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Ditch the docking station

Leslie Katz Former Culture Editor
Leslie Katz led a team that explored the intersection of tech and culture, plus all manner of awe-inspiring science, from space to AI and archaeology. When she's not smithing words, she's probably playing online word games, tending to her garden or referring to herself in the third person.
Credentials
  • Third place film critic, 2021 LA Press Club National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards
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Leslie Katz

If you're a laptop owner who hooks your portable to your peripherals, you know what it's like to disconnect various cables from your PC and plug them in to your laptop. You also know that if you need something from the desktop, you may have to reverse the process and reconnect everything all over again.

UniXpress USB Port Replicator
Credit: Addlogix

If plugging cables in and out of your docking station isn't your favorite pastime, you might want to have a look at the new UniXpress USB Port Replicator by Addlogix. It's a multifunction USB 2.0 cable for users on the go, a hybrid of port replicator and docking station.

The $199 device, which works on any Windows-based notebook or PC, offers VGA (video graphics array) output at 1280 x 1024 resolution, as well as Ethernet, audio input and output and five additional USB ports. It can work as a KVM (keyboard, video, mouse) switch if you connect a second PC to it. It cannot, however, mop your floors or do your taxes.