They are two new Kesington Universal Notebook Docking Stations, both powered by the DisplayLink DL-195USB graphics processor. That means that your notebook graphic card would not be used. The DL-195USB will process all the graphics and send it to your monitor, so your build-in fancy GPU will sit idling and whistling.

The $149.99 K33926US can connect to DVI or VGA monitors at that resolution, providing with Ethernet connectivity at the same time. The $129.99 K33930US will do the same, sans the Ethernet. [Kensington ]

Zune HD AV Dock

• $89.99
This all-in-one package enables your Zune HD player to charge sync and play supported 720p HD videos on your HDTV. Send music and HD Radio reception to your home audio system and control it all via a wireless remote.

Includes dock, three inserts (one for each Zune model), wireless remote, AC adapter, HDMI cable, and AV output cable. Zune HD player sold separately.

Compatible with: Zune HD (32 & 16), Zune 120, Zune 80, Zune 16, Zune 8, and Zune 4.

Zune HD AV & Power Pack

• $49.99
Connect your AV cable to your docked Zune HD to play music, HD Radio, and audio podcasts through your home audio system. The HDMI cable connects your docked Zune HD to HDTVs to view movies and videos. (Zune HD player required for HD video and HD Radio reception; sold separately. Zune HD AV Dock sold separately.)

Includes AC adapter, HDMI cable, and AV output cable.

Compatible with: Zune HD (32 & 16), Zune 120, Zune 80, Zune 16, Zune 8, Zune 4.

Basically, that means you can enjoy plug-and-play access to match your level of performance. It is also completely hot-swappable, so users can change drives while their computer is already running. At $100, it seems like a pretty decent buy—but if you can do without Firewire, a USB + eSATA Brando HDD dock with 4 card reader ports can be had for $79.

NEWERTECH ANNOUNCES VOYAGER –

WORLD’S FIRST “QUAD INTERFACE” SATA HARD DRIVE

DOCKING STATION

Turns Any 2.5" or 3.5" SATA I/II Hard Drive up to 2.0TB into an External Drive

Mac & PC Plug and Play Ready - Boot and Swap Drives

December 2, 2008, Woodstock, IL — Newer Technology, Inc. (NewerTech®) http://www.newertech.com, the leading developer of PC, Macintosh®, iPod®, and iPhone® performance upgrades and accessories, today announced NewerTech Voyager, the world’s first “Quad Interface” SATA I/II Hard Drive Docking Station with support for four interfaces: FireWire® 800/400, USB 2.0, and eSATA. NewerTech Voyager turns any 2.5" or 3.5" Serial ATA (SATA) I/II hard drive up to 2.0TB into a fully bootable and hot-swappable external drive solution.

Easy & Convenient To Use

Using Voyager is so simple: just insert any standard 2.5" or 3.5" SATA I/II hard drive (up to 2.0TB) into Voyager’s compact docking base and select the fastest of the four interfaces supported by your computer for read/write data speeds of up to 3.0Gb/s. There’s nothing else to install or configure. Voyager saves users the time and inconvenience of installing a hard drive into a computer or using an external hard drive enclosure with limited interfaces and slower speeds.

Plug and Play Hot-Swap Ready

With the most interfaces available on the market, Voyager provides Plug and Play ease of use for a fast external hard drive solution that works with both Macs and PCs. In fact, Voyager is so easy to use, that combined with today’s low cost of hard drive storage, users can think of a bare SATA I/II drive as being as convenient to use as a flash memory card, with the same instant access benefits and the addition of huge storage capacity gains. In addition, Voyager is completely hot-swappable for consumers wanting to move multiple drives at will while their computer is on and running. Its unique design and drive eject button makes inserting, using, and removing SATA I/II hard drives a safe and effortless procedure.

Ideal Solution for Storage Archives

The ideal solution for storage archives, professional photographers, videographers, and other hard drive storage archivers will no longer need multiple drive enclosures and power supplies for every archived hard drive. “Whether consumers want to re-task an older swapped-out hard drive, need to access multiple drives, or want to add big capacity, low cost external storage capacity to their desktop, Voyager is able to travel any computer user’s data universe needs with ease,” said Grant Dahlke, NewerTech’s Product Manager. “Its design and ‘Quad Interface’ functionality offer high speed ‘slide and swap’ hard drive read/write performance and convenience never before available.”

NewerTech Voyager Features:

• Supports all 2.5" and 3.5" SATA I/II hard drives up to 2.0TB

• "Quad Interface" for maximum system compatibility and data transfer rates

• Data transfer rates up to 3.0Gb/s (300MB/s)

• Push button drive eject for safe hard drive removal

• Hot-Swap functionality for fast access of multiple hard drives

• Weighted base and non skid rubber feet for stable operation

• 2-Color Status LED: left side blue for power on, right side flashing red for disk activity

• Compact design: measures 5.28" x 3.70" x 2.68" inches and weighs 1.35lbs without drive

• Whisper Quiet operation - no cooling fan needed

• Plug and Play with Macs and PCs

• All interface connection cables included

• RoHS Compliant

• One year warranty

NewerTech Voyager is priced at $99.95 MSRP and is available immediately from NewerTech’s exclusive distributor, Other World Computing (OWC®), at www.macsales.com, as well as through the retail channel. Voyager includes all its supported interface connector cables and an auto-switching power supply for worldwide compatibility.

[Newertech]

The Price: $219–$230

The Verdict: I'll be dammed—it works. If you are one of the few people out there running a WUSB-enabled notebook, Kensington's new docking station makes it fairly easy to wirelessly connect USB devices so you are not constantly plugging and unplugging them as you move in and out of your workspace.

First off, I was impressed with its size. The whole device was about as big as my hand, so it will not take up much desktop real estate. Getting things up and running was easy enough, although it took a little fiddling to get the settings the way I wanted them. However, once all of that was behind me, my external 20-inch monitor, speakers, keyboard and mouse all synced with a Lenovo T61 laptop fairly quickly when it was brought within range.

Don't expect miracles though—Kensington is very frank about what it's wireless docking station is and isn't capable of. For example: It is not designed to stream hi-res videos. YouTube quality is okay, but even launching WMP causes a bit of a lag. There are also some choppy transition issues with open applications. For example: if I open up a Word document when out of range, the document is minimized awkwardly in the tray on a cloned external monitor when I transition back in range. Still, these shortcomings are not significant enough for me to override a recommendation. Just keep in mind that WUSB-enabled laptops are still pretty rare and I'm told that a WUSB adapter will work, but it won't give you the best "go" of the product. [Kensington]

While this concept would have been impossible with the current Macbooks, which are too big and heavy, the rumored ultra-slim, ultra-light portable could work perfectly in this kind of configuration. [USPTO via PC Joint]

Here's the evidence:

From the patent application:

"The inductive coils are typically hidden from view behind the housings of each device and therefore they are more aesthetically pleasing than electrical contacts, which need to be exposed in order to operate effectively... Furthermore, inductively based systems are more robust than electrical contacts. For example, there are no contacts to wear out and/or oxidize."

Apple may turn to induction for iPod docking, charging [Apple Insider]

An intriguing aspect of the illustrations is the possibility that one of the cradle designs is not only intended for the iPhone, but also might encompass a tablet PC. Here's another illustration of a slightly different method, one that would also be appropriate for a tablet:

The patent application even mentions the term "tablet PC."

"The portable electronic device may correspond to a tablet, and the base may serve as a location for accessing the Internet or connecting to peripheral devices such as printers, fax machines, scanners, and the like.... In cases such as these the portable electronic device may correspond to a monitor, tablet PC..."

New iPhone Docking Station. Apple tablet next? [Unwired View]

Archos launched its 404, 504 and 604 players a month ago, and now here's a bit of information about its upcoming 700 TV model, a fine-looking porto-player that promises over-the-air digital television using the Freeview format. It's equipped with a 4.3-inch screen, WiFi, GPS and a cellular modem. Maybe all that connectivity is why the thing needs four ugly antennas sticking out the back; we're hoping that's just a preproduction model.

In the company's "Investor Kit", there are some intriguing technologies, including a digital video recording docking station into which you can place this 700 TV player, resulting in an MPEG-4 TV recorder for your time shifting enjoyment. The docking station can also record video from a satellite-based PVR-equipped set-top box. However, talk is cheap. These products aren't available yet, and the company didn't say when they would be. – Charlie White

Q2 Investor Kit [Archos]

One day Gizmodo and Chuang-Tzu were walking along a riverbank. "How delightfully these USB 2.0 docking stations are enjoying themselves," Chuang-Tzu exclaimed!
"You are not a docking station," Gizmodo said. "How do you know whether or not the i-Stones are enjoying themselves?"
"You are not me," Chuang-tzu said. "How do you know that I do not know that the i-Stones are enjoying themselves?"

A monk asked Chimon, "Before the i-Stone Sabi has emerged from the water, what is it?"
Chimon said, "A stone."
The monk pursued, "After it has come out of the water, what is it?"
Chimon replied, "iPod docking station."

i-Stones [Product Page]
(Thanks Michael!)