Notebook and laptop users are very fond of the mobility offered by their computing platforms, but there are times when the optimized layout and capabilities of such platforms are not very well suited for some tasks. In those cases, most users really miss the comfort provided by the desktop computer systems that come with more expandability options and are generally more flexible.

Most of the time, only four mobile computing disadvantages are encountered and they are a small display screen, lack of a fully sized mouse, a mini keyboard lacking a numeric pad and the small number of USB ports. For those users that do not wish to make the step and purchase a desktop computer system and still enjoy most of its advantages, Kensington launched a new notebook docking station that lets users connect their mobile machine with a number of desktop intended peripherals.

Kensington's sd200v notebook docking station comes with a lot of features like the integrated VGA port that allows mobile users to connect their laptop to a computer monitor, or the 5 high speed USB 2.0 ports that extend the expandability capabilities of a mobile machine. One of the most important features of the new docking station is that the unit only needs one free USB port in order to connect to the mobile computing system.

The VGA extension provided by the Kensington's sd200v notebook docking station can either be set to mirror the laptop display or to provide some additional desktop surface. While the product is more than welcomed in the current computing world, it comes with a series of limitations like the maximum resolution of 1280 x 1024 no matter the capabilities of the notebook or desktop monitors and just in the same area, the system is offering support only for 2.1 sound setups.

On the good side, the docking station comes with a very small footprint, comparable with the size of a mini-ATX computer case. The Kensington's sd200v notebook docking station is supported by Microsoft Windows XP and Vista and the new product will be available from October in both Europe and the United States for a retail price of $139.99.