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| Thread ID: 44089 | 2004-04-06 10:25:00 | Laptop Bay Advantages | Winston001 (3612) | Press F1 |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 227779 | 2004-04-06 10:25:00 | I have been with PF1 for about a year. I followed many discussions before finally buying my own machine. Compaq NX9005 which I am very happy with. I also bought a bay (or expansion port module). It is excellent. I wouldn't be without it. Go to work, jam the trusty notebook on the bay, realise it's slightly off-centre, hit it and bingo - a warranty claim. Oops, no no no. Just jokes. :D Anyway, despite hundreds of helpful posts on the subject of laptops, no-one seems to mention the benefits of a bay. It seems to me to be a very relevant accessory and not available with all brands. Or am I missing something? |
Winston001 (3612) | ||
| 227780 | 2004-04-07 03:36:00 | I suppose that few people would buy them for themselves, because the seem to be (a) expensive, and (b) made to match one model of one manufacturer's laptops. So although for the life of a laptop, you gett he benefoit of being able to have power, a network connection, desktop monitor and keyboard/mouse plugged in with one operation, you have to scrap that port extender bay with the laptop. Also, the new laptops are less likely to need them because the laptop displays are as good as or better than desktop monitors. Keyboards are still arguable ... ;-) Some have a "nearly bay" in that to reduce weight and bulk they have a seperable section containing an optical drive, and sometimes a floppy drive. Maybe they haven't featured here because the few people with them haven't had problems. ;-) |
Graham L (2) | ||
| 227781 | 2004-04-07 03:42:00 | For some years I have had a USB connected port extender, which provides Keyboard, Mouse, Network, Printer, Serial, and USB. All thats not extended is the monitor. Unlike the dedicated bay, it is completely portable between laptops. And a lot cheaper than a dedicated proprietary bay. |
godfather (25) | ||
| 227782 | 2004-04-07 10:19:00 | OK, so what is actually a "laptop bay"? Google comes up with battery gadget things but from Winston and Godfather's descriptions it sounds more fancy than that . And what does your "gadget" do, Godfather? |
Susan B (19) | ||
| 227783 | 2004-04-07 12:01:00 | Otherwise known as a "docking station" Plug it into a USB port and your laptop has an external keyboard, mouse, printer, and network connection. All with one cord (USB). I used to use a dedicated docking station some years ago, but that only works with the exact model of PC. The USB one works with any model, but does not provide the video connection which still has to come from the laptop. |
godfather (25) | ||
| 227784 | 2004-04-07 23:10:00 | I don't have any peripherals attached to my bay except a network cable. So I use the laptop screen and keyboard as normal. I confess that I didn't think (or know) about the lack of exchangeability with another machine but I have a 4 year warranty so the bay is justified. However thanks for the tip Godfather - a USB expansion port would be another option. But still have to plug mains power in and the network cable every time I move. |
Winston001 (3612) | ||
| 227785 | 2004-04-08 02:41:00 | I think the justification was to save wear and tear on the connectors, apart from the benefits (to the maker) of selling an expensive extra . ;-) I suppose it's a "tech looking" thing on the desk which keeps the cables in one place (other than on the floor) . . The USB ones seem a good idea . |
Graham L (2) | ||
| 227786 | 2004-04-08 04:00:00 | When you say expensive, the "port replicator" (proper name for the bay) cost $175 which compares favourably with the outlay of $2710 for the laptop. Protecting the built-in ports also seemed to me to be a wise move. Cheers Winston |
Winston001 (3612) | ||
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