Laptop Docks - One Cable to Rule Them All

For a while now, laptops have been outselling desktops, and it's easy to see why. They're portable, cheap and have a single cable to plug in, nice and neat, easy peasy.

But their screens are small, and their keyboards are sometimes missing keys, and the trackpad can be a pain to use and the sound from laptops is also pretty poor.

So you buy a second screen, and treat yourself to a nice clicky keyboard, a disco light flashing mouse, and some bookshelf speakers that you think would get exercised with Biggie, Gang Starr and MF Doom, but more so with YouTube videos of carwow, UFC and MLB highlights (sadly).

So that single cable, has now turned into many. And instead of your laptop being sleek and streamlined and simple, it now looks like Wolverine in the scene where he gets bonded with adamantium. Cables getting plugged in, thumb drives sticking out, a ring light as well because you're a wannabe content creator (who me? yes me!) and when it's all hooked up and running, it's on point! Your little laptop is now a content producing workhorse.

That is, until your laptop needs to do laptop things and it needs to laptop somewhere else.

Unplug this, remove that, make sure that cable doesn't disappear down that hole.....this, is a pain. Doubly so when you come back. Plug this in, where did this go, why isn't that working, where's the rest of my protein bar, where is my sound coming from....

It's time wasting and stressful and its messy as hell. The solution? Buy a laptop dock.

What's a laptop dock? Well, a laptop dock is a device you connect to your laptop (yes, another one), but instead of your peripherals (nerd speak for the things you connect to your computer; keyboard, mice, screens, etc) connecting to your laptop, they connect to the dock. So then all you do is connect the laptop dock to your laptop and BAM the dirt is gone! Well, the cables and mess and stress is anyway.

Laptop docks come in endless configurations and in all different price ranges, both for Windows and Mac. Want to use 3 screens, check. Need an abundance of USB connections, we got you. Want to spend $800 or more because you just have to have the best, we have many to choose from! This can get a little daunting, so do your research first before you buy.

My laptop dock is connected to mains power (so it charges the laptop), 2 screens, my keyboard, my mouse, a network cable for internet, a Samsung phone I'm using as a webcam, a blue Yeti microphone, some Edifier speakers, my laptop cooler stand and yes that wannabe content creator ring light.

And I connect it all to my laptop, with one cable.

dEx