Late last week, HW Media Lab presented the first photos of their DockFrame prototype. A familiar cog emblem is visible in a couple of the teaser shots. The independent hardware design agency has formulated their nifty and highly customizable USB-C hub with Framework's modular card expansion system in mind. In addition, the open-hardware system's tool cards can be connected up to non-Framework computers, and smartphones, via USB-C. Eleo Basili, co-founder and principal product designer at HW Media Lab, commented on the status of this intriguing project: "we're iterating on the PCB now (power + routing + port behavior), and we're incorporating the community's requirements into the spec." Suggestions and other thoughts are welcomed—feedback can be sent in through the DockFrame official site .

Interested parties are invited to join a pre-order waiting list, but Basili and colleagues have not revealed any pricing details or an upcoming launch window. The DockFrame design is not officially affiliated with Framework, but connectivity enthusiasts seem to be impressed with HW Media Lab's plans and colorful/fun decorative themes. Currently, Framework offers 24 types of their own expansion cards, starting at $11. Rising costs have caused invested users to balk at the prospect of tailoring their Laptop 12, 13, or 16 systems to greater degrees—especially in terms of memory kits and graphics card modules. The first-gen DockFrame product, at least in early form, has the capacity to accept up to four hot swappable cards.