Kensington Notebook Expansion Dock with Stand

Kensington Notebook Expansion Dock with Stand

Published August 25, 2008 at 01:15:56 PM, by David Schulman

Overview

In the wide world of computer accessories there are many useful products a consumer might tend to overlook. This is true even more so for laptop owners because portable computers are a niche market within themselves. Browse any accessory website and you can find devices for any notebook related need, anything from screen protectors to USB fans to breakout boxes that let you use a dual monitor setup with your laptop.

While the Kensington Expansion Dock with Stand has more mainstream appeal than a 25-In-1 SmartMedia card reader, many people shy away from purchasing them because they are seen as unnecessary. Many docks just put your laptop on a pedestal in order to improve the computer's cooling abilities, but the Kensington Expansion Dock with Stand promises to turn your notebook computer into an ergonomic and comfortable desktop experience. With its SmartFit adjustment system the stand can stand taller or stouter in order to put the laptop's LCD screen right at the user's eyelevel.

Package that with an expansion bay that allows you to connect your USB devices, Ethernet, parallel port, and serial port accessories as well as ports that let you create a 5.1 speaker setup and you've got yourself one promising and feature filled product.

Design

Like many others of its kind, the Kensington Expansion Dock with Stand is a modestly sized accessory designed to take up the least space possible. Depending on how the user sets the SmartFit adjuster, the stand can take up anywhere from nine to seventeen inches of desk space. At the tallest setting I was able to comfortably fit both the stand and an external keyboard on my less than spacious desktop. The height it set my laptop's LCD screen to was dead on in relation to my eye level when seated. One of the biggest advantages to this product is that it allows laptop users to free themselves from being hunched over their notebook all day. Instead, the stand turns the laptop into an external monitor rather than both a monitor with a keyboard attached.

The silver plastic stand fits in nicely with the rest of the gadgetry on my desk. The color scheme is broken up on the front of the stand by a thin strip of black plastic that acts as a clipboard clip, a clever and useful design trick. Taking a look on the inside of the stand, the base that the computer sits on is curved inward in order to help the air circulation and cooling of your notebook. A cushioned piece of black material helps protect the front of your laptop's casing from scratching when you slide it in to the stand.

Rubber material to prevent scratching.

On the back of the stand you will find a set of rails that the expansion dock slides into. When the dock is attached, it blends nicely into the overall styling of the stand, but if you use the accessory properly you won't be looking at the back of it all too often.

Kensington's included expansion dock that ties the whole package together. The dock includes three USB 2.0 ports, an Ethernet port, a serial and parallel port, and three audio inputs for setting up a 5.1 surround sound speaker system. There is also a USB A port that lets you connect everything plugged in on the dock to your notebook and an input for the included AC adaptor that powers the dock. There is also a built in cord management system that comes in handy when there are tons of things plugged into the dock.

Conclusion

Pros:

• Well constructed and designed
• Sturdy
• Plenty of ports on the expansion dock
• Integrated document clip

Cons:

• Expensive
• Bulky, especially when set to a low height
• Luxury accessory

Recommendation

If you are in the market for a laptop stand and port replicator or hate being hunched over your laptop when sitting at a desk, I'd recommend the Kensington Expansion Dock and Stand because of its easy setup, features, and styling. However, if you are just shopping around for a new accessory for your notebook or are budget conscious I would stay away. $169.99 is a high price to pay for such a niche

Availability/Warranty
The Kensington Expansion Dock and Stand has a retail price of $169.99 and comes with a two year Kensington warranty.

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Technical Specifications

No specifications are available.