Hooking Up with Docking Stations


You know how sometimes you want to be something you're not, like a millionaire or a femme fatale or a superspy? Well, Tablet PC wants to be a desktop computer, and it tries very hard. Even as a pretender, the Tablet PC does a pretty good job, too, by means of a docking station.

If you're a fan of science fiction, you've seen those fancy space stations where spaceships dock to share the air and power of the station while making repairs or just having shore leave among alien species.

A computer docking station is a unit that not only holds your Tablet PC upright on your desk, but provides more user-friendly connections for peripheral devices.

Figure 3-8 shows you how desktop-computer-like a Tablet PC can get when you put it into a docking station. You can use plugs and jacks located on a docking station to connect a regular keyboard, speakers, and more, putting all the functionality of a regular desktop PC at your fingertips.

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Figure 3-8: The Motion M1200 provides a nice setup for using a Tablet PC on a desktop with its FlexDock.

Most docking stations include a CD-ROM drive, and usually a few extra USB ports for connecting more peripherals than you're likely to use with your standalone tablet. Connecting your Tablet PC to a docking station is usually as easy as resting it in a stand which contains a docking port connection that lines up with the connection on your Tablet PC automatically when you position it correctly.

 Warning!  Docking stations are usually designed for a specific Tablet PC model, so you should buy the one that your manufacturer offers.

You can use your Tablet PC in either landscape or portrait orientation on a docking station. (See Chapter 2 for details.) In addition, some docking stations have adjustable positions so you can easily write on-screen while the unit is docked.

 Tip  The Motion M1200 docking station enables you to turn the Tablet PC around and the screen orientation adjusts automatically.




Tablet PCs for Dummies
Tablet PCs for Dummies
ISBN: 0764526472
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 139

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