the user could access all their data on their phone through the lapdock. While this is unnecessary with most Google products (provided you have it all synced with your account), there are other apps that do not provide cloud syncing. Being able to open an Android app on a Chromebook would be a must-have. The ability to play Android games would be a plus as well. Phone calls too! I mean, what else is a smartphone used for? That's a joke. Placing and answering calls through the lapdock were a major feature that was pushed by Motorola in an effort to sell their lapdock, and as silly as it may seem... it is a function that must be included.

In my opinion, the carriers are a major reason why the lapdock was DOA (aside from the cost). Verizon, AT&T, Sprint... they all want to charge their customers more just for the ability to tether their phones. They are not content with charging you just once for the data you use, they want to charge you twice. While this practice is dying off with the introduction of the networks' new shared data plans, those that are grandfathered into unlimited data plans are still being forced to pony up extra for the privilege of tethering. Unless, of course, you root your phone.

Could the Chromebook be a quality lapdock? Yes, with some minor adjustments, I think it could be a great one. Will it ever? Unlikely. But what do I know?

And if a laptop isn't your thing... you can always wait a little longer. Ubuntu is working on a phone that will power a full desktop PC. Now that is a trick I want to see.