Vostro Docking Stations
Vostro docking stations have received pretty controversial comments and reviews. Vostro is one of the lines produced by Dell, and in the 1400, 1500 and 1700, there seems to be almost no solution for the attachment of a dock to connect all the appliances without having to use the laptop's direct ports. The Vostro as such is usually rated as a very good computer, providing balance and portability for small business purposes. The technology options are very numerous, the wireless connectivity is enhanced at the maximum and the durability of the item is hard to match. Yet, it is hard to explain the omission of a port for this very innovative item. From this perspective it is easy to understand why businesses prefer the Dell Latitude or Lenovo ThinkPad lines that enable the user to dock the notebooks with desktop hardware. The inability to connect Vostro docking stations has led to a drop in sales for the product and a much lower success rate than anticipated. There is no justification for the omission particularly since businesses often depend on the mobility provided by the use of a docking station. You plug in the dock and you have access to anything from large keyboard and mouse

to printer, scanner, modem and even external drive. The absence of Vostro docking stations could be justified by the number of ports available with the laptops. Normally there are four USB ports plus a media card reader, a microphone jack, a headphone jack, an ExpressCard slot and a FireWire, but there are users who need a supplementary USB connection. Other than that, there always remains the unpleasant task for connecting or disconnecting the multiple devices you use at the office desk. Dell manufacturers have already made design changes in 2008 as a response to the users' negative feedback. The size and the weight of the first Vostro laptops was the issue that required mending, but we can also expect the introduction of the Vostro docking stations in the near future. The market pressure gets higher as all Dell competitors have incorporated such features into their products. Moreover, the need for superior mobility and the chance to make the work environment more practical or pleasant to use are seriously considered under the circumstances. Let's hope that there will soon be a concrete response in the form of a new Vostro series meant to adapt to the docking needs of the office user.