14 DAY TRIAL // Some careers need you to work from home or while traveling or while doing a host of different things. This means that sometimes you don't have the time or inclination to boot up your office PC, especially if a project taking up loads of gigabytes is stored fully on your portable.
TRENDnet has released a device that will make life easier for such people, allowing them to use an ultrabook or other notebook the same way they would employ a full-fledged workstation.
Granted. All laptops have this ability, but they are limited in terms of how many USB connectors and other I/O ports they possess (and sometimes lack).
The new TU3-DS2 Universal USB 3.0 Docking Station takes the burden off the laptop by connecting all the needed peripherals instead and using a single link to move the signals to and from the mobile computer.
And it's not just mice and keyboards that the TU3-DS2 will play intermediary for. Printers and scanners are supported too, as are monitors, enabling triple-display scenarios (the laptop's own plus two more).
The list of interfaces is this: one of each HDMI, DVI, VGA to DVI adapter, Gigabit Ethernet, 3.5 mm audio jack, 3.5 mm microphone jack, and a Type B USB 3.0 port (for the PC connection). There are two USB 3.0 Type A ports (for connected devices) and four Type A USB 2.0 ports as well.
The max resolution support for monitors over the HDMI interface is of 2048 x 1536 pixels and 2048 x 1152 resolution over DVI (16-bit and 32-bit true color support).
Furthermore, the TRENDnet TU3-DS2 provides 2.0 Channel audio over the 3.5 mm jacks and 5.1 Channel over HDMI.
All in all, the TRENDnet TU3-DS2 Universal USB 3.0 Docking Station weighs 364 grams / 12.8 ounces and measures 195 x 80 x 70 mm / 7.7 x 3 x 2.75 inches. It should start to ship soon, with a 2-year warranty, in a box with a power adapter (5 V DC, 4 A), the VGA to DVI adapter we mentioned before, and a 90 cm / 35 inches USB 3.0 cable (for the PC connection). The dock is designed in such a way that it will stand upright, taking up little space on the desktop.
You'll probably never actually replace a work desktop PC with your laptop, even if you do have something like this. But if you're between delegations and have spent long hours on a plane designing a large 3D CAD model, it can be a blessing to not have to wait for ages until the file is transferred to the office PC.
