Techcitement Review: Henge Dock

Ever since I purchased my early 2010 edition of the 17″ Macbook Pro, I’ve found it somewhat inconvenient transitioning between using it on my desk at home and taking it with me. Apple tries to offer a solution by way of purchasing one of their costly Cinema displays which integrates a mag-safe power cable and USB hub, but I’d prefer to keep using my trusty Dell 24″ LCD display instead. (It, too, has a built-in USB hub and card reader, although obviously no mag-safe power connector.) Therefore, I’ve had an interest in a docking station or port replicator solution. Until now, the only solution I’ve seen comes from Bookendz. Unfortunately, their product for my 17″ notebook costs $319.95, and frankly, I never cared much for the industrial look of their docks either. (To my eye, they simply look too much like they were created in someone’s spare time in a machine shop.)

I was happy to see a new solution from Henge Docks advertised in the latest issue of Mac Life magazine, and more pleased to find one sitting on the shelf at my local Micro Center store last weekend. Its retail price of $74.95 was much easier to swallow than the Bookendz solution, and Micro Center gave me 30 days to return it if I wasn’t satisfied, so I took one home. Unlike some Mac products, the Henge Dock doesn’t come in elaborate packaging. The outer container holds the white plastic dock itself, wrapped up in a foam bag, and a small cardboard box containing extension cables for the Firewire 800, Ethernet, 3 USB ports, 1/8″ audio output and microphone input jacks, plus a zip-lock bag containing a hex key, small hex screws used to secure the connections in the dock, and plastic adapters to make Apple’s mag-safe power connector fasten into it. No cables are included for the video, but you’re supposed to use an existing mini-display port to VGA (or DVI) pigtail cable (or purchase one of your own) to bolt into the proper cut-out in the bottom of the dock. Then, your monitor’s video cable routes through an opening in the rear of the dock, along with the other cables.

When I first assembled the dock, I made the mistake of trying to fasten down all of the required cables before sliding the Macbook Pro into it. Upon trying it out, my machine kept putting itself to sleep every time I docked it. Then I watched a short instructional video on the Henge website, which explained the suggested procedure involves sliding the computer into the dock first, flipping it upside-down, and then plugging in all of the cables. That way, when you bolt them in place, they all sit at exactly the right height inside the dock. (The mag-safe power connector wasn’t making good contact in my case, causing my Macbook Pro to sleep every time it sensed the other connections’ insertion.) Another caution is not to overtighten the set screws for the connectors. I noticed a given connector pushes against one side of the plastic cut-out it sits in, rather than sitting perfectly centered in it, if you’ve begun to over-tighten it.

Once correctly assembled, I found the dock works as expected. The computer requires little insertion force to dock, and removal simply requires placing one hand on the flat base of the dock while pulling the Macbook Pro straight up and out. The process should be even easier with a 13″ or 15″ Macbook, since the 17″ is slightly awkward to grab with one hand. Judging by the Henge name and logo, we’re supposed to be reminded of the famous boulders at Stonehenge while viewing a notebook standing up vertically in their dock. My wife, however, says it reminds her of an electric bagel slicer.

On the downside, notebooks with custom protective shells on them probably won’t fit in a Henge Dock. The company claims most stick-on “skins” work, however. Macbook Air owners currently have no Henge Dock solution available either, although a note in the company’s FAQ claims one may be released by December, 2011. Otherwise, I give this product my recommendation. The relatively wide base resists tipping over, even with Apple’s largest 17″ portable. With an investment in a spare AC power adapter, I’m now truly able to grab the computer, toss it in my laptop bag and go, knowing I have everything I need with me. With reconnecting it at home just as easy as dropping it back into the dock, I find myself using it more often too.