Advances in electronics, batteries and packaging technology have led to continued increases in the number of mobile computing devices in service. These mobile computing devices often have an associated docking station that permits ready access to printers, modems, networks, and peripherals that are more humanly comfortable, amongst other connections and attributes. Though beneficial for their intended purpose, these docking stations are to some extent disadvantageous as discussed below.
Mobile computing devices tend to be small to facilitate efficient mobility. Docking stations tend to be configured for desktop use in which a mobile computing device is docked at the station for data transmission or for running the desktop environment with the resources of the mobile computing device. When docked at a desk top station, the screen of a mobile computing device is small, located at a relatively far distance from an operator and positioned such that an operator often has to place his or her back, neck or head in an uncomfortable position to adequately see the screen.
Ergonomic studies of computer-human operator interfaces have determined that a preferred monitor or screen height is that at which the top of the screen is even with the horizontal line of sight of the operator. The preferred angle of the screen is at 90 degrees to the line of sight.
One attempt to alleviate the undesirably low screen height of docked mobile computing devices includes providing a regular desk top monitor on a stand above the docking station. Though this may alleviate some of the problems of low-level mobile computing device screen height, the additional monitor and stand are often undesirably expensive and consumptive of space. This arrangement may also provide insufficient adjustment of screen viewing angle.