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All the high-end phones coming out these days match up pretty closely on features. So how about something totally different — a phone that doubles as the guts for a full-sized laptop?

The Motorola Atrix is a 4G Android phone for AT&T that performs well enough on its own, but it’s also available with one crazy-unique accessory: a laptop-shaped dock. There’s no additional processing power in the laptop, but with the phone piggybacking on the laptop’s rear hinge, your tiny device instantly gains a much more human-sized interface: a big keyboard and a big screen.

It turns out this is better in concept than in execution, and the dock is a bit too expensive for most, but we give Motorola points for going against the grain.

First, the phone. The Atrix is one of the nicest Android phones I’ve used. As a piece of hardware, it’s marvelous. The back is thin plastic, which may turn some off, but I found the weight and feel to be just about perfect. The screen could be bigger, but at 4 inches, it’s certainly big enough. The image is bright and sharp. And it’s Gorilla Glass, so it has a pleasing feel. Perhaps most importantly, the Atrix passes the pocket test — it’s comfortable in my front pocket and my keys couldn’t scratch it up.

There are two cameras, of course, with a 5-megapixel sensor and an LED flash on the back. The quality of photos and HD videos is only OK, not spectacular but about as nice as others in this generation of smartphones.

The sleep/wake button is at the very top-center of the phone, and — this is very cool — it doubles as a fingerprint sensor. To my surprise, it actually works quite well. You can set it up to unlock the screen with a swipe of your left or right index finger, and most of the time, it recognized me on the first swipe. I passed it around to friends every change I got, and nobody else could unlock it.

Inside, there’s a 1 GHz dual core processor, which supplies some serious brawn. Scrolling through apps and web pages is very fast, and with very few exceptions, the response time for the pinch-to-zoom and double-tap-to-zoom interactions is the fastest I’ve seen on an Android phone. I installed mobile Firefox, and even though the pre-release browser is sluggish on other phones, it was snappy on the Atrix. Video playback is flawless. It’s only running Froyo (Android 2.2), so you’ll have to wait for that Gingerbread update.

Motorola has loaded its Motoblur skin on top of Android, and it adds some nice customizable conveniences like the ability to see recent messages and social updates inside little widgets on the phone’s desktop. You can also set up one-tap tweeting, automated photo publishing, quick access to media playlists and a stack of favorite contacts. Motoblur does bake the social experience into the phone on a deep level, so you can kill the widgets if the social web isn’t your bag.

Now, about that HSPA+ 4G radio: Your results will obviously vary depending on where you live and the availability of 4G in your neck of the woods, but even here in San Francisco where our AT&T network is notoriously sucktastic, I got data speeds noticeably faster than my iPhone 4. It also held calls better — no drops! — and calls connected in just a few seconds. I took it with me on a trip north into the wilds of Marin county, and even in places where the iPhone 4 and other AT&T 3G phones couldn’t get a signal, the Atrix showed two bars and had no problem completing calls or sending and receiving data.

The Atrix can also be used as a mobile hotspot, which works exactly as advertised, though AT&T tacks on an additional $20 monthly fee to your data plan. To access a piece of functionality that’s built into the phone, that’s super weak.

We did our standard battery run-down test — playing a video on a loop with the brightness cranked and all the radios on — and the Atrix lasted a little over six hours. It was the same when slaved to an HDTV via the phone’s HDMI port. Just making calls, browsing the web, using apps and talking to some Bluetooth speakers, it lasts well into the second day without needing a recharge.

So here you have a solid phone that’s well worth the price: $200 with a 2-year contract, $600 on its own.

There are a few docks available — a multimedia dock, the big laptop dock and an automotive dock (which we didn’t test).

The multimedia dock seems superfluous. It has an HDMI port and USB ports for a keyboard, but you get an HDMI cable with the phone, and you can just as easily use a Bluetooth keyboard, so really, the dock mostly just props your phone up while it charges. It does come with a remote you can use to browse your multimedia when you have the Atrix connected to an HDTV, but you can also use the phone’s touchscreen. The dock costs $130, or you can buy a version that comes with a wireless keyboard and mouse — both of which are quite nice — for $190.

The laptop dock is more exciting, but it’s $600 — or $500 if you take advantage of the Atrix’s launch promotion, which requires you to buy the phone and the dock together and sign up for the top-tier $45 monthly data plan.

Whether or not that’s a good deal depends on how you work, what sort of software you require, and what you like to carry when you travel.

Think Volvo and you think utilitarian automobiles that shuttle you from point A to point B safely, reliably and indefinitely.

For all their virtues — pathological obsession with safety comes to mind, as does anvil-like durability – Volvos aren’t exciting. They’re cars only soccer moms, Vermonters and tweed-jacketed professors can love.

It’s a stereotype, of course. One that overlooks the company’s hot rod “R” models, among other things. But it is sufficiently pervasive that the Swedes have had enough. They’re billing the all-new S60 as “the naughty Volvo,” a technological marvel equally adept at hauling kids and hauling ass.

And Volvo certainly isn’t just blowing hot air. The S60 T6 we drove has the most powerful engine Volvo’s ever produced, a 300-horsepower 3.0-liter turbocharged six with a boatload of torque. Stomp it and you’ll hit 60 mph in 5.8 seconds. Triple digits follow quickly. The engine is a joy; it revs smoothly, accelerates briskly and sounds sporty.

The six-speed slushbox is equally nice. You can’t get a proper manual, dammit, but running through the gears in “sport” mode is a close approximation. Power hits the ground through all four wheels; torque vectoring and a traction control system with body-lean-angle sensors help keep all but the most inept drivers out of trouble.

The standard “dynamic” suspension is taut enough to make a winding road entertaining but supple enough for commuting hell. You don’t forget that this is a 3,900 pound car when you’re pushing it hard, but the S60 is remarkably agile. There’s a softer “touring” setup if you don’t know a chicane from a Chiclet, and $750 buys the “FOUR-C” adjustable suspension. Steering response is adjustable — light, normal and heavy — but superfluous. “Normal” is ideal.

In keeping with the car’s sportiness, the S60’s styling is muscular, with a coupe-like silhouette. It’s a bit bigger in every dimension than its predecessor, but the short overhangs, 18-inch wheels and taut lines hide the added length and girth. This is a Volvo, so of course it’s packed with enough safety features to make even Ralph Nader smile — provided you spring for the $2,100 “technology package.” Most notable is the world’s first application of what Volvo calls “pedestrian detection with full auto brake.” Cameras and radar at both ends tell you when you’re about to run someone down. Ignore the warning and the car stops itself. Volvo says it will avoid collisions at up to 22 mph, but we couldn’t find anyone willing to help us prove that.

Other electronic nannies tell you when some jerk is riding your bumper — or when you’re the jerk riding someone’s bumper. The S60 also tells you when you’ve wandered out of your lane, and when someone’s wandered into your blind spot. But our favorite feature was “adaptive cruise control with queue assist.” Beyond adjusting your speed to account for changing traffic conditions — a common feature — Volvo’s system essentially drives the car for you in stop-and-go traffic. The car creeps forward when the guy ahead of you does, then stops. It’s brilliant.

There’s still more tech inside. The $2,700 multimedia package includes navi with real-time traffic info, a rear-view camera and a 650-watt surround sound audio that isn’t as loud as you’d expect. Spend another $1,600 and the kids can watch DVDs (or just buy them iPads for far less). The interior is tastefully and comfortably appointed with an upscale look and feel.

All in all, the S60 offers the solid engineering, sturdy construction and leading-edge safety synonymous with Volvo and a healthy dose of sportiness in a car as naughty as it is nice.

WIRED Reasonably swift and relatively sporty performance in a car that’s safer than putting your money in T-bills.

TIRED Somewhat sedate styling. Some of the tech — adjustable suspension, adjustable steering response – seems superfluous. Soft plastic dashboard is out of place in an otherwise upscale interior. World’s slowest rear defroster.

Top photo: Jim Merithew/Wired. Other photos courtesy Volvo.

Everything about Logitech’s new solar-powered keyboard screams “green” — except maybe its black and white case. Constructed of PVC-free plastic, packed in recyclable packaging with no included paper manual, and using only available light to power itself, it’s as friendly to the environment as a piece of computer hardware is likely to get.

Two solar panels at the top of the keyboard work to keep the internal battery charged, even in low indoor ambient light. When I took it out of the box, the battery was more than 50 percent charged after spending just 15 minutes in direct sunlight. After dark, the light from a 100-watt overhead bulb was able maintain the charge. The thing is anorexic when it comes to power consumption — Logitech says the keyboard will stay charged for three months in total darkness.

A free downloadable Solar App (Windows-only), which you can activate by the touch of a dedicated key, brings up an on-screen lux meter. It shows how much power is left before you’ll need more light, and it tells you what kind of power you’re drawing from the currently available light source. The same “check light” key also has a tiny indicator above it that glows red or green depending on whether a charge is needed.

Beyond those wins, the streamlined, one-third-of-an-inch-thick keyboard also happens to be extremely comfortable to type on. The keys are chiclet-style and concave, and you get a resilient key feedback that’s not mushy or too firm. If the minimalist, flat design is ergonomically uncomfortable for you, the two belly-side kickstand legs pop open to add a slope if desired.

Like other Logitech input devices, the Solar Keyboard comes with a tiny Unifying USB receiver, Logitech’s proprietary wireless controller. The little nub is tiny enough that you never need to remove it from your notebook, and it can connect up to five other Logitech Unifying-ready mice and keyboards without the hassle of multiple receivers.

The top row has the typical Function keys, but like the F1 to F12 keys on most other keyboards, these do double duty. When combined with an Fn key (like those found on notebooks) they can be programmed to launch your browser, e-mail client, web shortcuts, calculators and desktop widgets, or control media playback and system volume.

But for just the convenience — make that luxury — of not having to hassle with changing batteries in a wireless device, Logitech’s solar keyboard is a worthy consideration. Especially since typing on it is as smooth as buttah. All the other features are merely gravy.

Gravy of the vegetarian, organic, good-for-you-and-the-Earth variety, but gravy nonetheless.

WIRED All you need is some sunshine. No battery hassles or sudden lost connections. Sleek, nearly flat design doesn’t hog desktop real estate. Mini-USB transceiver can connect additional Logitech input devices.

TIRED While flat slab design looks cool, typing on it may be uncomfortable for some (kickstand legs help). Keeping with the “green” theme, there’s no paper manual and the setup info on the box is minimal. Software downloads are Windows-only.

Top photo: Jon Snyder/Wired. Bottom photo courtesy of Logitech.