J.D. Hodges

The Motorola lapdock can be used with phones other than Motoroloa phones (Atrix/Photon). As a matter of fact you can use some lapdock features with popular phones like the Samsung Galaxy S III or the HTC One EVO.

The only limitation comes with the fact that most phones these days have a single micro-USB connector which can either:

1. Charge the phone / transfer data
2. Output HDMI via MHL
3. Act as a USB host via USB OTG (on the go)

This means that with a standard MicroUSB connector that supports MHL you can use the lapdock as an external display (#2 above) or as a keyboard/touchpad (via #3 above) but not both.

Interestingly, Samsung has enabled more functionality in some of their latest phones:

11-pin MHL-HDMI adapter/dongle

The Samsung Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II use a connector that is similar to the original 5-pin MHL-HDMI adapter/dongle, but it uses 11-pins in order to achieve a few functional improvements over the 5-pin design.

• It supports the use of USB and MHL simultaneously. (Note that the new Samsung 11-pin MHL-HDMI adapter also has a USB On-The-Goport).
• Samsung’s Galaxy S III/ Note 2 can power the MHL-HDMI adapter (when used with a non-MHL-compatible-TV). Although this can theoretically also be done with the standard 5-pin micro-USB connector, the Galaxy S III’s 11-pin connector is believed to be the first smartphone that supports this functionality.

Via 5.2 11-pin MHL-HDMI adapter/dongle – Wikipedia

Theoretically this type of 11-pin adapter should allow for the Samsung Galaxy S3 and the Galaxy Note II (GN2) to more fully utilize a Motorola Lapdock . I will be testing this shortly to see how it works.

UPDATE: it is possible to get USB host and HDMI simultaneously out via the single connector, as evidenced by the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Smart Dock:

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Smart Docking: Cell Phones – Amazonhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009QW3TBK/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B009QW3TBK&linkCode=as2&tag=pixensity-20The Galaxy Note 2 Smart Dock is not your average docking station. With one HDMI port, 3 USB ports, a 3.5mm stereo audio connector and a MicroUSB charging port built in, now you…

BONUS #1 Wireless Display Connectivity: another option for display usage it to utilize the Miracast/AllShare Cast feature on your phone and a compatible receiver to wirelessly connect to the lapdock. Here is a simple example diagram:
Samsung Galaxy S III -> wireless -> PTV3000 -> wired adapter -> Lapdock

Netgear PTV3000-100NAS Push2TV – Amazonhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00904JILO/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00904JILO&linkCode=as2&tag=pixensity-20Wirelessly display content in up to 1080p HD video resolution. Flexible power option by using the USB port on the TV. Small size for easy placement and portability…

BONUS #2 possibly use the Lapdock keyboard via Bluetooth:

Bluetooth Keyboard Adapterhttp://handheldsci.com/kbUSB keyboard to Bluetooth adapter. Money back guarantee: if for any reason the adapter does not work with your keyboard or device, simply return it to us for 100% refund including S&H.

Forum threads with helpful info:

Atrix Lapdock Other Uses – Rob86Wikihttp://www.robpol86.com/index.php/Atrix_Lapdock_Other_UsesI bought the Atrix Lapdock since I couldn’t find any sub $100 portable HDMI displays. The only affordable displays I could find were USB only. With the Atrix Lapdock and some…

diy smart dock for galaxy s3 – xda-developershttp://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2142357XDA Developers was founded by developers, for developers. It is now a valuable resource for people who want to make the most of their mobile devices, from customizing the look…

Motorola Atrix Lapdock and Galaxy S III – Page 2 – xda-developershttp://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1762817&page=2Back to the topic: that cheap HDMI-adapter for S3 works not very well with the Atrix Lapdock; you get an image but it is vertically squeezed. Again: the Lapdock and the S3 + cast…

OTG+MHL? Maybe (anyone taken an MHL adapter (or 11pin to 5pin converter) apart yet?) – xda-developershttp://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1811435I ran across this post looking to see if anyone has done this yet. I am going to try to grab the 5 to 11 tomorrow and tear it apart (since it’s the cheaper adapter). My plan was…

ClamBook Android and iPhone Laptop Dock by Clamcasehttp://clamcase.com/clambook-android-and-iphone-laptop-dock.htmlClamBook’s slim and sleek aluminum design features a widescreen display, full-sized keyboard and multi-touch trackpad. Add style and functionality while transforming your…

To be updated as I do more testing… (in the meantime feel free to comment if you have relevant info/questions!)