Donka's Mobile Rambles

Proporta recently sent me one of their silicon cases for the 5th gen video iPods to have a look at so that is the subject of today’s review. The first thing that struck me was how complete the package was; as well as receiving the case itself, you also receive a belt clip and lanyard. There is a small loop on the corner of the case so the lanyard was expected but the integrated belt clip connector was a bonus. There is a small screw in post that can be fixed in place via the connector which the belt clip then hooks on to. The connector is embedded and completely sealed in the silicon meaning that it is both secure and will not mark the rear of the iPod. This is also almost totally flush on the outside for those that wish to forgo the use of the belt clip - a good design all-round.
Inserting into the case is as simple as pulling open the slit on the rear and sliding the iPod into place. As expected from a moulded solution, fit is perfect with access to the hold switch, screen, click wheel and connections immaculate. In use the case is still pretty easy to withdraw from a pocket and is easily gripped in the hand. I would feel comfortable of the protection on offer should I drop the iPod from a small height with the silicon giving a degree of shock absorbency and the only bulk that is added is a couple of millimetres in all directions.
With the click wheel and screen exposed at all times, using the iPod is simple however I would also recommend investing in a screen protector to avoid scratches. Available in different colours, I would stick with the charcoal case for the black iPod and the white case for cleanest look with the white unit although due to the relative transparency of the silicon all colours work fairly well with white.
Overall I would rate this as a very flexible way of housing your iPod – the included lanyard or belt clip provide alternatives to carrying around your device and the protection on offer is great for day to day use.

Check out the Proporta Music website for more details.

A belated Merry Christmas to everyone out there. Things have been very busy given the time of year but will be back to normal soon and I have a few reviews lined up, hopefully starting tomorrow. I hope Santa was good to you and you are enjoying the holidays.

Proporta sent me a mail to remind me that they do more than just product cases and being Christmas time I figured I should do the same. If you are a mobile device user and needing a little something to make life easier then check out their site. They offer special bundles which offer a pack of key products for a discounted price such as the Essentials and Mobility bundles. Other items such as Memory wallets provide an attractive way to carry memory cards around besides your other essentials like cash and credit cards. Head on over to the Proporta website and tell them Andy sent you!

One thing I noticed on the Acer n311 retail packaging was the moniker ‘Pocket Achiever’. I wasn’t sure if this was an English interpretation of the localised Asian packaging however it now seems this is the official title of the device as it is now listed on the UK website . No price or availability at the moment but hopefully that will follow soon. There is also a nice virtual tour available of this device on the Acer Global website.

A couple of nice pictures of the Acer n311 have shown up on the Mobile01 forums. One of the readers have just bought this device and posted the pictures. I’m very eager for this device now and if it is shipping in Asia then it hopefully won’t be too far in Europe.
You can check out the pictures on the Mobile01 forum.

For those of you looking for a slicker calendar application than the standard Pocket Calendar, I recommend taking a look at IntumiCal. The emphasis on this Calendar is a slick, clean interface presenting your appointments in an easy to understand way. Currently at version 1.0, there is also an alpha version of 1.1 available introducing some great new features such as the 7 day view – something sadly lacking from the inbuilt application.
Head on over to the Intumi Software website for more details.

Metal cases are very popular for protecting a PDA; I have used many but now they are available for the iPod. Proporta very kindly sent me one of their Aluminium cases for the iPod nano to check out. Made from precision moulded aluminium, not surprisingly, this is one case that will offer the same perfect fit forever provided you don’t subject it to dent inducing heavy knocks. With the swing door closed, I’m confident this case will keep your device safe from all but the severest of treatment – it really does feel rock solid. You have easy access to the click wheel, hold switch and data and headphone sockets. The case also incorporates a built in clear plastic screen protector to ensure this component remains safe. The one area of the device that is largely unguarded is the click wheel; a necessity to provide the relevant interface with the iPod. While there is no direct protection over this, the click wheel still remains relatively secure due to it being recessed deep enough into the case. Fit is absolutely perfect and the neoprene lining holds the nano snugly in place ensuring it is safe from scratching or from falling out should the case be opened. The case door is hinged on the right and is held in place with a secure metal clasp on the left. This case looks attractive with its black finish which is perfect for the black nano but also ensures it is not too slippery in hand. There is the alternative of the silver finish although unfortunately no white. The protection to price ratio offered by these metal cases is second to none although I would be wary of throwing the iPod into a sports bag with the click wheel exposed. This case is supplied with a neck strap that can easily be attached and in my opinion is easily one of the best cases available for the iPod nano.

More details can be found at the Proporta website

Acer has now added the user manual and USB driver for their n300 series to the official support page. The manual appears to be almost identical to the one originally submitted to the FCC website however this one is now updated with the Windows Mobile 5 screens and looks more complete. If you are interested in this device then have a look and download the manual at the support website.

For the ultimate in protection, there really is only one stop - the metal case made by Proporta, among others. I always thought the Aluminium cases were top dog in this arena but now it seems there is a new pooch in the neighbourhood. Made from precision moulded magnesium, this is one case that will offer the same perfect fit forever, provided you don’t subject it to very heavy dent inducing knocks. With the swing door closed, I’m confident this case will keep your device safe from all but the severest of treatment. You have easy access to all parts of the device thanks to cut-outs for IR port, record button, synchronisation port, microphone, stylus, headphone jack, power button, LEDs and both memory card slots not to forget the all important soft reset hole.
The biggest issue with the Aluminium cases are the complaints of the metal door opening to the right due to the door hinge on the side. Many people find this a hindrance when actually using the device in hand. The alternative option of a doubled-hinged door that opens at the top of the device is employed in this Magnesium case. This allows the case to open flat through a full 360 degrees for ease of use but also allows the user to have a good grasp on both sides of the case when open. The finish of the case is naturally excellent with its perfect fit and looks attractive with its dark navy finish. It doesn’t feel quite as slippery as the Aluminium cases which make it feel a little more secure in the hand although this does give the impression of a plastic fabrication. Plastic it certainly isn’t though due to the high tensile Magnesium alloy which makes it stronger and 37% lighter than Aluminium. Internal protection is good thanks to the soft, neoprene lining. The small SD card holder on the inside of the door adds to the value although I would certainly ensure you are using a screen protector to ensure any pressure does not allow this feature to mark the screen. Also included in the package is an optional belt clip system with screw in post which leaves the choice of with or without up to the user. The protection to price ratio this case offers is second to none for a Pocket PC user and I highly recommend checking this out.

This case is designed for the X50, X50v, X51 and X51v range from Dell. More details can be found at the Proporta website.

I reviewed Lexipedia previously and was fairly impressed with the ability to have such a large repository of data available at all times while offline. This was the abridged version that I reviewed which had its own issues though such as dates sometimes being missing and the data on the majority of articles are cut off when it reached the allotted limit. I have recently been using the full textually unabridged database now and it works great. You have the full article texts and all dates appear present and correct. No images are included which is fine for the purposes of this application and you have access to all the articles available in the online Wikipedia. The only issue I have found with this full version is the occasional formatting script where a table or image would normally be present. Not a big deal in my opinion and easy to turn a blind eye to. I also took the opportunity to install the latest 1.2 version but if I am being honest, I could find no visible changes or improvements over the previous version so I can only assume everything is ‘under the hood’. Searching works very fast; typically a second or two and phonetic searching also gives you a ‘sounds like’ searching ability although I have to say this was not perfect and might take a couple of incorrectly spelled attempts to find the relevant article. One thing I would love to see added to this application is an option to search the article text as opposed to the title if at all possible. I realise this would be a much longer search but I would be happy to wait five minutes for a search to complete if for example you wanted to know which was the closest planet to the sun and didn’t know the correct answer. It would be great to search for ‘closest planet sun’ as opposed to each individual planet until you found the correct one.
All in though, unless you have a permanent, fast and cheap mobile internet connection, I would recommend this application for those with a thirst for knowledge. Oh, and a spare 777MB of storage space!