Review: Elgato Thunderbolt Dock

Introduction

Most Macs sold since 2011 have at least one Thunderbolt port, yet many people use it only to connect an external display, ignoring the port's greater potential. Thunderbolt's versatility can be leveraged to add new features to a computer, even when that computer's design doesn't accommodate internal expansion cards.

The simplest examples of this are adaptors that turn a Thunderbolt port into an Ethernet or a FireWire port. But docking stations like this one from Elgato are more adventurous, providing multiple ports for you to connect various devices including storage, a printer, a display and more. This is especially convenient with a portable Mac because things can be reconnected whenever you return to your desk by simply plugging in one cable.

The dock works with desktop Macs too, and that makes it of special interest if you own a first-generation Thunderbolt Mac and lament its lack of USB 3.0 ports. It gives you three of them, thereby unlocking new options for fast external storage.

Bear in mind, though, that this doesn't mean you can use all kinds of USB 3.0 hardware with a Mac. Some video capture decks, for instance, come only with Windows software, so it's necessary to verify compatibility.

On the surface Elgato's line-up of ports isn't much different to earlier alternatives from Matrox and Belkin. The front panel contains one USB 3.0 port and discrete 3.5mm mini jacks for headphones and a microphone. This is a welcome change from Apple's annoying habit of putting useful connections out of sight and easy reach.

At the back are another two USB 3.0 ports, beating the quantity on Matrox's dock, which also has a total of three USB ports, but two of which are rated only for USB 2.0 transfer speeds. Belkin's dock has three ports of the more modern type. However, the ports on both of these alternatives are limited to 2.5GB/s, whereas Elgato rates its ports for USB 3.0's theoretical maximum of 5GB/s. Its ports also support UASP (USB Attached SCSI Protocol), which is capable of delivering improved transfer rates (something that will be covered later in this review).

The rear panel also contains a HDMI 1.4 port, which is able to drive a display with a resolution up to 2560x1600 pixels; a Gigabit Ethernet port, which most recent MacBooks lack; and two Thunderbolt ports. One Thunderbolt port connects the dock to your computer, while the second allows additional devices to be connected through the dock.

Alternatively, this extra Thunderbolt port can be used to connect a DVI or VGA display if you already have a Mini DisplayPort adaptor for that purpose. Or you can convert it to an increasingly niche FireWire 800 port with a different adaptor. Belkin's dock has FireWire built in.

Using one of these adaptors cuts off further expansion unless you ensure your other Thunderbolt devices have their own passthrough port, in which case you can daisy-chain those devices and connect the adaptor last in the chain.

Also omitted, and even more niche on the Mac, is eSATA. Another dock from Sonnet Technology promises to include two eSATA ports, but that product is yet to become available a year after its announcement.

The dock's mix of metallic and black panels is a good fit for Mac hardware, and it fits on the foot of an iMac's stand. But don't mistake its size as an indication of portability because the included power brick is required.

Performance

Earlier, we mentioned that the Elgato dock's USB ports are rated to 5GB/s, and that they support UASP. Making use of the latter requires that a connected device also supports that protocol. To test this I used a StarTech S2510BPU33 drive enclosure, into which I installed a Samsung 840 Evo SSD.

When I tested this drive with Macs that had a built-in, UASP-compliant USB 3.0 ports (a 2012 Mac mini and a 2013 MacBook Pro with Retina display) it achieved peak transfer rates of 437.4MB/s when reading data, and 416.9MB/s when writing. The drive's median transfer rates held up well at 347.2MB/s and 364.5MB/second, respectively.

A different picture emerged when the drive was connected to the dock. In that configuration, the best 'read' speed the drive was able to reach was 351.2MB/s. Its peak 'write' speed suffered a much greater reduction to 272.6MB/second. Correspondingly, the median read, and write speeds were reduced to 292.1MB/s and 228.8MB/s.

To verify these results, I tested the drive on the dock's other two USB ports, which demonstrated no difference. The positive is that the drive stayed close to these peak transfer rates during our large file tests – the medians are dragged down when transferring small files, which we expected.

This limitation dents the dock's appeal as a way to increase the number of USB 3.0 ports on a Mac that's already equipped with USB 3.0. However, it is a better but more costly option than a USB 3.0 hub because Thunderbolt's greater bandwidth means less contention.

No software needs to be installed on a Mac to use the dock. Its USB ports and a connected display are instantly available, and its headphone and microphone ports become available as options in the Mac's Sound preferences pane.

It's worth visiting Elgato's website to get an optional download. It unlocks a high-power mode for the dock's USB ports, enabling them to charge more demanding devices. This means you can simultaneously charge two iPads with Retina display and an iPhone through the dock.

The download has extra value when used with a MacBook because it installs a utility into the menu bar, which enables you to eject all connected devices at once. The dock also works with Windows 8.1 after you download and install drivers for its USB and Ethernet ports.

It's important that you don't mistake the presence of a HDMI port and the ability to connect a Mini DisplayPort adaptor into the dock's second Thunderbolt port as a way to increase the number of displays that can be connected to your computer. A Thunderbolt port carries video and audio to a single display alongside data going to other devices. If you try to connect two displays to the dock, the one attached to the HDMI port is active and the other is ignored.

Verdict

Elgato's dock is certainly an appealing add-on for a MacBook. Its price tag is similar to other docks, but it's high enough to keep Thunderbolt docks in the realm of an indulgent convenience. Used with any Thunderbolt-equipped Mac that has only USB 2.0 ports, it offers an affordable way to get better transfer rates out of any USB 3.0 storage you've bought in the last few years.

Take care when buying, though, because the dock comes in two versions – with and without the cable for £180 and £190, respectively. A cable bought separately costs around £25. Note that the bundle sold through Apple's online store for the lower price includes the cable, so be savvy and shop around.

We liked

Although speeds from the USB ports falls below that of ports built into recent Macs, their overall performance isn't bad per se – write speeds on our SSD were most heavily affected, but read speeds were good.

The dock's 17.8cm by 8cm size means it doesn't take up much room, and its height of 2.5cm allows it to be comfortably tucked under an iMac. The Thunderbolt cable that's provided is the ideal length for positioning, and it's just long enough to keep a mess of cables away from a MacBook.

The software utility to eject connected drives is the icing on the cake when it comes to convenience for a MacBook. This is a feature that both Belkin and Matrox's docks lack, even though their marketing pitches them for the same purpose.

We disliked

USB transfer rates will be mildly disappointing if you were expecting the very best from the spec sheet's boast of 5GB/s and UASP support. Knowing the speed limitation of the USB 3.0 ports at least allows you to assess which devices will work adequately enough through the dock, and which you might want to always connect to your Mac to ensure they operate at their best. If you care about this, the dock's one-cable-to-connect appeal is slightly diminished.

The exclusion of FireWire isn't a major problem for most people as it can be added with an adaptor. However, doing so will require a rethink of your cabling if you currently connect a DVI or HDMI display to your Mac using a Mini DisplayPort adaptor.

Final verdict

Ultimately, Elgato's dock isn't much different to its rivals, except for promise of faster USB ports. It lives up to that, although to a more limited extent than you might like. It's the best-specced Thunderbolt dock to date; with add-on software that shows good thought has gone into how it will be used.

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Exclusive: Acer: people blindly follow Apple, but we can change that

Acer's just unveiled some new tech for 2014, but CEO Jason Chen had something bigger to shout about at the company's New York event: Acer is changing its image.

Speaking to TechRadar, Acer's director of product marketing John Miedema outlined the company's plan a little more clearly, telling us that it'll be less about quantity with the focus instead on fewer, higher quality products.

"In 2008 we were very focused on market share and entry level products. Now we're stepping away from that," said Miedema. "We're walking away from the unprofitable stuff."

Moving away from reliance on PCs and entering areas like wearables with the Liquid Leap will be a big part of that, but the most important thing is changing the brand image.

Build it higher

Acer's plan, according to Miedema, is to chip away slowly with fewer products that are "a bit less techy" and more in line with the likes of Apple when it comes down to the user experience.

"In a blind test, people associate the Aspire S7 more with Apple than Acer," he said. "But still you'll see a lot of people not considering Acer or still buying the Apple product because it's Apple.

"This is somewhere we're [working on] slowly but steadily to gain a bit more credibility, a bit more brand value to be able to slightly enhance our product portfolio and occupy the higher price points."

Even sprucing up its Iconia One 7 with a bunch of colourful paints is a step in the right direction to a more friendly, less techy personality, but it's going to be a slow process to work up to those more premium devices, Miedema admits.

Right now everyone is "fighting for the 30 or 40%" underneath Apple and Samsung, and Acer is firmly in that battle.

"As much as we like to compete on anything else but price, the harsh reality is that this is the main factor being looked at."

• The Acer Iconia One 7 doesn't look like a bad start

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Heartbleed to accelerate adoption of two-factor authentication solutions

A security expert has said that the recent Heartbleed Bug fiasco will encourage more service providers to introduce two-factor authentication.

Speaking to TechRadar Pro at Infosec 2014, JD Sherry, VP of Technology and Solutions at Trend Micro, said that the Heartbleed aftermath will have similar consequences to when LinkedIn, DropBox and others introduced the stronger authentication method after being hacked in 2012.

He said: "A lot of Twitter accounts had been compromised because they weren't using two-factor authentication. Twitter quickly deployed it within eight weeks, and now more companies are going to do the same."

Sherry said that two-factor authentication would have protected people's account information stored on servers vulnerable to Heartbleed.

He added: "Even if your username and password is compromised from a server that's vulnerable to Heartbleed, if that server has two-factor authentication installed, the hacker would need your authenticator or token to be able to truly authenticate with that service."

Barrier to adoption?

According to Sherry, service providers (particularly emerging ones) may not be too keen on introducing two-factor authentication as it could prove a barrier to acquiring new users.

He said: "The problem is that people want service adoption on their platform and want to create a frictionless environment for people to get in and use their service.

"Two-factor authentication historically has been friction for getting a service onboard and getting users to adopt the platform, which is why they've been slow to adopt it. The more awareness around Twitter hacks, Heartbleed and on social media that there is, the more two-factor authentication is going to move from what has been best practice out of enterprises to the critical masses."

• Heartbleed: 5 things you need to do right now

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How industry giant Salesforce sees the future of cloud technology

Twenty-five years ago, Sir Tim Berners-Lee wrote the initial proposal for what would become the world wide web, an invention that would go on to transform how we communicate, work and live.

A decade later in March of 1999, salesforce.com became the first company to deliver business applications from a 'normal' website, ushering in the era of cloud computing.

We caught up with Steve Garnett, EMEA chairman, to discuss how the technology has developed over the past fifteen years, the innovation it has driven within the UK, and what lies in the future of the cloud.

TechRadar Pro: What are the key cloud landmarks of the past fifteen years that have fuelled its success?

Steve Garnett: As UK PM David Cameron recently commented, we're now living in a 'world on fast forward' in terms of technological change, and the last decade alone has seen several important landmarks in the evolution of the cloud.

In the mid-nineties, the first wave of truly cloud-based businesses, including Amazon and eBay, started to seriously challenge the status quo of the retail sector, with lasting and permanent consequences for commerce.

Facebook's launch in 2004 served as the catalyst that turned brands' focus onto social media platforms and taught us new ways to communicate and collaborate through features like feeds, profiles and groups.

And the introduction of Apple's first iPhone in 2007 kicked-started the smartphone era, providing mobile and instantaneous access to information from any location.

These developments have led to the tremendous growth of the app economy which has been so key to the proliferation of cloud applications.

I think we will continue to see significant growth in the development of enterprise apps, as the business world increasingly looks to take advantage of mobile apps designed to increase productivity in the workplace and drive better customer service.

TRP: Where is cloud headed in the next fifteen years?

SG: Considering the pace of change in recent years, it's not easy to predict where the cloud will be in another fifteen. But what is evident is that the explosion in mobile device adoption and the birth of the ever-connected customer has up-levelled customer expectations – regardless of the platform, device or location, people expect personalised relationships with brands, and cloud technology is helping to achieve this.

The central challenge being addressed is the need for a single view of the customer, as audiences fragment and people continue to adopt an ever-expanding range of devices.

Cisco predicts that the average consumer will own five internet-enabled devices by 2017, a trend further highlighted by the fact that the 2013 Christmas period saw a 140 per cent jump in online shopping via mobile.

The cloud helped to drive this development and is now enabling connectivity beyond mobiles, turning everyday objects into smart objects – and this is the next frontier for cloud technology.

But it's important to remember that behind every device, every app and every product there is a customer. Customer relationship management has never been more important than it is today. At salesforce.com we think about the Internet of Customers—where every company can connect every app, employee, partner, product and device with its customers using the power of social, mobile and cloud.

TRP: How has the cloud transformed UK business?

SG: In simple terms it has levelled the playing field – the cloud provides small businesses with access to the same technology as large enterprise organisations, where previously limitations on cost and manpower restricted them.

But what's more impressive is that there are businesses that exist today that are founded on the cloud and so not only is their success intrinsically linked to it, but they also may not have been able to even function without it.

It's not just global brands like Burberry and Philips who credit cloud computing with redefining their business for the digital age, but successful start-ups are leveraging its power to disrupt established industries with compelling new services.

The Chapar, a luxury menswear brand, has transformed the shopping concept, offering shoppers personalised stylists that pre-select clothes before sending them directly to the customers' doors to try on.

Using the Salesforce Sales Cloud, the stylists can create reports to determine the most popular clothing items by age range, geography and profession, which helps them make more informed selections.

Within the highly competitive retail sector, first-year growth of 650 per cent and a customer base that is doubling every three months is testament to the smart way in which the firm uses cloud technology.

TRP: How is the uptake of cloud fuelling the UK economy/innovation?

SG: The cloud has not only helped established companies to improve services, boost productivity and dramatically reduce infrastructure costs, it also inspired a new wave of innovation.

In the UK, the impact has been profound. The UK internet sector is now larger than those of health, education and construction, with products and services delivered online now accounting for at least 10 per cent of UK GDP – the highest proportion of all G20 countries.

The test is to keep the UK ahead of the game in the constantly evolving digital age. As a nation we have seen great progress and success so far in the cloud era – we need to continue to ensure that such technologies, which enable smarter and more efficient working and inspire innovation, are embraced on a wide scale throughout the UK.

Recent research from the European Union predicted the app economy to be worth €63 billion by 2018 in Europe alone, confirming that the explosion in smartphone and tablet adoption in recent years has created a thriving new market for mobile apps.

The Salesforce1 Platform gives European ISVs like CloudApps, Fairsail HCM and Kimble the opportunity to develop and sell social, mobile and connected cloud apps on the Salesforce1 AppExchange our business apps marketplace.

There is a huge opportunity for enterprise app developers in the UK and Europe to not only help businesses shift to mobile successfully, but introduce innovations that will continue to redefine how business is done in the future.

TRP: Salesforce.com was the pioneer of the cloud in 1999 – how does the company plan on remaining at the forefront of the industry moving forward?

SG: Our strategy has always been to focus on the success of our customers, and the technology they need to connect with their customers in new ways. This is what has allowed us to remain at the forefront of cloud innovation since the beginning.

At this moment in time, we're focused on providing a platform that allows our customers to thrive in an increasingly connected and mobile world, and this is what we're achieving with the new Salesforce1 Platform.

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In depth: HTC One M8 Mini release date, news and rumors

The HTC One M8 has only just gone out the door and already we're hearing rumors of an HTC One M8 Mini.

Initial mention of the Mini appeared mere hours after the M8's launch, as reliable tipster @evleaks tweeted "M8 mini: Check." Several days later a blog post by Swedish mobile network Telia briefly popped up, listing the HTC One M8 Mini.

None of which is really surprising, aside from how soon after the M8's launch it all happened, as HTC released an HTC One Mini, so an M8 Mini was always likely.

It looks like it might not be called the HTC One M8 Mini though, instead going by HTC One Mini 2, which is probably a good thing, as the M8 moniker always seemed a bit clunky.

• Must read: HTC One M8 review

Since, more rumors have emerged and these later ones are starting to shed some light on what we can expect from the device.

So far these rumors are fairly few in number, but there are whispers surrounding the size, build, specs and release date of the HTC One M8's smaller sibling and as that release date gets closer more rumors and leaks are bound to flood in.

So keep your eyes glued to this page, because we'll be updating you every step of the way.

Cut to the chase

What is it? A smaller, cheaper version of the excellent One M8

When is it out? May is the popular option

What will it cost? Probably sub-£400, $600, AU$700 SIM free

HTC One M8 Mini release date and price

An unnamed source inside a UK retailer has told 3G.co.uk that the HTC One M8 Mini will be with us in May.

Obviously since the source is anonymous it's hard to say how reliable that information is, but with rumors about the device emerging the very same day as the HTC One M8 launched it's believable that the Mini could be here that soon.

May has shown up again in relation to the HTC One M8 Mini release date, with Taiwanese site ePrice claiming the handset will hit the market then.

There's no word yet on what the phone might retail for but the HTC One Mini launched at around £380+ (around $600, AU$700) SIM free, so there's a fair chance the HTC One M8 Mini will do the same.

HTC One M8 Mini display

It looks like the HTC One M8 Mini will have a 4.5-inch display, as both @evleaks and 3G.co.uk's anonymous sources have said as much with no dissenting voices.

@evleaks went on to suggest that it would have a 720p screen, which would make it both slightly bigger and give it a slightly lower pixel density than the 4.3-inch 720p HTC One Mini.

HTC One M8 Mini processor and RAM

@evleaks had things to say about the HTC One M8 Mini's processor too, claiming that it would be a 1.4GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 affair, which would be a substantial boost over the dual-core HTC One Mini.

Taiwanese site ePrice has also listed it as being rumored to have 1GB of RAM, which would be the same as the original HTC One Mini. It's also widely been reported that the same ePrice article mentioned a 1.7GHz processor, though there's no evidence of that now, so it may have been a mistake. If the phone does have a 1.7GHz quad-core processor though then it will be a match for the original HTC One in clock speed.

It still wouldn't quite match the 2.3GHz quad-core, 2GB of RAM monster that is the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact, a phone which sports exactly the same power setup as its bigger brother, the Xperia Z1. That said the Z1 Compact is a touch more expensive to compensate.

HTC One M8 Mini chassis

The build of the HTC One M8 Mini is likely to be quite similar to that of the HTC One M8. That seems a fairly safe assumption as the One Mini kept most of the styling of the HTC One intact, so expect a premium aluminium design.

If proof were needed though an anonymous source speaking to 3G.co.uk also claimed it would have the same aluminium uni-body design as its big brother.

Meanwhile @evleaks claims the HTC One M8 Mini will have on-screen buttons, which seems likely given the One M8 does.

More recently we've possibly caught our first glimpse of the HTC One Mini 2 in some leaked images. The handset is in a case so many details are hidden, but you can see enough to make out that it has an aluminium build like its big brother and that it has dual front facing speakers, but that its camera only has one sensor, rather than the Duo camera set up found on the HTC One M8.

HTC One M8 camera

Rounding out a surprisingly comprehensive specs listing, @evleaks claims that the HTC One M8 Mini will have a 13MP rear camera and a 5MP one on the front.

This claim dated back to before the HTC One M8 was revealed and in light of that sticking with a 4 UltraPixel snapper we'd be surprised if the Mini had a 13MP sensor, though @evleaks is generally fairly reliable.

The 5MP camera on the front is more believable as that matches what the HTC One M8 has.

If these camera specs sound familiar you're not wrong, as the HTC Desire 816 sports the same 13MP and 5MP package. The One M8 Mini is likely to carry a higher price tag than this plastic clan, 5.5-inch mid-ranger though.

Our first real images of the One Mini 2 also show it as only having one camera sensor, so it doesn't look like there'll be any depth of field trickery here.

• Want a phone which combines a small size with flagship features? Consider the iPhone 5S.

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HTC One M8 Mini to ditch Duo camera and M8 moniker?

While a mini version of the HTC One M8 seems pretty likely, not a whole lot is known about it yet. But with not one but two snippets of information appearing today the floodgates might finally be opening.

First up we've got some images supposedly showing the handset. The photos, revealed by nowhereelse.fr, show the HTC One Mini 2 in a case, so unfortunately we don't get a clear view of the back or sides, but you can see enough to tell that the phone looks to have the same aluminium construction as the One M8.

However it's lacking the Duo Camera set up of the HTC One M8. It has a dual-LED flash but only one sensor, so you won't be able to mess with the depth of field.

No more UltraPixels

This sort of lines up with previous rumours stating that the HTC One M8 Mini would have a 13MP snapper rather than the 4 UltraPixel camera found on the One M8.

Having a 13MP lens doesn't prevent the addition of a second sensor, but if HTC is making such big changes anyway it's not surprising that the Duo Camera found its way to the chopping block.

The other new piece of information is that according to Twitter tipster @evleaks the One M8 Mini will in fact be called the 'HTC One Mini 2', with no M8 in sight.

It looks like the HTC One Mini 2 might show up in May, so one way or another we should find out how accurate all this is soon.

• Samsung's working on a mini marvel of its own.

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