SBC laptop-like dock

[CaptainZalo]

The PineBook Pro is due to arrive Really Soon Now™, and I'm surely getting one. However, I find myself missing a lapdock-like solution. With the PineBook Pro and PineBook already equipped with screen, keyboard/touchpad, HDMI and battery, we're almost there. Add an input-board with signal converter for the onboard screen, an internal powered USB3 hub for external keyboard/touchpad/wifi and a dedicated port (USB-C?) to power an external SBC in a portable product, and you're there. 
I see several potential use-cases:

• Portable KVM-machine for datacenter work
  
• Troubleshooting SBCs that usually run headless
  
• Pine64 SBC workstation
  
• Super-portable video editing workstation (add a NUC or equivalent mITX computer)
  
• A soberly priced (and available) alternative to PiTop
  
• Convert a PinePhone (or really any phone) to a laptop
  

Are there any other users on this forum that would buy a product like that from Pine64?

[CaptainZalo]

Am I the only one that want said product?

[Kochise]

No, I'm on it already.

https://www.razer.com/projectlinda
https://newatlas.com/concept-fujitsu-lif...013/21183/
https://www.instructables.com/id/Smartph...ed-Laptop/
https://mirabook.backerkit.com/hosted_pr...ct_updates
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nex.../nexdock-2 ( http://nexdock.com/ )
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/and...a-laptop-f
( https://www.zdnet.com/article/the-99-and...r-success/ )

[yogo1212]

necrobump inc

this is what i'm thinking about when reading the keybard thread!

something that gives the pinephone
- a decently sized keyboard with a normal layout
- a bigger screen with a proper backlight
- a trackpoint maybe
- a dangerously giant battery that lasts for weeks
- a few more usb ports
there's probably still space for a 2.5" hard drive.

slide in the pinephone, have a laptop.

pogo probably isn't enough for display I/O and audio is probably easiest to forward electrically - so i imagine there being problems with attaching to usb and the headphone jack.

i haven't found anything more like this on the forum.
is it really that niche or is the time not right?

[yogo1212]

I did find something on a second attempt - been using the wrong keywords.
"Lapdock" seems to do the trick.
The Nexdock looks very much like what i was thinking of.

Of course, i would enjoy something that's tailored to the PinePhone much more :-D
On the other hand, a mould for the phone would interfere with custom back covers and for the same reason using the pogo pins is probably undesirable.

[nightranger73]

I did find something on a second attempt - been using the wrong keywords.
"Lapdock" seems to do the trick.
The Nexdock looks very much like what i was thinking of.

Of course, i would enjoy something that's tailored to the PinePhone much more :-D
On the other hand, a mould for the phone would interfere with custom back covers and for the same reason using the pogo pins is probably undesirable.

I've had a NexDock... a couple of years ago, supporting them on indiegogo campaign... crappy plastic design and it stopped working in a couple of week. That said, I was carrying it over in a simple bag, with a pi attached to it with velcro but still... it stopped working after a couple of weeks...