X

Samsung arrives at Central Station

Samsung's Central Station accepts all comers. By connecting your devices to the Central Station hub, you can then wireless sync your laptop to said devices.

Eric Franklin Former Editorial Director
Eric Franklin led the CNET Tech team as Editorial Director. A 20-plus-year industry veteran, Eric began his tech journey testing computers in the CNET Labs. When not at work he can usually be found at the gym, chauffeuring his kids around town, or absorbing every motivational book he can get his hands on.
Expertise Graphics and display technology. Credentials
  • Once wrote 50 articles in one month.
See full bio
Eric Franklin
2 min read

Central Station indulges in its own coyness. Samsung

LAS VEGAS--Sure, you love using your laptop when it's on your lap. I mean, that's what it's designed for, but when you take your laptop to your desk, you don't have quite the same experience as using a full-fledged desktop PC.

Depending on the height of the desk, the laptop keyboard can be awkward to use, and don't get me started on that fickle touch pad.

Today Samsung announced a potential solution, called Central Station; it's a monitor/hub that can wirelessly connect your laptop to all your desktop devices.

Here's how it works. Instead of connecting your devices--keyboard, mouse, printer, etc.--to a desktop, you instead connect them all to the Central Station monitor/hub. Then, you plug the included USB dongle into your laptop.

Now, whenever your laptop is within about a 3.2-foot range of Central Station, all your devices will be wirelessly connected and synced to the laptop, without connecting cords or pressing any buttons.

The monitor/hub comes in both 23- and 27-inch, WLED-backlit varieties, each with a 1,920x1,080-pixel resolution, and includes both wired and wireless configurations.

We'll have more info on Central Station later this week.

Here are some key specs to gorge on:

  • Available in wired and wireless configurations
  • Wired Consumer: (23-inch: C23A550U; 27-inch: C27A550U)
  • Wireless Consumer: (23-inch: C23A750U; 27-inch: C27A750U)
  • Wireless Professional: (23-inch: C23A650U; 27-inch: C27A650U)
  • Requires notebook with USB 2.0 for hub connectivity
  • Notebook must support USB 3.0 to take advantage of USB 3.0 speeds on connected peripherals
  • Full HD 1,920x1,080-pixel resolution
  • Response Time: 2 ms
  • MEGA dynamic contrast ratio: Static 1,000:1
  • 2 USB 2.0, 2 USB 3.0
  • Audio output jack
  • HDMI, VGA
  • Ethernet input

The Central Station will be available in March 2011. Pricing will be announced at a later time.

Samsung's Central Station (photos)

+5 More
See all photos