Docking ports = business only?

[McFry]

So I've been shopping at the big box stores looking for a good deal on a laptop, when I noticed none of them had dedicated docking ports on the bottom. This is a must for me. After contacting several manufacturers, it appears as though only their business line of laptops include docking ports.

So my question is, does anybody know of any home brand laptops which have docking ports? I really like the glossy screens and ergonomics of most home styled laptops. Or perhaps can recommend what few business laptops have glossy screens and attractive styles? It's tricky to discover this information from the laptop specs listed on manufacturer sites since they ALL leave out this one crucial bit of information. I have to call in and speak to a rep every time asking "so does THIS laptop have a docking port? Do you even know what a docking port is?" before they try and recommend some crappy usb replicator with horrible reviews.

 

[Mr. B]

Certain VAIO S and Z models have compatible docking stations.

 

[Grentz]

Docking ports = a business class feature these days.

Also, I am not going to be helpful on "attractive styles" as personally I think biz laptops are much better looking than most consumer laptops.

One thing I can say, is look at USB docking port replicators. That is what most use on consumer laptops. You can still get monitor/keyboard/mouse/usb/ethernet, only thing missing is power (so you have to plug in power and 1 usb cord).

 

[McFry]

One thing I can say, is look at USB docking port replicators. That is what most use on consumer laptops. You can still get monitor/keyboard/mouse/usb/ethernet, only thing missing is power (so you have to plug in power and 1 usb cord).

Most reviews slam these devices due to inadequate bandwidth for handling the required services. DVI video + keyboard + mouse + internet + sound is impossible over USB without serious latency issues. Plus you have to run a desktop app to handle the "streaming" content.

I'll take a look at the aforementioned laptops. The style points are required because this is for my wife, and she simply wont be happy with it if it's not pretty. However I am pushing the docking concept since I'm sure she will appreciate being able to sit at her desk and use her existing peripherals as well. It's basically a desktop replacement that needs to be smaller than 17".

 

[Pylon]

The Sony Vaios Mr. B brought up and the Macbook Pro are the only ones I could think of.

A business laptop isn't bad, and I would actually recommend them over most consumer laptops - they have better ergnomics, much better build quality, and better support. If you want something good looking, check out HP's latest Elitebook line.