USB 3.0 SuperSpeed Dual Video Docking Station with Power - ACP71AU product reviews

I have been using the Targus Universal USB 3.0 DV Docking Station for just over a week now and being the first time personally for me using multiple screens, I must say it is a must have. How many times have you gone to minimise and maximise screens and get the wrong one, or find yourself using alt shift (if you are a bit more savvy) to select the window you want without a mouse and still having trouble recognising the right window? It is a pain isn't it.

The Targus Universal USB 3.0 DV Docking Station lets you effortlessly have up to 2 extra screens in front of you effectively running three including the laptop main screen, thus eliminating these problems. Most docks only allow one extra to total two, but these use the laptop's aux VGA out and that still won't allow you to run 3 screens. Using the dock would allow you to effectively have 4 screens.

The box itself that everything comes in is nicely printed inside and out in more than one colour. This is a nice touch as it signifies that Targus did not just go for the cheapest option when it came to packaging and marketing the dock. After all who uses the box or looks at it after you remove the contents?

The dock itself is a sleek black plastic angled device with multiple ports on the back and sides. When you open the unit it doubles as a storage space to keep all your different power supply tip accessories safe. In addition to the ones that are contained within, an extra bag of another 7 tips are included and I can only guess this is to cater for all the new laptop power supplies that have emerged since the units initial launch.

Several accessories are supplied such as a DVI to HDMI converter and also a DVI to VGA converter. It comes with a 1 meter long USB 3.0 connection lead, a power supply and DVD display driver disc. If you are connected to the internet all you have to do is connect the power to the unit, connect the USB 3.0 lead to your computer from the unit and the extra screens or TV's and let the auto install do its magic. The DVD was of no use to me as my installer auto searched the internet but if you are not on the internet when you install the unit, the DVD will have the drivers you need. After one restart, both screens burst into life.

The dock supports two HD screens of resolution up to 2048x1152 via one HDMI and one DVI-I port on the back, 2 x USB 3.0 ports and 4 x USB 2.0 ports. It also has a gigabit LAN connection which is ten times faster than a 100 LAN connection, plus a security lock slot. You can also connect speakers and mic through the dock for the fully integrated experience.

There are 2 powered USB ports which are meant for supplying power for charging accessories, rather than just the minimal power level that normal ports supply to run devices that usually isn't enough to charge your phone or tablet. These are indicated by the lightning bolt.

Supported operating systems include PC/Mac/Win8Pro-Tablet. Software systems supported include Windows 8, 7, Vista, XP and also Mac OS X Mountain Lion, Lion and Snow Leopard. I have two laptops and I found that the dock runs just fine on the USB 2.0 connection and the fact that it says it is a USB 3.0 dock is only for speed compatibility reasons, just like when you have a USB 3.0 port on your laptop but no devices that are USB 3.0, the functionality is still there. Because of this I tested the dock on my USB 3.0 Windows 8 laptop and also my USB 2.0 Windows 7 laptop with the same results.

The way I set my unit up after the reboot was to have my outlook on the left screen and my Skype on the right. In my daily use those are the two main programs that I need to have open but don't want to have them taking up desktop real estate. They work perfectly. If I open or click on a mail on the left screen, it opens in the main centre screen. If I open a document from the left screen in Adobe which I often split the screen with, it opens in the main window, if I get a Skype call, it shows up in the right screen.

I had no resizing issues or aspect problems, which was great and all screens run flawlessly. After a few other people at work have seen just how useful the dock is and non gimmicky, they have put in to have at least one extra screen themselves.

The Targus Universal USB 3.0 DV Docking Station has become an indispensable piece of work kit and being as light and small in size that it is, it easily fits in my laptop bag when I am on the go. When I get somewhere new I can just borrow a monitor and I am set.

Another great point to mention is that the dock effectively replaces my laptop power supply so now I can keep it as a spare and if you have ever had to replace a genuine power supply in the past you will know these are not cheap. They would almost be the same price as the dock itself.

I would recommend this dock to anyone in an office environment or even the home gamer as the multiple screens and high supported resolution mean the only limitations in using this dock will be your imagination.