Motorola Atrix 4G for AT&T: Release Date Moved Up

Consumers will be able to get their hands on a behemoth of a smartphone the Motorola Atrix 4G sooner than expected, which is likely to accelerate the smartphone war between AT&T and Verizon Wireless.

The Atrix, which Motorola calls the worlds most powerful smartphone,” was available for pre-order starting Feb. 13, and was previously scheduled to hit AT&T stores on March 6. But Motorola just Tweeted that the date has been changed to Feb. 22. Those who pre-ordered earlier this week are expected to get their new phones by Feb. 21.

The Atrix, which for a while went by the code name Olympus” for its powerful, 2GHz dual-core processor, sports a four-inch touchscreen and runs on Android 2.2. Accessories include a super-thin Motorola Laptop Dock and an 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 phone will set you back $200 with a two-year service agreement. A minimum data plan of $15 per month is required. The Atrix and the new HTC Inspire are the first of 20 4G devices that AT&T plans to release in 2011.

The Atrix might be AT&Ts first and best challenge to the Verizon iPhone other than its own version of Apples darling. This months Verizon iPhone release could very well be the reason behind the Atrixs availability date being moved up.