THINKPAD W700 MINI DOCK 2.0

The Mini Dock 2.0 has been quietly announced for Lenovo's ThinkPad W700, with a few very minor changes made that actually make a difference in usability, for better and for worse. A cursory examination reveals all the same ports: four USB 2.0, eSATA, Gigabit Ethernet, analog & digital audio, VGA, DVI, and DisplayPort. However v2.0 utilizes a dual-link DVI-I port, allowing for analog compatibility over v1.0's digital only dual-link DVI-D. This also means you can adapt the DVI-I port to VGA and utilize dual VGA monitors if you wish. The DisplayPort appears to now allow for adapting to DVI via a cable, as there is no warning about incompatibility with said adapter like on v1.0. So Lenovo made these minor, but effective changes and managed to drop the price from $279 to $219? Great! Oh wait, you might not get the bulky and pricey 170W power adapter included with Mini Dock 1.0. There is no mention of the power adapter with Mini Dock 2.0 and given how detailed these announcements are, you can take that for solid word there will be no adapter included. Lenovo may have done this to give customers more flexibility, as some customers may only need to use the adapter that came with the system, or maybe they have extras already. However in the end it adds cost for those who need the $119 secondary adapter. A Mini Dock 2.0 with the W700's unique 170W power adapter will run you $59 more than a Mini Dock 1.0 with included power adapter, so if you have been considering a dock for your monster W700, it's time to compare the features and pick your poison. The ThinkPad W700 Mini Dock 2.0 (PN 57Y4345) will be available on October 2nd at a list price of $219.

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