Review on Toshiba PA3542U-2PRP Dynadock USB Laptop Docking Station with DVI Port - Streamline Your Connectivity and Enhance Productivity by Anatoly Yorgason

Let me first say that I read the quick start guide before using this device. There are some severe warnings about how to properly use the dock first. Following the instructions gave good results and I've been using U Dock for a little over a month now. I am using this docking station with a Dell Studio XPS 1645 laptop running Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit. I have a 20 inch monitor connected to the VGA port on the back of the U Dock at 1920 x 1200, the laptop screen runs at native 1920 x 1080 and a third monitor connected to the Dell VGA port is connected. The desktop is stretched across all three displays (ie the displays are not mirrored). When I wasn't using the U Dock, the third monitor (it was the second monitor at the time) ran at a higher resolution. The reduced resolution may be a limitation of my graphics card, not the U Dock. quirks. Most days, all monitors will flash black once or twice a day and then turn back on a few seconds later. Scary the first time, but after that there is a very slight irritation. What's more annoying is that my remote USB mouse stops working about once a day. I plugged a dongle into the front of the U Dock. If I turn it off and on again, it works again. About three times (per month) the monitor connected to the U Dock would not come back after the laptop hibernated. This is quite annoying as it is designated as the primary monitor and the system cannot be used without it. Pressing the disable button at the top of the U Dock doesn't work. It must be disconnected from the laptop USB port and reconnected. It can be a 30 second process. So far I haven't been able to find any recurring conditions that cause this, and it doesn't happen often enough to be a real problem. I have no other problems with the device falling asleep and waking up. Conclusion All in all I still like this device very much. That's a lot better than buying a proprietary docking station. Some quirks can be fixed with driver updates, but even if not, I'm willing to live with it. The only real downside to a proprietary docking station is the fact that you still have to supply power from the laptop unit, which means I'll be buying a second unit for travel. I'll also buy DVI cables for the 2nd and 3rd monitors and see if that helps with the reduced resolution on the 3rd monitor, but hey, being able to only use 3 monitors is a real convenience. I think my old laptop's proprietary docking station disabled the onboard VGA port.