HP XB2000 Notebook Expansion Base Review

The HP XB2000 Notebook Expansion Base:



Firstly this unit is heavy, around 7lbs, the most of this I suspect is attributed to the harman/kardon speakers, but as it is to be used in a static position other than getting it home the weight should not be a problem.

It has an actual desk footprint of the same area as that of a modern keyboard with an overhang area dependant on the position of the notebook tray.

My unit shipped with a wireless mouse and keyboard badged by HP with Logitec being the OEM.

Connections:

The rear of the unit provides a method for the connection of 3 different power supplies, the standard HP notebook power supply fits into slot 2.

There are 2 additional USB ports, an RJ-11 port for the modem, an RJ-45 port for network, a composite and S-Video output for TV connection, these are inferior outputs to the VGA port on the notebook, a hard drive power connector port (more on that latter).

There is also a S/PDIF port for connecting to an external amplifier or other sound source, and 2 kensington security slots, also at the rear is a screw to release the optional hard drive cover.

On the back of the adjustable notebook tray is located the actual expansion cable and a further RJ-11 carry through port for connecting the notebooks modem.



On the right side of the unit is a further USB port, a microphone and headphone port.





The left side of the unit is found the cover for the optional external harddrive, it is stated that this bay supports IDE drives with ATA or ATAPI interface however it is a USB 2.0 interface.

In order to install a drive a special carrier and separate power supply is required, these cannot be purchased individually from HP and at this time only comes with a Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 9 @ 7200 rpm 160gb high capacity drive at a very expensive price.



The front of the unit contains the 2 speaker grills for the high quality harmon/kardon speakers and on the front shelf unit is a power indicator that illuminates when the unit is connected, a sound mute button and a roll bar for adjusting volume, if the logitec itouch software is installed this provides OSD of volume status and mute on/off.

Contained at the front is also the sensor for the notebook remote control, once again this is not a traditional IR facility but limited to the IR features of the HP notebook.

The design of the expansion base means that once the notebook is seated then you cannot see the notebooks front indicators such as HD activity, battery charging etc.



Installation:

Could not be easier, set up the base, plug in the wireless receiver, install the batteries in the keyboard and mouse, wrestle to release the expansion cable (very tight), open your notebook and place it on the tray and plug the expansion cable into the port on your notebook, then power up.

Operation:

As soon as the expansion cable is connected to the notebook a cool looking blue power light illuminates on the front of the expansion base, this indicates that the set up is now powering the notebook which will include charging the batteries.

Once the boot process is completed and depending on what you have connected to the base the notebook is fully operational.

Under Windows XP the expansion cable can be plugged and unplugged whilst the notebook is on and does not require a reboot.

Advantages:

If you have a number of USB devices, network/modem connection desire an external mouse and keyboard, then all these connections can be made directly to the base together with the power supply this then means that putting the notebook onto the tray and making 1 connection of the expansion cable all your peripherals are active and available to the notebook.

As the notebook tray is adjustable you can adjust the height and position of the notebook screen to act more like a desktop unit.

Summary:

I find this unit a great addition to my notebook, not having to continually plug and unplug the power supply reduces wear on the actual notebook connection, also not having to plug in USB connections and network cables every time the notebook is on my desk is a great time saver.

The addition of an external HD boosts the functionality of the notebook together with adding 3 additional USB ports to the system.

The sound produced from the bigger harmon/kardon speakers is rich and basey and sound great and the overall black and silver colour scheme is very pleasing to the eye.

The unit itself is very rugged and well constructed.

 

Good review.
But what about photos? some closeup shots in all sides please!!

 

awesome, thanks for the review of the xb2000 expansion base, i know a couple of other people in the forums have bought this and that others would be interested. here's a link to the expansion base on HP.