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Connectivity and optical drives are some of the first casualties of Intel's notebook slimming operation to come up with the Ultrabook specification. As a result, a new market is created for external connectivity solutions such as docking stations, which give users additional connectivity when at their desk, while maintaining the added mobility of Ultrabook, when on the move. Japan's Apricorn introduced one such product. Called the NetDock, the device holds a slimline DVD writer drive (included), provision for a 2.5-inch SATA HDD/SSD, and a 4-port USB 2.0 hub.

The NetDock draws power from an AC adapter, and connects to your Ultrabook over a USB 2.0 connection. Its DVD writer is capable of writing discs at speeds of up to 8X. One of the four downstream USB 2.0 ports is a high-current port for charging other portable devices (such as smartphones, media players, tablets, cameras, etc.). Both drives (the DVD writer, and the added 2.5-inch HDD/SSD) are visible to the host as USB mass storage devices. The NetDock measures 158.8 x 146.1 x 54.0 mm (WxDxH), and supports Windows 7/Vista/XP, and Mac OS X. It will be priced at 7,980 JPY (US $99.99).



Source: Hermitage Akihabara

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