The simple question: which would you choose and why?
Well first look at the differences:So we can finally get our hands (and browsers) on the offerings of caldigit and belkin for thunderbolt docks.
The simple question: which would you choose and why?
What about Sonnet's Echo 15 Thunderbolt Dock? I see that it is not shipping until later in the summer but it does potentially offer some good features.
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http://www.sonnettech.com/product/echo15thunderboltdock.html
I asked Caldigit and they say their USB ports are powered. I read that the Belkin unit does NOT have powered USB ports. So it is the Caldigit for me.
huge, thats what you wanted to sayExcept it's so damn uglyyyyyyy.....
What about Sonnet's Echo 15 Thunderbolt Dock? I see that it is not shipping until later in the summer but it does potentially offer some good features.
Except it's so damn uglyyyyyyy.....
It's not ugly. And when you consider that for some people it will be a Thunderbolt dock, external hard drive and optical drive, it's down right pretty compared to having 3 devices and cables on your desk.Except it's so damn uglyyyyyyy.....
Also if there is no FireWire that will be a deal breaker for some people.There's also this from Sunix: http://www.tomshardware.com/news/thunderbolt-hdd-blu-ray-dock,15926.html
...big plusses over the Sonnet seem to be SPDIF sound, a blu-ray writer and a hot-swap hard drive. However, those pictures look like CG renders to me, and they're talking about Q4... I also suspect that the eSATA on the Sonnet could open up new possibilities if you want more external storage.
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What about Sonnet's Echo 15 Thunderbolt Dock? I see that it is not shipping until later in the summer but it does potentially offer some good features.
Image
http://www.sonnettech.com/product/echo15thunderboltdock.html
this will never get released , the company scraps projects all the time.
i emailed them and they had no idea when it will be released , just that i can add my name to the list when its released they will email me.
I have the Belkin and it s working fine, The USB ports are definitely powered. The problem with the Belkin is that the USB3 ports are only half-speed; 2.5Gbps instead of 5Gbps. This is a show stopper if you plan to connect USB3 RAID solutions or SATA III SSD's. If you are just using single or 2-drive HDD peripherals, it doesn't really matter.
The Caldigit is $100 cheaper, has 5Gbps USB ports according to Caldigit and trades the FW800 ports for an HDMI port. It seems a little unclear at this point what the HDMI ports can do simultaneously with a MDP display on the TB port (if it works at all in that case). I believe it may be an alternative port to connect a display, but you are still limited to a single display per TB channel.
Assuming you don't need FW, the Caldigit seems a better and cheaper solution, assuming it works as advertised.
to answer the video question.
this dock can run TWO DISPLAYS(one hdmi + 1 thunderbolt) at a time, a very key feature.
its right in the FAQ
http://www.caldigit.com/thunderboltstation/faq.asp
I thought I had seen some back and forth on that somewhere, but that seems to answer it pretty definitively.
HDMI
1.What specification of HDMI does the Thunderbolt Station use?
HDMI 1.4.
2.Can I use an HDMI to DVI cable/adapter?
Yes, you can use an HDMI to DVI cable/adapter to connect to a DVI monitor.
3.Can I use multiple monitors with my Thunderbolt Station?
Yes, the Thunderbolt Station can support two monitors if one of them is an Apple Thunderbolt Display. You cannot use a monitor with a mini display port to DVI/VGA/HDMI adapter while using the HDMI port on the device for a multiple display configuration because only the first display that is detected will function.
For example
1. Thunderbolt Monitor and HDMI Monitor - Yes
2. Mini-Display Port Monitor and HDMI Monitor - No
3. Mini-display port adapter to DVI Monitor and HDMI monitor - No
4. Thunderbolt Display and HDMI adapter to DVI Monitor - Yes