Business 2.0 - April 01 2003

Oyster Dock: Laptop Convenience, Desktop Comfort

Finally, an affordable solution for laptop-toting road warriors who miss their eye-level monitors.

If you've been reading my column regularly (lie if you haven't), you know that I bought a 15-inch PowerBook G4 not long ago to replace my ailing desktop computer. I had the keen foresight to buy it just before the Macworld expo, where Apple (AAPL) unveiled the glorious 17-inch version. But when I'm using my laptop at home, it's not the screen width that's a problem; it's that I can no longer look straight into my monitor's digital eye -- what I'm going to call the crouch factor. I've been thoroughly spoiled by CRT monitors that rise up and meet me face-to-face, and it's a relationship I (and my strained neck) am not willing to give up.

For now, I'm attaching my laptop to an LCD monitor that sits on my desk. It's a ham-handed solution, with my laptop opened all the way until it lies flat -- so that it fits on a sliding keyboard tray under the desk -- and cables snaking off everywhere. So when I read about the Oyster dock last fall, I was ready to snatch the first one to roll off the assembly line. But the units weren't ready to ship and are just now hitting the market (they're available exclusively on Amazon (AMZN), as of this week).

While traditional docks connect the laptop to peripherals (like a monitor), the adjustable-height Oyster hoists it perpendicular to my desk's surface, so the LCD meets me at eye level. I simply open my PowerBook, slide the keyboard inside the dock's cushioned base, and run the cables out the back through slotted foam clips that keep cord octopi at bay. (Since the keyboard is now inside the dock, a full-size keyboard must be attached and placed in an ergonomically correct spot.) An integrated USB hub conceals extra Internet, printing, and keyboard connectors in the rear storage area.

The pearlescent Oyster is more elegant and less pricey than any dock I've seen. Plus, it appeals to my compulsive clean gene, conserving precious desktop real estate. For a good fit, your laptop should be no more than 1.5 inches from base to top, and the screen must open to approximately a 170-degree angle.

So if you have the new 17-inch PowerBook, game over. Hey, revenge is sweet.

Oyster dock: $179-$199; available at www.amazon.com.

By Shoshana Berger

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