Motorola says goodbye to its Webtop and Lapdock

It seems like just the other day when Motorola introduced the Motorola ATRIX 4G. At the time, Motorola dubbed it, "The world's most powerful smartphone," with its dual-core processor getting everyone worked up. Motorola even introduced the Webtop software which allowed the phone to be plugged into the lapdock accessory and be used as the brains for an 11.6 inch tablet that ran with the Firefox browser.

The Motorola ATRIX 4G and the lapdock accessory

While Asus has kept the idea alive with the Asus Padfone 2, Motorola has decided to pull the plug on the software and the accessory. When launched, it was considered a huge idea that would be the perfect way to position Android as a businessman's platform, able to turn a smartphone into a powerful tablet for the busy pinstriper on the go. 

But the idea wasn't executed perfectly. The phone and lapdock accessory was priced at $500 together, and the tablet at first ran too slowly until it the software was updated. A pet project of former CEO Sanjay Jha, the Webtop software was expected to be included with every high-end Motorola handset. Motorola says the idea has become redundant with more desktop like features included on the Android OS.

Starting with the Motorola PHOTON Q 4G LTE, the Webtop software was no longer loaded on Motorola devices. That includes the Motorola DROID RAZR M  and the upcoming Motorola DROID RAZR HD and Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX HD. 

"Motorola's Webtop app helps users extend their smartphone experience to larger screens. While consumers around the world have adopted Webtop and the concept spurred a lot of innovation in the industry, the adoption has not been strong enough to justify continued resources being allocated to developing Webtop on future devices. We have also seen development of the Android operating system focus on the inclusion of more desktoplike features. Beginning with Photon Q and Droid Razr M/Droid Razr HD/Droid Razr Maxx HD, we will no longer be including Webtop on our products moving forward."-Motorola