NU's universal docking station adds more storage to (almost) any netbook

Love your netbook but wish it had more varied storage options, like maybe an optical drive and another hard disk? Wait until you see what NU can do for you. The company is advertising a universal docking station packing both a Super-Multi DVD writer and a removable enclosure for a 2.5-inch hard disk (action photograph below), along with a two-port USB hub and an integrated fan. No mention of price or availability, but with a blessing by the FCC already on the books it shouldn't be too long before this two-tone wedge gets re-badged and retailed domestically.

[Malaycobra @ May 6th 2009 9:01AM]

Why would this need FCC approval?

[kjb434 @ May 6th 2009 9:10AM]

How else do think the data is getting between your netbook and this device?

[pete @ May 6th 2009 9:05AM]

just buy a real laptop

[meist3r @ May 6th 2009 9:07AM]

Just write a real comment.

[pete @ May 6th 2009 9:11AM]

your suggestion doesnt apply to yourself i guess?

[Mark @ May 6th 2009 9:15AM]

Exactly!

[Magallanes @ May 6th 2009 12:28PM]

Combo breaker?

[jaimi @ May 6th 2009 2:34PM]

finally!
I wonder what too a company so long to develop a device like this.

[strider_mt2k @ May 6th 2009 9:12AM]

Pretty neat idea!

I took a cheap cooler apart and there really is a ton of space in there for...stuff.

I even considered cobbling my own docking station together using it, but I slept that one off luckily.

[Troy @ May 6th 2009 9:47AM]

I wouldn't throw these to the curb!

[tabbott @ May 6th 2009 10:04PM]

I actually like it. You can have a larger hard drive (that is swappable) and a DVD burner, plus a stand and cooling, but since it has a USB hub you can also have things like a mouse and TV tuner plugged in for when you dock. If this does not cost too much it would be great. You can get a 200GB 2.5" drive for $50 and a slim DVD burner for $40, a laptop cooler with USB hub and card reader is $40, and a 2.5" hard drive enclosure is $30 (all off NewEgg). That is $160, but this is seperate devices and some of the parts are shared. Plus the card reader is not needed and the laptop cooler is actually a larger version. If they ship it without the hard drive it should be no more than $80-100 retail. I think $150 with a 250GB drive is reasonable. Considering this is to be used with laptops costing only $300-350 I do not see a market for it if they charge more than this.

[Paul in Maryland @ May 6th 2009 9:59AM]

For those who, like Malaycobra and me, failed to read between the lines, THE DOCK IS WIRELESS. Presumably, it will connect via BlueTooth or 802.11 wireless Ethernet. Engadget, by simply including the word "wireless" in your title, you could have prevented this confusion. So far, all the blogs that are repeating this post are likewise failing to mention the word "wireless"...because it's not as obvious as kjb434 would have us believe. (CRT monitors required FCC certification, and they were not wireless.)

[Fred @ May 6th 2009 10:15AM]

Um, NO, it isn't wireless. The website for the product doesn't mention wirelessness at all, instead it correctly says: "Interface: USB mini B type".

I'd actually consider buying a product like this, when I get around to chucking all the bulky computers in the house.

[Matthew @ May 6th 2009 10:18AM]

It connects via USB. Check out the specs page from the manufacturer...click on the main picture above, or here:http://www.nu-global.com/product.aspx?cid=C_00000005&ccid=C_00000027&pid=P_00000069

[darkmax @ May 6th 2009 10:19AM]

that would look good on any desk

[Jon Acheson @ May 6th 2009 10:36AM]

I wouldn't call this a docking station.

A real docking station would automatically connect and latch into place through a port in the bottom or back of the lappy.

Granted, most netbooks probably aren't set up to do that, but that still doesn't make this a docking station.

I'd call this a laptop cooler with accessories.

[thomas @ May 6th 2009 12:51PM]

why not a dock with a fan?

[EEaudio08 @ May 6th 2009 10:55AM]

I really don't see why netbook owners would want to add bulk to their devices. Netbooks are obviously made for portability. If you are using it for that reason, chances are you have a desktop at home, so you don't need this device.

Why not, rather than loading up on accessories like this, learn to use ISOs, online storage (i.e. Amazon S3), and the like? I really think the portability factor of a netbook should remain, no matter what.

[V Langs @ May 6th 2009 11:13AM]

to use isos you need hard disk space...

if you opted for that super cool 16gb SSD, then you're not packing much space.

[NLI @ May 6th 2009 11:16AM]

The netbook success shows something we already knew from the mobile phone industry: features are good, but size and battery longevity score points with Joe User. Were laptop manufacturers ever asked to make quad core machines? dual screens? RAID and multiple HDDs? nope.
Now that people are made aware that they can do what they actually need with netbooks instead of spending twice as much with regular laptops, there comes the accessory market to help turning Netbook into desktop replacement machines. I'm not surprised. I'd be surprised if Apple or MS came up with software that makes people think "yeah, now I know why I need a £1000 machine"

[K-Canuck @ May 6th 2009 12:44PM]

That's one heck of angle. Why do manufacturers of coolers/stands put them so they tilt towards you? That's just asking for carpal tunnel problems. It should be either flat, or tilted back. Typing on a netbook is bad enough already!

[abu @ May 6th 2009 1:23PM]

uhmm, I've found myself cobbling together an improvised stand, with a book, a pipe, or whatever placed under the rear of my laptop, to raise the screen up and have some air circulating under it, and I've never find uncomfortable typing on the angled keyboard - quite the contrary.

Anyway, personal feelings aside, I think you see a lot of tilted stands around because that's the only way to raise up the screen - which is even more important for your posture and comfort - while still enabling you to type on the built in keyboard.

It would be totally ankward to type on it if the stand had a rectangular profile. This way, you can still do that and using an external keyboard is a matter of personal preferencies, not a prerequisite.