Motorola Atrix 4G: AT&Ts Best Bet Against Verizon iPhone?

AT&T today announced the release of the Motorola Atrix, being billed as the worlds most powerful smartphone,” is just days away. Pre-orders for the device will be accepted beginning on Feb. 13. General sales start March 6.

AT&T, which is officially losing its iPhone exclusivity deal today, believes this could be just what it needs to draw people away from the lure of a Verizon iPhone. Perhaps it will be an even better competitor than its own iPhone. The Atrix 4G, which joins the HTC Inspire as the carriers first 4G smartphone offerings, runs on Android 2.2 and sports a 4-inch touchscreen. The biggest draw is a 2GHz dual-core processor that Motorola says is the most powerful on the market. AT&T says you get a remarkable combination of application processing power with 4G speed capability and a high-resolution qHD display, a first for the industry.”

Accessories for the Atrix include a super-thin Motorola Laptop Dock and the HD Multimedia Dock that uses the Atrixs HDMI video output capabilities and processing power to enable what AT&T calls a revolutionary browsing, application and media experience.

The Atrix 4G costs $200 with a two-year service agreement. A minimum data plan of $15 per month is required.

AT&T is the exclusive carrier for Motorolas newest release. The Atrix and the Inspire are the first of 20 4G devices that the carrier plans to unveil in 2011.

This sets up what is sure to be a compelling battle between AT&T and Verizon Wireless in the smartphone space. The Atrix known to many in the industry by its code name, Olympus has generated a lot of buzz in the tech world due to talk of its legendary processor. While AT&T is sure to take a hit from losing its exclusive deal for the worlds most-purchased smartphone, beefing up its Android offerings could be the key to keeping pace with Verizon, which is bound to steal away some of AT&Ts iPhone customers lured by the promise of a more reliable network.