Thinkpads Forum

Hi,

I'm looking for a dock to use with my X220 that will let me connect an external monitor and keyboard/mouse. A CD drive integral with the dock is a plus but not necessary. I have a few questions I hope some of you can clarify.

Looking on ebay, there seems to be a few variety of docks available. I noticed some of these have a square section that extends out in the upper left corner. What exactly is this section?

Do all the docks compatible with the X220 have a power button that lets you turn on the laptop without having to open the laptop lid and use the laptop's power button?

I see docks referred to as an UltraBase, MiniDock and replicator. Are these all essentially the same dock?

There are actually many docks that support the X220.

All of these (which are also supported by the larger T/W/L series):
http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/ThinkPad_Dock_Series_3

And the Ultrabase, which is specific to the X220:
http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/ThinkPad_ ... e_Series_3

All of them support external keyboard, mouse, monitor. All of them have the power button and can be locked.

Only the Ultrabase has the CD/DVD drive.

The Ultrabase is designed to be slightly more mobile, so that in theory you can carry it attached to your laptop (although most people still wouldn't).