Editor's take: Docking stations are rarely interesting, but this one caught my attention. Made by Japanese peripheral maker Elecom, the DST-L080BPBK puts a large rotary dial and four programmable keys on top of an otherwise conventional 8-in-1 USB-C dock, so the box you would normally hide behind the monitor becomes something you keep within reach.

As it turns out, Elecom makes some unusual niche hardware, including the M.A.P.P. mouse and the IST trackball (credit goes to TPU for highlighing them). As for the dock, here's what's on offer:

One USB-C and two USB-A ports, all at 5Gbps, an HDMI output that supports up to 4K at 60Hz, Gigabit Ethernet, SD and microSD card slots, a 3.5mm headset jack, and a separate USB-C Power Delivery input. The dock draws its power from the host and connects through a USB-C cable running at 5Gbps.

On the front-facing side, you get four programmable shortcut buttons and a knob (rotary dial). Physical dials have a small but loyal following. Reddit threads going back years show users hunting for a knob for apps like AutoCAD, Revit, Illustrator and Photoshop. Other professional uses include scrubbing timelines and stepping through frames in video editors, and zooming smoothly in CAD software.

The shorcut buttons and dial are set up through Elecom Mouse Assistant, the utility the company already uses for its mice. Elecom pitches everyday uses: muting the mic, turning the camera on and off, adjusting volume, zooming, triggering keyboard shortcuts and typing out saved text.

" That's an established category in Japan: illustrators hold the pen in one hand and keep a shortcut pad under the other for undo, brush size, zoom and canvas rotation.

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