Asus and docking stations...

I apologize if this has been asked before, but what is Asus' history with docking stations/port replicators for their laptops? Have they ever made them? If so for many laptop models, or just a few? Any insight as to whether they plan to have that kind of feature in the future?

I'm asking because I would LOVE to purchase a W2, but lack of a docking station is kind of a drag (though I admit the graphics card for the W2 is also holding me back a little bit... I'm a game developer so it's kind of important to get the best I can get in my laptop).

I have a TON of stuff (3 external drives, 2 external burners, game controllers, external sound cards, USB surround sound headset with mic, external monitors, card readers, printers, hubs galore, Wacoms, HOTAS, etc, etc... I don't think I have a single port unoccupied ) plugged into my current laptop (an "aging" Inspiron) and the docking station is an absolute lifesaver when it comes time to take the laptop mobile.

Anyway, I'm sorely tempted by the W2 'cause it looks sooo sweet... and I'd like to treat myself to a nice looking laptop for a change... instead of one that is purely for utility... which has, in the past, lead me back to Dell over and over again (since Dell has always had the best price, graphics cards, and features - such as port replicator support).

Yes... I know.. I want it all... but I want it all from :asus: .

Don't make me :dell: ... please?...

... I'm beggin yah... their outsourced customer service and tacky styling is killin me.

-DirtHerder (A former hardcore Dell advocate looking for a new love affair)

 

i haven't heard of any port replicators specificaly made for ASUS. I was kinda bummed as well since i really wanted one for my W3V. I think i may end up getting the Kensington Notebook stand. Not much of a port replicator but it does have 4 more usb ports. It is cheap as well, seen it for as low as $30. I do believe tha Kensington has a higher model that has printer connector and stuff.

 

That's interesting... as a docking station/port replicator is most useful for a professional (given that I and many of my colleagues use them professionally).

Ah well. too bad for Asus.

 

werd, thats why IBM gets all the real businesses.

 

it's funny that asus has this giant port replicator and no docking station. are there any generic docking stations or are they specific to brand? I would have thought that all port replicators are the same, but maybe not.

 

Hopefully they'll port a port replicator on their newer stuff, I really wish the W3 had one. At least port replicator with DVI or DVI on the actual notebook.

 

.... well since Asus' port replicator was basically a traveling docking station..... and "docking stations" have already gone the way of the 10 pound notebook........ we're not going to see anything, ever... I can assure that.

Docking technology is going wireless so quick that it's not funny. When Asus was making port bars, that was really where the technology was...... docking stations are old. On Asus's newest systems, where They are locating their battery in the rear and eliminating one side that they could put ports.... so less space for the proprietary port bar port......

Basically the *ONLY* thing you can't just do wirelessley (easily) is hook up to another monitor.............. keyboards, printers, mice, everything else can be hooked up wirelessly, very easily. On the display front, there are "media center extenders" and things of this nature that are changing how you're going to be doing this in the future.

So.. don't expect docking stations to even be a term you hear much about in the next couple years.... they're dying.

 

I wonder on what authority you speak... or if this is simply a personal bias.

I've yet to see any real industry indication that this is the case.

Wireless may be neat... but there are tons of things that I would not want to connect wirelessly to my laptop.

I've even found that using wired keyboards and mice ends up being more practical in the long run.

I used to have an almost fully wireless setup, with wireless mouse, keyboard, joystick, headphones, etc. The novelty at first was great. But eventually managing their batteries ends up being a drag (especially since they can run out at the most inoportune time). Given that I wouldn't be depending on such a thing for my professional use (and so do not).

Other peripherals that I would not consider going wireless on include my external firewire and usb drives, as well as my printers and speakers. Especially in a corporate environment with many users. There's the matter of available frequencies... heck, even my fiance's peripherals and mine ended up conflicting with each other when we were both fully wireless (we are now fully wired with docking stations).

Come to think of it.. even wireless networking, though definitely useful, is not going to become the backbone of any professional work environment (no matter how you cut it wireless cannot match the security, reliability, ease of configuration, administration or performance of a wired gigabit network). Rather it would be more of a convenience to be used when the laptop was mobile within the office (such as when picking up to make a presentation in a board room), rather than when the user was sitting at their desk, where their notebook would normally reside. Basically it adds flexability when needed, but isn't the core infrastructure of any truly demanding networking environment. Which is still wired...

...so add another plug to the number that you would be plugging and unpluggin every time you needed to go mobile.

So as soon as there is more than one plug to be plugged in (including power), it begins encroaching upon efficiency (speaking of professional use). Imagine working at your station, then being summoned to an impromptu meeting requiring your laptop. Push one release button and go? Or sit there hurriedly yanking a bunch of cords (as executives stand there tapping their feet impatiently... believe me it has happened to me, and I am sure it has happened to others in a corporate environment), in order to accomplish the same thing.

I'll take the single release button thank you very much.

If docking stations are dinosaurs, I wonder why larger companies like Dell, IBM and Gateway, that actually serve the needs of professionals maintain them... AND have been coming out with new ones (rather than phasing them out as you seem to believe).

As a matter of fact Gateway JUST came out with a NEW docking station for their 17 inch laptop... which (in a really great design decision) they made compatable with some of their new smaller form factor laptops. THAT's forward thinking to meet the needs of a multi user professional environment (I've been researching my next system for years now ).

I can issue different types of laptops based on the user's needs (17 inch for my artists, developers and 14 inchers for my more mobile marketing/sales staff for example), and STILL have them able to go from workstation to workstation and simply plop into the standardized docking station that resides there? You have NO idea how useful that is (and I hope Dell and IBM follow suit: IBM does it, but they don't have such a disparate form facor as a 17 incher in their line up so it's moot, and Dell does it to some extent, but not for everything and not for their 17 inchers).

I would be more inclined to watch those companies to see where the industry is going... than one that I would consider almost a boutique like Asus (would love to consider Asus more than that... but from the views I've seen expressed by those representing them, like yourself.. I don't see that ever hapopening... they simply don't serve the greater need).

Anyway, if it is truly the industry trend to ditch docking stations... I would love to see the reports to back that up. Otherwise it's a little irresponsible to make such claims.

If it is purely speculation based on personal opinion? That distinction should be made... ESPECIALLY for a professionally representing a company.

-DirtHerder

PS: I have worked at multinational corporations that have thousands upon thousands of users that use systems and have IT teams that must support them. And the key mantra for these teams is simplicity. So... why on earth would an IT team responsible for such a large number of users choose technology that would require greater maintenance and administration than a simple corded option (ex: plug ang play corded keyboard? or a wireless variety that would rewuire them to stock, supply and change out thousands upon thousands of batteries over the course of a year, and would require them to send out techs in order to resolve the inevitable conflicts that would result in thousands of users using the limited frequency range of these sorts of things)?

Professionally (since we are now speaking in professional terms here, due to the Asus having been labeled as a "professional" system... which I contend it is not), for any serious enterprise it makes no sense.

 

...... no, not speculation of personal opinion. From what I've seen, it's the trend as you're not going to see docking stations on anything but business machines....... Businesses are always the last to adapt and IBM for sure isn't going to be the first one to leave their current customers behind.. Eliminating everything but the ac power is correct.... that's exactly where extended battery life is coming into play. Right now, no, you can't use a system, full tilt, all day... but a lot of systems are coming close to that. I'm not saying this is going to happen overnight, but right now, physically the only thing that isn't quite there are these media center extenders..... great for movies, music, pictures...... but as far as productivity, I've yet to see anything that I'd use to do more than surf the web with.....

But it's out there... I don't have to provide any reports or do anything else. This is an open forum and I could tell you that aliens took over government last night.... You can choose to write it off or do more than just ask a question in a forum....... go out and try the stuff out. You'd be very surprised to what's already on the market and even more surprised what'll be cutting edge in just 6 months to a year.

All of this revolves around what they are currently promoting as "media center extenders" I can run my Asus S-presso media center that's set up on my main home theater, and run it in my bedroom completely through one box that's connected over wifi...... That's where the market is right now and the type of people who would buy a product like that. The docking station market is so small to begin with that we may never see anything *directly* marketed towards it, even though there are things that will work exactly as you would want.

 

Heh heh I've heard all this sort of thing before.

My main point was that (since you spoke of the professional capacity/focus of Asus' line up), Asus really does not meet the needs of a professional laptop. Most of the points you bring up aren't really professional productivity concerns (I'm not talking about someone that has a job, a "professional", and uses a laptop on occassion... I am talking about professionals that depend on their laptops professionally within an expansive work environment). Sorry to say it.

As for saying whatever you want in a public forum. I agree. Free speech and all that. But as a "professinal" representative of a company, there is a certain professional responsability regarding the information you provide to the public. Sure you could tell me "aliens yadda yadda yadda"... but you know what. I would from that point on, no longer consider you a truly professional representative of anything. Just a typical forum user that knows as much or as little as anybody else.

I've served as an online representative for companies developing multi million dollar products, and I've found this to be true. When If you ARE going to present yourself as an authority, that comes with certain responsabilities. To your company and especially to your customers as these people will be making decisions based on what you say. As such when I was acting in this role I made a VERY clear distinction between when I had VERY solid facts, and when I was speaking based on opinion, bias, or even personal/industry speculation. Otherwise might as well just present yourself as Joe Schmoe with a login and an opinion, rather than a professional with advanced/inside/extended knowledge.

I think I will rest my case as it is. It's pretty solid (given that it's not based on speculation or bias of any sort, but rather on experience).

-DirtHerder

 

I'm not representing wireless docking stations buddy. You and your 8 posts and keep it moving since Asus "isn't truly what a profesisonal needs" .... bye bye.

Exactly what's wrong with Asus' Z70v? What does Asus' port bar not have that a big old clunky docking station does?

With that said, I'm not and no one will be an authority on wireless docking..... however, I get to play around with more stuff than the average joe schmo and get to do it without paying for it.. We do get to see some great things..... but for the sake of an argument you want to start.... the technology is out there and I never said it was *the* choice for right now, but I guarentee within the next six months it will be perfected to the point that it will allow me to productively do all business applications and probably (and this is the only speculative part here), productively be able to use programs like photoshop and gaming...

Our customers are not dumb enough to make any buying choices on anything but the current state of events (not further than a month away)....... no one should. We don't want customers who think their notebook purchase is going to be the end all, future proof notebook. That's the first thing we'll tell them....... look at this as a purchase that will be an investment in the productivity of the next 3 years. The system is certainly going to last longer than that, even without taking great care of it... but the facts are, it's not going to be your last computer. However, one thing we've found with Asus, the next computer you'll be buying will be becasue you *want* to and not because you *need* to..... There's always going to be something else out there.

The fact is, if you dock your notebook every day and use a docked notebook ALL DAY.... you're not going to be happy with anything but a port bar or a docking station...... but don't kid yourself..... the rest of the world doesn't need that, but it certainly doesnt' mean Asus doesn't build a notebook for professionals..... that's completely off base. I don't know how long you've been looking at Asus, but my guess is a month or two at best...... Your needs are not that of today's notebook user. Docking stations are classic examples of what were used OFTEN when all of that stuff you have, either wasn't built-in or not hot swappable...

My comments certainly weren't directed just to you as your needs certainly aren't going to be met this second and they certainly aren't even the needs of probably 1% of notebook users....... My comments are based on the ever growing questions coming from people saying when are they going to be making systems with docking stations....... my comment was that they've been moving away from docking stations since they started making notebooks 5 years ago.... so don't hold your breath. The technology I'm talking about could easily be the *standard* with in the next five years, so thinking docking stations may be *coming* on future Asus models is ridiculous.

With that, I really don't appreciate your personal attacks. Keep in mind I'm the most senior member of this forum and unlike you, I was asked to post here because of my knowledge of Asus' mobile product line (from wifi devices to notebooks to pocket pcs and the like) ......... Asus isn't going to be a good fit for you, so why don't you make the intelligent choice and go back to Dell..... That's a great way to show how advanced your computer knowledge is.

 

First of all, none of my attacks were personal. To take them as such is pretty unprofessional but that's fine. That's more your problem than mine.

Secondly it seems your knowledge (based on observing your own comments throughout this forum) is fairly Asus-centric which is fine for what it is. But there is life outside of Asus, and that's where most of the business/professional world lives. No matter how you cut it, what I am hearing from you is pretty limited in scope. Take that comment as a "personal attack" if you want (as apparently you have done with the rest of my comments).... but it's just a statement, not an attack. As you said, you have every right to spout whatever you want... I have that very same right (though I will make an effort to make more even keeled statements).

Thirdly, since I AM the one that originated this particular thread (and posted the initial query), your answer WAS directed at me. Sorry mate. No points scored there either.

Fourthly, you are a senior member, that's very nice and I am happy for you. But titles never really meant much to me unless they were backed up by substance. Someone that tells me they don't need to back up anything they say... well. I'll keep it short by saying, I'm not too impressed.

Finally, perhaps there are a couple of things you should now know.

I've actually heard of you before. Read about you on other websites with much greater circulation, and broader insight (including general technology sites). I didn't realize it was you they were talking about, but after reading some of your rather condescending comments and now having dealt with you myself, it is now pretty obvious who they were talking about. They all drew the same conclusion that I am now drawing: When it comes time to outfit/upgrade the systems at the companies and corporations I am involved with now, and those I will be involved with in the future; and if in fact I do end up choosing Asus for all of these users (which is seeming more and more unlikely as it seems that Asus doesn't really meet professional requirements); it will most certainly be from one of the other resellers.

You are only hurting yourself.

How you decide to conduct yourself doesn't affect me at all (or any of the others that have commented on you). A seller depends on a buyers business... not the other way around.

It's your reputation, do with it what you will.

- DirtHerder

 

You should get out more.

Apparently more do.

 

Dirtherder,
While your argument has merit I think labeling Asus as just a "boutique" computer is well,... very off base. You may not have realized that this is the same manufacturer that has quite a solid rep for desktop motherboards and other computer parts. Parts that quite frankly are being used by professionals on an everyday basis. Besides Asus, makes Sony notebooks, a pretty impressive boutique computer maker. Try taking a look at the secton on this forum established for boutique notebooks. Quite honestly what are you reffering to when you say "your typical forum user", that there are no other "professionals" in here besides yourself.... I think not. Just because I don't work for a "multi-million dollar computer company" does not mean that I am not a professional. That is the typical statement from some one who is rather short sighted. I'm being nice with that one. Try telling a Navy Seal, or an Army Ranger that they are not a professional and see what happens.
As far as the business professional world, there are some rather larger "multi- million" dollar corporations that have steered away from the Dells, Gateways, and other "mainstream" manufactures to embrace the cutting edge technologies that the smaller companies can provide to them. It is known in the corporate world that the run of the mill networks are filled with obsolete sytems because the mode of thinking was to cut expenditures even at the price of productivity.
Justin is a professional at what he handles, Asus; but in talking with him he also can see the entire forest and not just one tree. docking stations can be easily replaced with a port replicator. Gee, pulling one plug out instead of pushng one button while the stuffy suit waits for you really isn't that hard to handle. As far as compability, %99 of the machines out there have a usb port on them.
In reading you post as I said before, the merit is there, but don't bash what another is saying because you "see" differently. You as well as Justin and myself can "see" the same box with 12 different views.


Valsmere

 

DirtHerder,

Personally I can see both your points. Justin will vouch for the fact that I'm not the number one card carrying member of his fanclub, and he does come across as a bit of an arrogant forum-ass sometimes (well, often), but that's no excuse to sink to 'his level', eh? Even his most diehard haters at other sites seems to be hard pressed to fault his treatment of customers when it comes to the buisness part of things.

As for the topic: Asus doesn't seem to be catering to those customers at the moment. I can easily imagine why a larger scale buisness sale might go to something like the HP Compaq nc4200 instead of the Asus W5, for example, but given the choice I have little doubt that the Asus models would have been sufficient, or even preferred, for most use(r)s. Large buisness users, in my experiense, tend to vastly overspec. their purchases 'just in case'.

 

I'm a bit confused... forgive me.

I have a Sony Vaio, and a docking station for it. I had it because it was the only way to hook to a network (before wireless) and I could also hook a few other things into it (vga monitor).

Now though, I'm not sure what a docking station would be for. The only thing that it seems to be for is so that you don't have to unplug the computer and a mouse (if you use a mouse)... other than that, what do you need them for? I can unplug a mouse and ac from the computer in about 2 seconds. Heck, I could pull all the plugs off in about ten seconds.

Is the speed factor of disconnecting plugs the only advantage of the docking station or am I really missing something? Is that what makes a computer "Professional"?

 

Yeah, you're right, I do see your point, in certain areas.

I do also realize Asus' place in the industry. As a matter of fact I spend a lot of my time educating colleagues on Asus' reputation in the area of motherboards, as well as its proliferation as an OEM provider.

It should be remembered that he's not saying that docking stations are being replaced by port replicators, he is claiming that there is no place for any of those in the future, and that the industry is all about wireless (there simply isn't anything to support this claim, and he refuses to provide any information, given that, I am perfectly within my right to call BS).

As for why a working professional would need a docking station. I've already described in several ways in which a docking station would be valuable. If that was missed, it's a simple matter to reread my posts.

And yes, it does suck to be pulled into a flame war... especially with someone purporting to be a professional, and especially since the reason I started this thread in the first place was for information (which is another reason why I have little patience for anyone refusing to backup any rather dubious claims while arguing that they are not speculation or opinion).

Simply waving one's hands about and claiming that sometime in the relatively distant future the need for docking stations/port replicators will no longer exist isn't particularly helpful.

I meant no offense to the forum users here, and I never said there were no professional users here, so I do apologize if I gave that impression. I also realize that Asus is not quite a boutique outfit, but Justin got me riled up enough to want to basically say "dude... Asus is neat.. but ain't ALL that, get off your high horse". I guess Justin really does rub me the wrong way, and his unprofessional behavior in the forum ("an arrogant forum-ass" as was mentioned) really turns me off to wanting to ever hand any money over to his company (and I must admit puts a bit of a bad taste in my mouth regarding Asus).

Quite frankly my post before this one should be considered a wake up call. I'm not the only one that feels this way about this guy. He's gaining a reputation for this sort of thing even outside of this forum (as I mentioned in that post), and that sort of thing can only hurt (or at the very least stunt) the growth of his own business.

Word of mouth works both ways.

Anyway, I apologize once again if I offended anyone here (though at this point I'm not so sorry if I offended Justin... just being honest).

So in the spirit of steering this thread BACK towards its original purpose, if anyone has any substantiated information regarding the future of docking stations/port replicators I'd love to hear about it. Even opinions are welcome (as long as they are not passed off as "fact"). Heck, I even welcome speculation (speculation can be thought provoking)... as long as it is qualified as such.

At this point I wouldn't mind being pointed at any articles that speak of this fading away of the docking station/port replicator in the notebook industry. Because there is nothing to suggest this from the behavior of the major players. I don't mind being proven wrong. I only mind being told that someone knows better... simply because...

"aliens took over government last night" indeed...

 

One case for docking stations:

I'm a software engineer at a location with 1500 people. Our new VP of R&D miraculously convinced the CEO our our parent company to increase our budget by 30%. Which means quite a few new hires. Unfortunately we have almost _no space_ left. People have been throwing around the possibility of doing things like round-robbin telecommuting. Which means purchasing laptops for dual use (Dells, that's how I got my last one - for free; decided to pay for my new Asus , which means having shared cubes with monitors and other peripherals setup for easy access. Now, you don't _need_ a docking station. But I'm pretty sure on a large scale effort IT would most certainly push for this. Our sales force all have 'em. Having cables strewn around a cube, not knowing what type of user is going to be using it, can't see it flying. _I_ don't mind. But the multitudes of women in marketing might.

Right now we do have a region of cubes like this but they all have dedicated PCs that people can share. One of our engineers from the east coast visited a couple weeks ago - he just used his laptop without bothering to hook anything up. Okay he's a bit lazy... but aren't most of us? Clean, simple, uncluttered, it's a good thing to have in a crazy environment.

That said I dunno if my company would pass on Asus simply because there's no docking station, I think they go more with market presence, large scale support, trainability for IT to service inhouse, etc. But it's certainly something that I think would be a good thing to provide. IMO, telecommuting is going to continue to gain popularity as oil prices rise and office space becomes a premium, laptops become more powerful, etc.

 

I've read a few of the posts in this thread, dunno what got everyone all riled up about. I am not a software engineer or anything related to high-end computing. I am a grad student who simply wanted a powerful notebook which was portable and could serve as a desktop replacement. Until the $200 rebate came out, i had planned to buy the W5a which i didnt think would serve as a desktop replacement and so I was thinking about bringing my desktop along with me so i could use my 19" LCD monitor. However, now that I have a W3V i would really love if there was a docking station. I'm sure i could spend the time to hook all the cables up and what not, but I hate doing **** like that and would love a more organized feel to my desk.

 

I didn't post on this thread to tell you docking stations aren't going to continue to get used.... in fact, I said I'm sure IBM will make them as long as they have the market. Asus doesn't have the market, and the world is traveling in the direction of being completely wireless.... which isn't hard to see. My *claim* is that, I know what I can do with a media center extender, and for all intents and purposes, for the average person looking for a docking station or a port replicator, this will be what they're using in a very short time. Again, if you or anyone else needs a physical docking station because they have infinite amounts of external accessories... by all means there isn't going to be a better solution for you. By the fact of the matter is, Wheter you started the thread or not, there's been 3-4 other threads about docking stations and Asus computers in the last week and I wanted to calm the fire because there are good reasons they won't be coming to Asus' systems as they are thinking forward and are already past the stage of docking stations.


But the facts are still right out there..... In the last five years, here's what's happen on the world of notebooks. Back in the day, you'd be lucky to have even some of these ports built into your system..... but hot swappable wasn't something that worked every well with Win 98SE or Win ME.....

1. lcd screens have gotten brighter, crisper and have much better viewing angles. You can use these screens all day

2. usb1.0 and now 2.0 ....... creates completely high speed, hot swappable devices...... For a lot of usb devices, like game pads, hdds, mice, keyboards, whatever.

3. built-in wifi........ no need for an ethernet cable, a printer cable... all nice and easily done wirelessly..... even *secured* wireless hard drive devices like Asus makes allows for great backups.

4. bluetooth ....... we can eliminate the mouse and keyboard from the need to plug in usb...

5. hard drive size....... notebook hard drives aren't 5 gb anymore and they aren't running at 4200rpm either..

6. notebook keyboards..... a ton better than they were.

This leaves:

ac power - which again, most people could use their system all day without the need for a charge, and that's only getting better. With that said, we've got one cable left.....

vga cable... hot swappable and vga outs built into even the smallest systems. That alone is enough of a "dock" for most people's needs. Where I looked a bit into the future was simply looking at these media center extenders and they do work pretty well. As wifi approaches 100+mb/s and greater, this is going to make controlling wireless video signals more effient.

Finally.... audio.... They've gone a very good job with audio over these media center extenders, but haven't tried anything but stereo on my extended tvs.... something that will come.. but certainly good enough for the professional.

And there we have it..... no scientific formulas or slight of hand magic tricks.... It's just want's out there now. I'm not asking anyone to join the wifi docking station cult. If you need one now, get one... I'm simply stating what's out there and where this is going and the fact that today there are already plenty of ways to get around what you or anyone else might be doing. I guess you could actually use my theory of the media center extender as *proof* that this is the way of the future.

 

actually, there seems to be some form of asus port replicator
try googling for 'portbar iii'

 

Yes, the port bar 3 is for the M3 and M6 series...... these new series have refreshed models for this year based on a year and half old design (M6) and a two year old design (M3) ........... in the form of the Z70 series and the Z61 series (which will be released in a couple weeks........

But even though these are *new* computers, they were designed a while back, before Asus really good into shrinking the systems down and placing the battery in or near the screen hinge...

So truth be told..... we're still going to be selling units with that port bar 3 for the next year to come, but they were specifically "refreshed" because they had that capability..... but no newly designed system is going to make use of that.

 

Justin,

I can see what you're saying about moving to a totally wireless solution - the big hurdle is big business tends to lag by like several years. As our CEO said "we want to be cutting edge, not bleeding edge, not into losing blood." The larger the company the longer it takes to shift gears. I agree that the market is pushing in this direction, but I don't believe big business will be adopting anytime soon.

My one main practical concern - while I agree laptop displays are progressing, the ergnomic issue is primarily the problem for using in a work environment. It just ain't that comfortable to put on your desk and look down all day. If convertible laptop/tablet PCs took off that could be one solution, another is simply connecting to a monitor. One connection does not a big deal make I guess.

 

Right, I understand that.......... the big guys all got screwed a few years ago when they put in 802.11a wifi networks and then centrino came out and only worked on 802.11b... the newest wifi cards really just imploy the older technology because all of these companies refused to put more money into something that's just going to change again.

Right now, I see more businesses just not know a whole lot about wireless in terms of security.... they still think all their data is going to be stolen by someone else. In reality, it's just those IT guys who don't know how to secure them and if that's the problem, they're wired networks probably aren't that secure either...... So that's a hurdle, but really not an issue. We're not talking about deploying some sort of wireless docking station through a big business.... there are obvious possible interference issues to be had...... but to be a "professional" you don't have to be part of a big group.

With the notebooks today, they're thinner and lighter and that makes them easier to type on all day. 5 years ago you'd hurt yourself reaching up over a 2" thick notebook... But we like to push the whole idea behind centrino.... which is really wireless..... what can you do without wires? Well you can get rid of that desk... go outside, work, communicate... do your job. You want to come home at night and work on some heavy photoshop and have all the power in your W3 but really just want a big screen and a nice big precise mouse? ......... there you go, it's easily done now and is only going to be easier as the wireless gets faster and can be used for more things.

 

Agreed. I'm the lead on a Windows Mobile 2k3 inventory tracking app for the life sciences (biotech/pharm) industry. It is completely thick due to our customers' reluctance to allow us to add a wireless infrastructure. Although it can toggle wireless/batch, and works much better wirelessly (nearly continuous data sync), most deployments operate in batch. The IT depts. won't have it, they either don't trust us or don't want to deal with it.

 

I just want DVI out on a Portbar/Docking Station. If I could get that, I'd be on cloud nine, but since very few people offer that (and none of them have a laptop I'm interested in...) I decided to go with ASUS for my laptop.

 

Just to check - which laptops will be compatible with the portbar iii?
It's available from buy.com for about $90, which seems like a preeeeetty good deal

 

Z70a / Z70v right now.......

Z70va / Z61a -- when they come out in 2-3 weeks.

It is also compatible with the older models...... M3n / M3np / M6n / M6bn / M6ne / M6bne.

 

Asus' web site also lists a "PortDock II" and a "PortBar II". Are either of these compatible with the Z33a or S5N?

And to add my $.02 to the discussion here, even in a perfectly wireless world (802.11g plus bluetooth), I personally would still have many connections to make every time I come back to my office (as many as 3x/day):

- external monitor
- external hard drives (firewire or USB)
- stereo speakers
- network management port
- tape backup
- Ipod
- Treo cradle
- CD burner (if not on-board)

For the 10 years, I always had the smallest possible laptop I could find with a dock - Vaio, IBM, Compaq, Apple Powerbook Duo.

I very much like the specs of the Z33A and S5N/A, but I think I really need some sort of connection management system...

 

No they are not....... PB2 is an older dock which has 2x usb1.0's and 2x ps2 inputs..... PB3 gets rid of the PS2's and gets 4 x usb2.0's.

What they were designed for:

PB1- M1a
PB2- M2a
PB3- M2n / M3n / M6n ---- works with the current renditions of the M3 and M6 series -- Z70v/a and Z61a

There is a proprietary port for these units and these are the ONLY notebooks that have them. This means that nothing else will work, period.

 

Well, I saw this Targus universal dock with VGA port at CompUSA today, which I expect would solve the problem quite nicely:

http://www.targus.com/us/product_details.asp?sku=ACP50US

 

Targus sends us most of their products to try out and I must say, that is one thing I haven't had a chance to try myself yet....... the idea of VGA somehow working over USB really makes that a universal docking bar which is fantastic.

 

The VGA port on the Targus isn't going to do most people much good. It's not going to pass through the VGA from your laptop - rather, it's a separate video display device and it only supports 1024 x 768 x 16 bit colour. It's outdated even as it came out...

You're never going to get good graphics capability through USB 2.0 - it just isn't fast enough.

 

That should be a given...... but for some people, that's all they want. Granted, most people on this forum --- it certainly wouldn't be good enough for them, but it is better than nothing... as some people might put it.

.... Although I've got to say the only reason I ever use an external monitor is so that I could get an even higher res picture on a much larger monitor... otherwise it's pointless.