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At work, I recently went from using a desktop to using my T42P full time. The reasons for this being 1) portability (my files can go where I go), 2) security (bios and hard drive passwords with security chip), and 3) fan noise.
Originally I had my 19" LCD sitting directly on my desk and a mini-tower underneath. That worked okay.
When I went to the T42P, I also purchased an mini dock (2878). My local shop carries these for $20 with adapter! I already had a Thinkpad Monitor Stand 2001 (22P5268 ) from when I was in school, so I unpacked it and set that up.
Bigger Pic: http://i29.tinypic.com/2a4w8r7.jpg
The Monitor Stand 2001 is a beast and takes up as much space as large desktop computer. The good thing is that the laptop/dock is on a sliding tray which makes undocking easier. Also, there are velcro straps on the back which work well for cable management. Unfortunately, after it was setup, I realized the monitor was too high and the stand is not adjustable. My cheap 19" Hanns-G didn't have an adjustable stand either. Regardless, I don't know if that would've mattered as the monitor already sits pretty low on its own stand.
I looked around for another IBM branded stand and came across the Convertible Stand. I missed out on an auction or two on Ebay because I wasn't willing to pony up the $50-$75 plus shipping for something I didn't know would work or not for me.
My neck did not appreciate the Monitor 2001 stand so I kept looking. Amazingly enough, a Google "shopping" search came up with one from Kaanza.com for under $30 shipped via Fedex. It was supposed to be Grade A used stock. It arrived in the original Lenovo box and looked new with all the original packing material!
As with the Monitor Stand 2001, the Convertible Monitor Stand is heavy duty. There are no cheap plastic parts. The stand is made for CRT and LCD monitors and I have no doubt this would support my old 17" tube. This stand was made for newer laptops so it has two plastic nubs in the bottom which I assume fit into slots on new docks. They are made to be removable though, so I did that and saved them for future use. The only problem with that is that the laptop and dock are more prone to sliding around.
I unscrewed the built in stand from my LCD and mounted it on the stand. Unfortunately, even at its highest setting, it was still sitting too low. the bottom bezel of the LCD was almost touching my desk! I managed to make this work by securing only the bottom two of the four clips on back of the monitor. This probably wouldn't be a problem with a Lenovo or other name brand LCD.
Bigger Pic: http://i32.tinypic.com/13zcnd4.jpg
Cable management is an issue and I miss the velcro straps from the Monitor Stand 2001. Also, it was kinda nice having that extra space on top of the stand to put my junk... Still though, I like the clean lines of this setup.
I also own an ThinkPad Adjustable Notebook Stand (40Y7680 ). I debated using this, but as much as I like the LCD in the T42P, I don't think I could handle a high res 15" panel sitting so far away from me.
If anyone else is looking at getting these different stands and wants more info or pictures, let me know.
