Belkin, a fairly well known manufacturer of computer peripherals, has announced a successor to their Thunderbolt Express Dock that is capable of Thunderbolt 2 technology. Thunderbolt 2 technology supports up to 20Gbps of bandwidth that can help you to not only connect up to 8 separate devices but also support up to one 4k cinema resolution display without batting an eye.
A great way to integrate a laptop into a desktop type environment, the Thunderbolt 2 Express Dock HD will help increase your productivity , portability and connectivity with the peripherals you need most.
The Thunderbolt 2 Extreme Dock HD comes with two Thunderbolt 2 ports, three USB 3.0 ports (1 front-facing, 2 rear-facing) that have charging capabilities, one HDMI port, one Gigabit Ethernet port and two audio outputs (front-facing supports microphone in). This new updated version does not support FireWire like the previous Extreme Dock did, but with Thunderbolt and USB 3.0, you probably won’t need a FireWire port anyway.
With the Thunderbolt 2 Express Dock HD having a starting MSRP of $299, it also means the original Thunderbolt Express Dock has had its cost slashed down to $199. Mac users will be able to run out-of-the-box, whereas PC users that have Thunderbolt capabilities will need to head over to Belkin’s website to download drivers. More info in the press release below.
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Belkin Announces New Thunderbolt™ 2 Express Dock HD for Mac® and PC Computers
- Utilizing the latest Thunderbolt 2 technology, the dock allows data transfer at an unprecedented 20Gbps
- Increased bandwidth means superior image quality, with support for up to 4K cinema resolution
- Continues to offer a highly versatile solution for docking to multiple peripherals at once, now for PC as well as Mac.
PLAYA VISTA, CA – September 30, 2014 – Belkin® today introduced the Thunderbolt™ 2 Express Dock HD with cable, a powerful docking solution for both Mac and PC computers. Equipped with two Thunderbolt 2 ports, it allows users to take full advantage of Thunderbolt 2 technology’s high-speed 20Gbps bandwidth, and provides reliable transfers between laptops and up to eight other devices using one single Thunderbolt cable.
Designed for PC and Mac, Ultrabook, laptop and desktop users, the Belkin Thunderbolt 2 Express Dock HD helps increase productivity, portability and connectivity. With eight ports including support for HDMI®, USB 3.0, Gigabit Ethernet, audio and Thunderbolt 2, the Thunderbolt 2 Express Dock HD supports up to eight devices connected directly to the dock, with support for up to four additional (five total) Thunderbolt devices through a daisy-chain setup. Display the clearest picture through either the HDMI or Thunderbolt 2 port at a resolution of up to 4K. The USB 3.0 ports open the ability to charge smartphones, tablets and other higher amperage devices, even when the host computer is asleep or not connected to the dock. It also offers Thunderbolt 2 data transfer speeds of up to 20Gbps, which is two times faster than Thunderbolt, four times faster than USB 3.0 and up to 25 times faster than FireWire® 800.
“Belkin’s Thunderbolt 2 Express Dock HD is an all-in-one solution that fully takes advantage of the Thunderbolt technology and creates endless possibilities for your setup,” said Melody Tescon, director of product management at Belkin. “Not only does it offer exceptional performance and maximum transfer speeds for creating and editing, but it also creates a more efficient work environment.”
“As consumer preference for a mobile and versatile workspace increases, Thunderbolt 2 continues to deliver unparalleled performance, flexibility and simplicity to personal computing,” said Jason Ziller, Intel’s director of Thunderbolt marketing. “Products like Belkin’s Thunderbolt 2 Express Dock HD help highlight what Thunderbolt 2 makes possible.”
Belkin Thunderbolt 2 Express Dock HD with Cable (F4U085bt)
- Connect 8 separate devices such as drives and monitors through a single Thunderbolt cable
- Two times faster than Thunderbolt, four times faster than USB 3.0 and 25 times faster than FireWire 800
- Compatible with Thunderbolt 2 and backward-compatible with Thunderbolt devices
- Supports dual displays (when one display is a Thunderbolt display)
- Supports 4K cinema resolution for up to 1 display
- Connect up to 8 devices directly to the dock, and daisy-chain up to 4 additional Thunderbolt devices (The total number of devices supported through daisy-chain is up to 6 from your ultrabook, or up to 5 from the Thunderbolt 2 Dock.)
- Mac and PC compatible
- Brushed aluminum finish
- Includes 1M Thunderbolt cable
- Compatible with: Laptops/ultrabooks and desktops with Thunderbolt or Thunderbolt 2 ports
Equipped with the following ports:
- Two Thunderbolt 2 Ports
- One HDMI Port
- Three USB 3.0 Ports + charging support
- One Audio Out Port
- One Audio Out Port with mic support
- One Gigabit Ethernet Port
- One AC/DC Power Input
System Requirements:
- Requires computers with a Thunderbolt or Thunderbolt 2 port as well as Mac OS® X v10.9 or later, or Windows® 7, 8 or later
Availability
Belkin’s Thunderbolt™ 2 Express Dock HD (F4U085bt) is available now at belkin.com and is planned to be available at Apple stores nationwide in October for an MSRP of $299.99 and includes a Thunderbolt cable.
About Belkin
To learn more about Belkin, visit http://www.belkin.com, “Like” on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/belkin, and follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/belkin.
Thunderbolt and the Thunderbolt logo are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.
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