USB2 will free up docking stations

Expensive docking stations tailored to particular notebooks could become a thing of the past with the emergence of a new class of universal models taking advantage of 480Mbits/sec USB2 links.

That's fast enough to carry all the traffic required for external monitor, keyboard, mouse, and printer connections.

The trickiest part is to convert the display data into a USB2 video stream and then back again to drive a monitor. Cambridge-based Displaylink, which this week demonstrated a monitor driven by a wireless USB2 link, has developed software and chips that do just that.

Product manager Jason Slaughter said software on the notebook acts as a virtual graphics card, sending the display information to the USB2 port. He said manufacturers of docking stations are interested in using the technology. Kensington already has models on the market.

Having to get a new docking station when you upgrade your notebook can be irritating enough for private buyers, but it can cost companies tens of thousands.

Some vendors have made a point in recent years of offering docks that remain unchanged across generations on business models but these tend to have proprietary links and so lack flexibility.

Another use for the technology is in industrial panel displays, with a built-in USB2 hub, driven by a single USB2 link.

Slaughter said he believes notebooks packing wireless USB2 could be available as soon as the end of 2007, when wireless USB2 docking stations are likely to appear.

See Test Bed tomorrow for more on these emerging technologies