Product Details
- Product Dimensions: 3 x 5.2 x 2.9 inches ; 7.2 ounces
- Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
- Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
- ASIN: B004YIFOP0
- Item model number: PA3934U-1PRP
List Price :
Price : $24.99
You Save : $35.00 (58%)
Product Description
From the Manufacturer
Toshiba Multi-Dock with HDMI
Enjoy a full multi-media experience, or simply store, view and charge your Thrive Tablet--quickly and conveniently--with a Toshiba Multi-Dock with HDMI docking station.
The Toshiba Multi-Dock with HDMI is perfect for movie watching, web surfing or viewing your favorite HD digital content through the HDMI port on your HDTV or LCD monitor. Top off your multimedia experience by attaching external speakers or headphones through the built-in 3.5mm stereo audio port. This dock is also simple, secure way to store and charge your system. Or turn your tablet into a mini-workstation using the dock's 2 USB ports to connect to a keyboard, external hard drive or other Android platform approved devices. Dock uses AC adapter included in your tablet or purchase a spare.
Store, view and charge your Toshiba 10" Tablet, quickly and conveniently, with the Toshiba Multi-Dock with HDMI. The Multi-Dock has an HDMI port built-in to connect directly to your HDTV or LCD monitor and view full HD content up to 1080p. The dock also includes two USB 2.0 ports, for connecting a variety of accessories, and a 3.5mm audio out port for enhanced listening pleasure through headphones or speakers. The Multi-Dock's small footprint and rubber footing make it perfect for the living room, bedroom, office, study, kitchen, dorm room or virtually anywhere. It has an angled design for movie watching, photo viewing, web surfing, emailing, updating your social network site, playing games, or enjoying whatever your favorite HD digital content might be. Docking and undocking is a breeze with the easy access top-load proprietary connector. Just drop it in and let the fun begin!
Technical Details
- Designed exclusively for Toshiba Tablet Landscape mode stand
- Easily connect to your HDTV or LCD monitor and view HD content up to 720p through the HDMI® port (HDMI cable not included)
- Hot-swappable; add or remove most devices without rebooting the tablet
- Easy access to Tablet's built-in ports, for even more connectivity
- Additional AC adapter also available for separate purchase (part number PA3922U-1ARA)
Costumer Reviews
Price aside. Though due to lack of 3rd party options, I feel this product is too expensive for a basic port replicator.
Regardless of price, I would love to give it 5 stars because it does give the the most amount of external access to your docked Thrive.
Pro ; Con: Dock uses Powered USB hub for the 2 USB ports. The Pro is you get 2 USB ports. The Con, is that it REQUIRES power to work. So you HAVE to use your Thrive Power Support or buy a 2nd power supply to use the Dock's USB ports.
Pros:
Lots of ports:
- Two full size USB ports (Keyboard and mouse for me right now, could also do 2 USB game controllers for 2 player gaming, etc)
- Audio jack for external speakers (basic Thrive dock has this too)
- Full size HDMI port for sound and video (Fills the screen on 16:9 TVs by cropping some of the tablet screen, tablet screen stays on the whole time)
- Power jack is the same as on the tablet so you can (and must) share the tablet power supply
Looks clean and feels solid
Non slip base
Cons:
- Firm connection to the Thrive tablet and so you can not simply lift the tablet off the dock. You have to hold the dock down and lift the tablet off. This wouldn't be much of a negative point if the dock had a simple tab to easily hold down while lifting the Thrive. Instead you have to either have fairly wide hands like me and hold both sides of the dock with thumb and finger, or you have to press the thin lip of the dock that hugs the Thrive glass and press down firmly while lifting the Thrive.
- No Power Supply. A 30 watt power supply should not cost $40 alone. And for the cost of this dock, it should come with it's own power supply. I should not have to share it with the dock.
- Alignment lines are not on the front of the dock and not really visible on the Thrive, which means alignment can be slower than expected, even over time. This could have been improved.
Pros are worth the cons and you really don't have a choice right now since there are no other docks for the Thrive yet. I really wanted the dock for a quick kitchen "computer" with keyboard and mouse while keeping it compact and for photoframe use.
I will leave my Thrive tablet comments for that review later.
When I first got this dock, I hooked it up to my TV via HDMI and the picture was flickering on and off. I was concerned my HDMI cable was faulty, but set it aside for the time being just to charge my Thrive. 3 hours later, I came back to it and my Thrive had NOT charged at all -- the battery was stuck at the same level as when I started charging. By this point, I was concerned the dock itself was faulty. But when I took a closer look, I noticed there was a small gap between my HDMI cable's housing and the dock's HDMI port. So I pushed the cable in a bit harder and it clicked right into place; after that, the picture on my TV was rock solid and my Thrive charged as it should while resting in the cradle. Not sure if this was just a coincidence but I've had the dock a couple weeks now and everything has been working fine since.
My Thrive sits securely in the dock but isn't at all difficult to remove like others have reported. I do have to use 2 hands to remove the Thrive, but it doesn't take much force at all to get it out of the dock.
Great Lap Stand
I like placing my Thrive in the dock and then sitting with it in my lap. It keeps the Thrive positioned upright without needing to hold it, making it very easy and convenient to use. Personally, I prefer that my Thrive sits securely in the dock because I wouldn't want a loose connection to cause inadvertent dropouts or minor body movements to cause disconnects while connected to my TV. The dock seems to get a bit warm on the bottom, but no big deal. And my Thrive looks great on the shelf while mounted to this dock.
Thrive's user guide does warn about charging the battery overnight and states excessive charging could diminish battery life. If that's true, then it doesn't bode well for this dock, because it invites one to just leave your tablet in the dock when not in use until it's needed again. But with Thrive's replaceable battery, I think I'll live on the edge and just not worry about it.
Needlessly Costly
I do agree with others, however, that this dock should have come with its own power supply. That, or it should be much cheaper. But Toshiba knows there aren't any other options right now if you want a dock. Personally, I think the dock without the HDMI port is pointless; if you're gonna get one, get it with the HDMI port.
Bottom Line -- overall, I'm happy with the dock and glad I got it. It'll save wear and tear on my Thrive's ports since everything is plugged into the dock instead. I'm docking 1 star for the price and lack of a power supply. Otherwise, I have no complaints and think this a great accessory for my Thrive.
No comments:
Post a Comment