My workplace recently introduced a wave of Tablet PCs to a group of
people who have been using bulky desktop computers for their entire
computing lives. Only a trickle of these machines reached my department,
but it's been enough to revolutionize the workplace. If nothing else,
everyone who sees them wants them--and that kind of envy always begets
revolution.
Now that Tablet PCs are within roughly the same price range as regular
notebooks, and most Tablets have a built-in keyboard, they're becoming
much more of a corporate big deal. They're energy-efficient, light, and
you can twist them round to hide the keyboard, and use a special pen to
write in whatever you want.
But to anybody who's gotten used to a keyboard (someone who's written
six or seven trillion words on them, for example), using a pen again is
disconcerting--especially if you're running Windows.
The keyboard is mightier than the pen
So I'm a keyboard buff...and a full-sized keyboard too, thank you very
much, not one of those dinky notebook keyboards without a real numeric
keypad. I can't switch between open programs without hitting Alt+Tab. I
always close applications with Alt+F4. And when I want help, I reach for
the F1. It's just how I'm wired. And although my first word processor
was a fountain pen, I prefer using a mouse as a pointing device. And I
have a USB printer and a PDA synch cable to plug in as well. That's four
things to plug in when I settle back at my desk for some real computing
work. And of course, there's the lift-and-twist motion necessary to get
the tablet's screen vertical enough to work with.
Fortunately, I stumbled on a package that will handle all these
aggravations in one sweep. It's a USB docking station and adjustable
notebook stand called the Xbrand Adjustable Laptop Cradle. This dandy
stand comes in two flavors--one for $70 that's just a stand (albeit a
stylish and functional one), and another for $120 that's a stand and
four-port USB hub. In effect, it's a universal docking station that
works with any notebook computer, but I found it works especially well
with Tablet PCs.
Coming in to dock
Here's the scenario for using the Xbrand cradle. The first time you use
it, you hold down a catch at the front and slide the back of the stand
along a curved track. Once it's in place, you release the catch and it's
secure. The stand is made of non-slip material, so even a fully extended
widescreen notebook should stand firm on it. Of course, unlike dedicated
docking stations, the Xbrand cradle doesn't have a literal dock you can
just slip your notebook into, connecting it with a power source and data
ports. So once you've placed the notebook, you need to plug in the power
cord and a USB cord for the built-in four-port hub. This proved to be
the biggest problem with my Gateway M275. The USB port on its underside
sits right next to the Ethernet port. Since I use a wireless network at
the office, I don't plug anything into the Ethernet port--except, four
times out of ten, the USB cable. It sits there, not connecting with
anything, until I realize that the keyboard and mouse aren't having any
effect on the screen and I move the USB cord over an inch. Other than
that, the Xbrand cradle works like a treat.
Of course, it's not a true docking station, in the sense that IBM, Dell,
and Gateway have docking stations for their lines. There's no smooth
sliding into dock for instantaneous port replication and power supply.
You will always need to plug in at least two cables to get power and
port replication, and sometimes three for a network connection. But
unlike true docking stations, the Xbrand cradle is less than $150, looks
stylish, and will still be useful after your current notebook has gone
the way of the luggable Compaq Portable 1983 model.
The Xbrand Laptop Cradle model without the USB ports, the model
XB-1001-00, sells for $69.95, but it's just a glorified stand. The
four-port USB 2.0 version (model XB-1002-00) is only $50 more, and has
the clear advantage. Both can bought through the retail channel, from
direct sellers and resellers including CDW, Dell and Insight, and
directly from the manufacturer, Ambir Technology >www.ambir.com
