Most docking stations that come with a laptop or can be ordered from manufacturers are designed to do one thing: consolidate cables and connections into one unit that you can dock your laptop to without having to plug in or unplug anything. If you’re lucky, you can find a docking station that goes the extra mile and adds a few USB ports. Then there are docking stations like the SMK Link Notebook USB Audio Station, which aside from being a mouthful of a name, supports just about any laptop you mount on it.
The Audio Station, which supports Windows PCs and Macs, connects to your computer with a single USB cable. Through that cable, the Audio Station gives you a powered 3-port USB hub and an integrated set of stereo speakers, all while keeping your laptop elevated so your display is at eye-level.
The Audio Station isn’t a complete panacea though: It doesn’t charge your laptop or offer any additional ports (like a DVI or VGA port) aside from the embedded USB hub. Even so, its design leaves the sides and back of your laptop clear so you can attach your normal charging cable, external display, or external mouse and keyboard, and audio is handled over USB without the need for drivers. The SMK Link Notebook USB Audio Station is available now on SMK Link’s Web site and in Apple retail stores worldwide for $59.99.
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