Sony had announced the release of USB 2.0 docking solution which would enable the use of external monitor at resolutions of 1600*1200. The device is VGP-UPR1 which comes at a price of $199.99, which is not cheap. But the good part is it handles DVI and analog monitors and adds 4 USB ports, ethernet jack and an audio jack. Thought the device is basically designed for the Sony’s Vaio notebooks, the USB port connection enables it to be used along with any notebook that has an appropriate USB port. The power to the device comes from an A/C adapter.
This USB dock is mainly useful for those who plan to use the notebook as a replacement to a desktop with peripherals and possibly an external monitor. This makes it convenient to unplug the device from the notebook with just one connector to pull out.