Can 640m be "docked" 2198

Definitely, at least in the case of the 600m (my brother owns one) vs. the D610 (my primary laptop). Just picking it up you can feel the difference; also the Labreastude touchpad definitely feels sturdier too (and furthermore the 600m doesn't have a trackpoint which is an important factor for me). I did lose a key on my D610 keyboard (replaced within 3 days with the mail-in warranty), but it does have a better feel than the 600m (though no where near a thinkpad). With that said the 6X0m line is still a really solid buy (my brother got his on my recommendation), whether the extra sturdiness is worth the price difference depends on your use habits. I used my laptop for college and later for work, my brother's only leaves the house once in a while (although for most student use the 6X0m is well suited)..

Also no one answered your monitor question, and though I've never seen the 640m I can guarantee with about 99% certainty it works fine with almost any external monitor you throw at it. Also, if you don't need legacy ports like a serial (which I've made good use of) or parallel port, I don't see being dockable as a major issue for most users.