Review: eTauro’s Surface Pro 3 dock is cheap, fast, fat but flexible - thomasreackagots

At a Glance

Expert's Rating

Pros

• About half the terms of Microsoft's own docking station
• Allows you to recline the Surface In favou 3 at any angle
• Can be powered past a car charger

Cons

• Looks a bit vile, compared to the Surface Pro 3 itself
• Lacks an Ethernet larboard
• Less USB connectors, compared to Microsoft's possess dock

Our Verdict

eTauro's Surface Pro 3 docking post isn't much to look at, but it restores physical flexibility to your desk that Microsoft's own dock currently stool't match, and for quite a a great deal less.

Why should you corrupt eTauro's clone Surface Pro 3 docking station? Deuce reasons: price and physical flexibility. If you get into't nou connecting via Wi-Fi, that is.

At this point, it's fair to tell that we're fans of Microsoft's Opencast Pro 3, a premium Windows tablet with identical few flaws. But its nominal $799 sticker price may switch off any, and Microsoft's Surface Pro 3 Tying up Station tacks on an additional $199. At about $70 (plus the price of a separate charger), eTauro's harmonious dock (which it also refers to as a "DUC" on its Web web site) is a fraction of what you'd yield to Microsoft, but information technology offers a subset of what Microsoft's wharf does, besides.

The eTauro docking facility fits snugly, and allows the tablet to repose as you bid.

The entire point of a tying up station is to add back the expansion capabilities that a pad of paper simply doesn't have room for. Microsoft's Earth's surface Pro 3tablet offers just one USB 3.0 connector and a miniDisplayPort connector for enlargement, together with a charging left that also offers I/O connectivity. Microsoft's SP3 dock grasps the tablet connected some sides, plugging into the SP3's charging port. On the rear of the bobtail are three USB 3.0 ports and two USB 2.0 ports, asset a endorsement miniDisplayPort connector and ethernet jack. Incidentally, that leaves the tablet's miniDisplayPort and USB 3.0 connector free and available for you to use.

Like the Surface Pro 3, Microsoft's dockage station is a sooner elegant piece of hardware engineering. But information technology has two flaws: initiatory, it reclines the tablet at a fixed angle. And second, it places the elaboration slots quite a far away.

Mark Hachman

Microsoft's own Airfoil In favour of 3 docking station is well built and provides a number of USB ports, but holds the tablet at a flat angle.

A dock in name just

eTauro's dock International Relations and Security Network't really a sour grass at all; instead, information technology's a rather unmanageable piece of unintegrated plastic that plugs into all trinity connectors unofficially of the tablet. Information technology offers only four ports, though they're all USB 3.0. It also includes a miniDisplayPort connector.

What eTauro's dock does do, even so, is allow you to recumb the Surface In favor 3 at any angle that the lozenge's kickstand allows. That's rather useful. In person, I keep the SP3 and its dock tucked inside my keyboard drawer, using an external monitor above it. For me, Microsoft's dock orients the tablet just a morsel too vertically to be comfortable.

The downside, of course, is that you lose memory access to one miniDisplayPort and two USB ports, compared to what Microsoft's dock allows. And if you corresponding your desk nice and tidy, so a lot of cables snaking out the side of your tab might not equal your bag.

Mark Hachman

This look might not be for everyone.

But the major drawback is that eTauro's wharfage lacks an ethernet jack—although the plastic chassis includes an area that appears to be designed for it. While it's likely most users will connect the Surface Pro 3 via Wi-Fi, the absence of ethernet may follow a deal-breaker for some.

There's other furrow of note: eTauro's result inexplicably lacks the12V/5A 2.1mm battery charger it requires, so you'll have to purchase your own for $15 on Amazon Oregon elsewhere. Our review unit did come with a car charger, though, so there's that.

Microsoft's dock is clearly more appealing, aesthetically. But eTauro's result whole kit and caboodle as a somewhat inexpensive upgrade to the Surface Pro 3. The eTauro really transfers data quicker than Microsoft's dock: Transferring a random 8.6GB folder of MP3 files, for example, was about 20 percent faster. (eTauro's sour grass transferred three large files totaling 2.5GB at about the unchanged hurrying equally Microsoft's dock.)

The SP3's kickstand seems to handle the eTauro's 3-ounce weight without batten an eye. And there's no question that the physical flexibility to adjust the viewing angle arsenic you see fit is a key selling point. I did notice some episodic issues when connecting to an extraneous monitor, however, and eTauro's tail bottom get a bit touchy if you're maneuvering your tablet backward and forward.

Nevertheless, American Samoa agelong as you're aware of the eTauro's limitations, I have no problem recommending it equally an somewhat awkward but practical upgrade to the Surface Pro 3.

Source: https://www.pcworld.com/article/431812/review-etauros-surface-pro-3-dock-is-cheap-fast-fat-but-flexible.html

Posted by: thomasreackagots.blogspot.com

Share this post