Laptop Docking Stations

[trev1978]

Hi all!!

As some of you may have seen from other threads i have been having problems with a dell desktop which needed to be rebuilt. As i have a bt wireless home hub someone said i would be better off with a laptop anyway as it would give me more flexibility.

Whilst I am quite keen on this idea i would have some issues. The main problem that i see is that whilst a laptop is fine for the internet i do not find it particularly suitable for working on for extended periods. The screen is also not particularly suitable for AutoCad. What i would ideally want is a docking station that i could plug the laptop into and then i could use may existing 22"FP monitor, keyboard and mouse. However i'm not sure if it is possible to get this for typical home laptops.

At work i have a Dell Precision laptop which is wired up to my screen, keyboard, mouse, printers and network via a docking station. You simply set the laptop onto the docking station and it clicks into position. on the back of the docking station there is connections for the monitor, internet, network, power & 4 usb's. However i wasn't sure if this facility is specific to this type of laptop (which are very expensive!!).

I have been looking at different laptops in the shops but none of them appear to have the same connections as the Dell precision. For instance i was looking at the following laptop in store: - (Currys - Shop for Entertainment Laptops - HP G70-120EA Features a Blu-ray drive for a superb HD viewing experience)
Whilst this laptop would more than adequate for what i need i could not see how it could be hooked up to a docking station- unless i'm blind i could not even see a connection for connecting it up to a monitor!!!

Can someone please advise on this!!

Trev