Mobile Tech Minutes — ThinkPad Ultrabase Dock for x200 Tablet PC
I have been covering the loaner Lenovo ThinkPad x200 convertible notebook for a while — you can watch a video of the x200 in action here. The x200 has an accessory that is a must-have for the mobile worker, the Ultrabase docking station. In this video I show the Ultrabase with all the various connectors, and show how the x200 goes into the dock. I also show how easy it is to remove the x200 from the dock to take it on the road.
The Ultrabase came with little documentation, and I had to do some research on the web after I shot this video. The bay that I remarked looked like a hard drive bay is in fact that — the Ultrabase can be configured with a hard drive option to increase storage. The little drop-down door that I showed is the coolest feature of the Ultrabase — it allows plugging a second battery directly into the dock for charging along with the internal battery on the x200.
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Honestly, James. You really need to start working out how these things work and what they do BEFORE you turn on the video camera. It was horrible to watchthis because you waffled around without having done any research. This video should really never have been posted.
Gordon
Agreed! Also, the (obvious) point of something like the UltraBase is not to simply provide power – it is for the multitude of other connections, i.e. mouse, external monitor, etc. This is obvious to most people who have used one before, so we presume the video was for those who do not use a dock. It would have been better to show the UltraBase hooked up to an external keyboard, wired mouse, external monitor, Ethernet, etc. and the dock/undock process makes it more convenient for the user with the added benefit of the optical drive, etc.
I don’t mean to come across as being so caustic – this is meant as constructive criticism… No real rush to video review something that has been out for quite a while (years if you include the previous models and other manufacturers.) Hence, be complete and informative to the viewer.
-MB-
James,
You get all the goods from Lenovo to review, but please review them before turning on the camera. Not knowing if a door on the device holds a battery or a hard drive and then pulling a cover off the dock was amusing to watch but I really wanted to know how it works. I can Google what each port and slot does in 10 seconds.
Telling the viewer to buy one of these for under $200 on eBay is probably not what the mfg wants to hear also. Its $200 at the Lenovo website right now.
UltraBase and “Docking station” are not the same, the ultra base is more of an expansion to keep the tablet small for those that don’t need the CD, ports, etc all the time. But then offer all of it to a compact travel form when needed. I would have liked to see if the dock worked well without external power as it was intended to be used at times.
Also you spent way too much time on the mouse and dongle, no one really cares about that.
“It’s in standby” (after attaching the X200 to the dock) -> no it wasn’t. From the sounds, it was fully on and only the lid was closed.
Your review seemed more like something I would see a BestBuy sales guy trying to show me something they really didn’t know much about to a guy that does know a whole lot about gadgets. Your audience is gadget guys, not the average consumer. The average consumer does not spend time at your site because they don’t care about this stuff. Please keep that in mind and be quick and precise about the features and benefits of the product you are reviewing.
Frankly this was quite painful to watch.
Lenovo if you’re reading, please send me one so I can do a proper video review. :)
-Kevin
You mention that the bay you thought might be for a hard drive on the left, is. I can find nothing to support this. Can you clarify? I would love to add a second drive without having to remove the optical drive to do so.
Here is the official details from Lenovo:
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/MIGR-70299.html
The documentation still isn’t very clear. I also have the same question: Can you install an addition drive in conjunction with the optical drive? I also have another question, does the base come with an optical drive?
Okay, contacted lenovo support, you can only use either or in the ultrabay, not both.
I am using this unit now with an X200s. The left side of the UltraBase has three things. A lever to physically eject the notebook. An eject button that initiates the “Undock” procedure in the OS. A pivoting door that exposes a battery terminal that allows you to charge an extra battery. The connector is very flimsy and will only work with the UltraBase sitting on a desk or larger flat surface (not on your lap, etc) It does provide a battery meter to show you how much juice is in the battery at present in 25% increments. Another thing is you don’t need the ThinkPad docked in order to charge the battery, only the external power source. The docs actually say that the UltraBase will only work properly with external power, but I didn’t test this out.
Also it makes my X200s TWICE as thick connected and looks extremely bulky, so for me it stays at home and I use Lenovo USB DVD drive when I need that on the road.
Hope this helps.