Wednesday, September 30th, 2009 Lenovo ThinkPad W700 Mini Dock 1.0 - should be visually identically to v2.0 The Mini Dock 2.0 has been quietly announced for Lenovo’s ThinkPad W700, with a few very minor changes made that actually make a difference in usability, for better and for worse. A cursory examination reveals all the same ports: four USB 2.0, eSATA, Gigabit Ethernet, analog & digital audio, VGA, DVI, and DisplayPort. However v2.0 utilizes a dual-link DVI-I port, allowing for analog compatibility over v1.0′s digital only dual-link DVI-D. This also means you can adapt the DVI-I port to VGA and utilize dual VGA monitors if you wish. The DisplayPort appears to now allow for adapting to DVI via a cable, as there is no warning about incompatibility with said adapter like on v1.0. So Lenovo made these minor, but effective changes and managed to drop the price from $279 to $219? Great! Oh wait, you might not get the bulky and pricey 170W power adapter included with Mini Dock 1.0. There is no mention of the power adapter with Mini Dock 2.0 and given how detailed these announcements are, you can take that for solid word there will be no adapter included. Lenovo may have done this to give customers more flexibility, as some customers may only need to use the adapter that came with the system, or maybe they have extras already. However in the end it adds cost for those who need the $119 secondary adapter. A Mini Dock 2.0 with the W700′s unique 170W power adapter will run you $59 more than a Mini Dock 1.0 with included power adapter, so if you have been considering a dock for your monster W700, it’s time to compare the features and pick your poison. The ThinkPad W700 Mini Dock 2.0 (PN 57Y4345) will be available on October 2nd at a list price of $219. Tags: docking, ThinkPad W700
Posted in ThinkPads | No Comments » Thursday, September 24th, 2009
Those who have been clamoring for really high resolution video through a USB dock (and I know a few people on here are!) can now rejoice. Kensington’s new HD Universal Dock supports QWXGA (2048×1152), along with all your usual docking features. There are two versions of the new dock, both powered by DisplayLink’s DL-195USB graphics processor. That’s right – graphics processor – meaning it will handle all of the graphics processing and take the load off your laptop. Both docks also feature headphone, microphone, and a single USB on the front. The rear of the dock is adorned with four USB ports, a speaker output, DVI output, and of course the USB connection for the PC & AC power. The difference in models comes with an Ethernet connection, which can be found in the $149.99 K33926US and not in the $129.99 K33930US. The higher end model is priced the same as Lenovo’s new USB dock, and offers higher resolution output for those who need it. Arguably though, I think Lenovo’s looks better. Source: [Kensington] via [Gizmodo] Tags: docking
Posted in Tech News | 3 Comments » Thursday, August 27th, 2009  We’ve talked quite a bit about Lenovo’s docking solutions, which have changed recently, but who better to get the details from than Lenovo’s own product evangelist, Inside the Box blogger Matt Kohut? You definitely need to check out Matt’s post, which includes his own video narration of the new docks, but the biggest news to come out of this is the USB to DVI monitor adapter. I don’t know how I missed this, but just as it sounds this device lets you attach a DVI (or VGA) monitor to a USB port and have up to six external displays. I’ll do a follow-up post with details on this device. Mr. Kohut goes on to detail some of the new features with the new docking solutions, including his hands-on impressions with new USB port replicator. Hit the link below to check out the plethora of details on Lenovo’s docks. Source: [Inside the Box] Tags: docking
Posted in ThinkPads | No Comments » Friday, August 14th, 2009
If you haven’t been by the Design Matters blog, led by Lenovo’s David Hill, you’ve missed an insightful post. In this latest post, David talks about the recently released USB port replicator. The new device brings a number of mostly technical improvements over the old model, but sports a revised design as well. You can see the finished product above, but head over to David’s blog for a photo of some prototype designs and discussion on the design process. Tags: docking
Posted in Deals & Coupons, Lenovo News | No Comments » Tuesday, July 28th, 2009  Old model - Lenovo Enhanced USB Port Replicator We just received word of a new docking solution for certain ThinkPad and IdeaPad products. The “ThinkPad USB Port Replicator with Video” offers the usual replicated ports, but especially important is DVI support. However, there are certain limitations for a USB dock like this. When the ThinkPad X300 was being designed, there was just no room for a conventional docking connector. To provide the single-plugin connectivity that users would want out of a dock, Lenovo worked with a third party company to develop the Enhanced USB Port Replicator. While it certainly did its job with 5 USB ports, audio, and ethernet replication, the video support was lacking with only a VGA port that maxed out at 1440×900 or 1400×1050. The new ThinkPad USB Port Replicator has a few changes from the “Enhanced” version, most of which improve the product by far. It still has 5 USB 2.0 ports (1 front, 4 rear) and a headphone jack, but the Ethernet is now integrated rather than requiring a USB dongle as on the Enhanced model. You do lose the integrated microphone jack for some reason, which isn’t a big deal unless you always have your headset plugged in. However the biggest asset is by far the video port: DVI output supporting resolutions up to 1920×1200, including 1920×1080. Since not everything uses DVI, Lenovo is thoughtfully including a DVI-to-VGA adapter. As mentioned, the previous model only supported VGA up to 1440×900, making this a huge step up for most users. The ThinkPad USB Port Replicator (with Digital Video) works with Windows XP SP3 and Windows Vista 32 or 64-bit. List price for the new dock, part number 45K1610, is set at $149 with a 1 year warranty. Considering it is priced the same as the paltry “Enhanced” dock, this will undoubtedly become the sole USB port replicator. However, as with the Enhanced dock, there are certain technical limitations and Lenovo was smart enough to call them out up front. Lenovo had already detailed the limitations on the Enhanced dock and the two devices are similarly hampered, but the reality is that none of these should be deal breakers for most users. Check out the list after the jump. (more…) Tags: docking
Posted in Lenovo News | 6 Comments » Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009  When we first reported on the docking solutions for the new ThinkPad T400s, the main critique against them was that it breaks docking compatibility with older ThinkPads. A new report from CNet Asia indicates that these new docks will be compatible with future ThinkPads. This makes me breathe a sight of relief, as Lenovo has been steadily diversifying their accessories in the ThinkPad lineup. What once was a nearly singularly universal set of accessories for ThinkPads is now a highly fragmented, complex set of options that you must carefully research to ensure you’re purchasing the right accessory. It is especially good that these docks will be compatible with future models, as they support dual DVI and dual DisplayPort out, a first for ThinkPads. However, the real catch is that the ThinkPad T400s is the first to sport a new proprietary dock connector. This means the previous range of ThinkPad accessories will not be compatible with this new notebook. As a result, expect higher cost of ownership as new docks have to be purchased. Fortunately, Lenovo confirms that this new connector will appear in future ThinkPads. In the meantime, the old line of docking solutions will be phased out eventually after a few years.
Source: [CNet Asia] Tags: docking, thinkpad t400s
Posted in ThinkPad T | 5 Comments » Wednesday, June 24th, 2009  This isn’t something I touched upon much in the review, but the T400s does support actual docking, compared to the X301 which has to make due with a rather unimpressive USB port & video replicator solution. Unfortunately, the docking connector is different from those adorned on the current T/R/W systems and as such, the T400s will require its own series of docks. I have some information on these devices below and will try to fill in the rest of the blanks soon. (more…) Tags: docking, lenovo, thinkpad, thinkpad t400s
Posted in ThinkPad T | 5 Comments » Friday, May 1st, 2009
Century, a tech company based in Japan, has come up with a stand designed for netbooks that incorporates an optical drive, an internal 2.5-inch SATA drive, and even two USB ports. Add in your own 2.5-inch SATA disk drive, whether it be magnetic or solid state, and you have yourself a perfect netbook docking station. You could set the machine to backup straight to that drive, you have a handy-dandy DVD burner, and even leave your keyboard & mouse hooked up to the “stand” as well. It is priced around $100 in Japan, but if you want to purchase it outside of Japan hit the link below for some tips on places to shop for it. Source Tags: docking, Netbook
Posted in Tech News | 1 Comment » | |
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