Donka's Mobile Rambles

MSI Wind

2008-05-07T18:30:00.002Z

In June 2008 MSI will release the MSI Wind Notebook that weighs approximately 1 kilogram, this makes it ideal for outdoor use. Not only does this make it one of the true eee PC competitors out there with its almost identical specification but also one well placed to replace the Asus as the must have ultra portable notebook for the masses.
MSI say the Wind Notebook will provide an 8.9” or 10” wide LCD display solution. The embedded LED power-saving backlight technology will provide better colour richness and brightness. The 1024 x 600 resolution delivers full display of Web Pages while browsing, this gives users more freedom when exploring the internet. The MSI Wind notebook uses the same ergonomic keyboard as MSI’s larger notebooks. The keyboard not only has great texture, it also has increased space between the keys, allowing for a comfortable typing experience.
Unlike other competitors that have compromised memory capacity (read Asus eee PC), the MSI Wind Notebook is equipped with the 2.5 inch standard 80GB hard drive. This means that despite its size the MSI Wind Notebook can operate without the worry of insufficient storage capacity.
I have been speaking with someone from MSI and this certainly seems like a very interesting product. Early pricing indicates between £200 - £300 depending on the specification but the claims of a full sized notebook keyboard and 3.5 hours of life under average use from the standard battery puts this ahead of the eee PC if these claims are accurate. If MSI can obtain this battery life with a standard 2.5" hard drive then I think a lot of people will be pulling out their credit cards in June. Look for the white model at launch with black and pink to follow.

Proporta Asus eee PC Gadget Bag mini review

2008-04-22T09:00:00.004Z

Proporta kindly sent me one of their eee PC Gadget Bags to take a look at. Chances are if you are looking for a notebook bag to snugly wrap around your new Asus, the majority of usual suspects will not be able to help you owing to the fact the eee PC is much smaller than your average notebook. Proporta, keen to cover all aspects of mobile computing, have come up with a modular and functional design to hopefully suit your needs.
The first thing I will point out with this design is the modular aspect of it. The bulk of the case is made up of a main compartment and two add on compartments to complement this. The main section, which is tailored to the same dimension of this tiny notebook, takes up half the depth of the whole bag and the further two sections take up a quarter each. The two smaller compartments are attached to the main section using a zip and are tethered together with a small strap and buckle. This design lets you remove one or both of these extra sections depending on how much storage space you need!
The main notebook section takes the eee PC with little room to spare although you can dress it up in the neoprene sleeve before squeezing it in, ensuring an even snugger fit. While this was originally designated for the 700 series, my 900 series also fits in when wearing it's slip case... just. Inside this main section is a further small pouch which uses velcro to stay closed and also to attach inside the case. I'm not quite sure of the purpose of this pouch as it makes sense to remove it when the notebook is in place and I also think the use of velcro to attach this inside is a small design flaw; more on that later. There is also an elastic retainer however it is the wrong size and in the wrong location to be used for the main unit so again it seems oddly designed.

The two smaller compartments are ideal for accessories and will easily carry the power charger, mouse, cables and an external hard drive, perhaps more. I would have liked to have seen an internal pocket for storing memory cards or pen drives and I did wonder if this is what the pouch was intended for but if it was, it was poorly realised.
Protection is one of the fundamental aspects of a notebook bag and this model does quite well here. While it is not up to the standard of top end notebook bags, the three main sections have a good amount of padding and are encased in a tough, hard wearing and splash proof material. The only down side to the padding is it does not go round the edge of the compartments. The inside uses a very soft material to protect the contents from scratches which brings me back to the small pouch that is attached inside the notebook section. The velcro used to attach this leaves the rough, hook side on the inside of this compartment and therefore, by design, is very likely to scratch the notebook. This goes against the point of using a soft lining and I'm still unsure why it was designed in this fashion! Thankfully it is easily resolved by using a strip of parcel tape to cover the offending velcro.
Accessibility is very good with zip closures all round and the main section can flip open almost flat if needed to ensure easy access. Also included in all compartments is a rubberised headphone port so you can pass though a cable or even a thin power cord if needed - a handy addition and especially welcome on all sections!
Included with this bag is a detachable shoulder strap that, while not the last word in comfort, is perfectly adequate although surprisingly for a notebook bag, there is no hand strap. While this is not most likely a deal breaker for most, it would still have been a good addition to give the user more options.
So is there anything else I need to point out about this case? Well because the two outer compartments attach to the main section using a zip, with these removed it leaves a zip edge running around the case. I think this looks untidy and I would have preferred these 2 sections to attach using velcro, soft side on the main section of course, and perhaps a strap and buckle to further secure them.

As much as I had some negative points, all in, this is a simple but reasonably well specified, practical bag that is ideally tailored to the diminutive dimensions of the Asus eee PC. A few small design flaws aside, this bag should meet the requirements of the majority of users looking for a small but full featured bag for storage and travelling.
More details can be found at Proporta's website.

Asus eee PC 900

2008-04-21T21:30:00.000Z

Well I managed to get a hold of an Asus eee PC 900 and straight away I am impressed. While the desire to have a larger screen than the 701 was the biggest draw, I was surprised at just how much it improves. I'll document my thoughts here as I try it out and also incorporate it into the reviews I am currently writing on some cases designed for the eee PC.

eee PC accessory reviews on the way.

2008-04-10T09:00:00.000Z

I have received some custom sample cases for the eee PC so look out for these reviews in the coming days. I am impressed with the design of these and can see them being popular with a lot of users.

Back this time with the Asus eee PC

2008-04-09T14:00:00.001Z

After what has been some what of an enforced hiatus due to work commitments, it is time to get this mobile blog back on track. While I am still a regular Windows Mobile user, things have been quickly moving of late and I was on the look out for something highly portable yet still functional to assist me in photography. Ideally, I wanted to use a full OS like Windows due to the applications I prefer and wanted a small notebook form factor. Did I mention I also wanted something cheap since I already had a high powered desktop and notebook as well as PDA and PMP? Enter the Asus eee PC. I have been trialling this device and have been very impressed. I'll share my thoughts on this going forward as well as some accessories for the eee PC.

Proporta, Offering the Neatest and Most Compact GPS… Ever!

2007-09-19T12:00:00.000Z

Proporta’s newest product, which is available from next week, is the Freedom Keychain GPS SiRF III Receiver.

Due to the ever-increasing world of technology, this tiny GPS receiver, weighing in at a tiny 30 grams, comes with the latest of GPS technology. Working from your pocket, handbag or briefcase, it is compatible with all the mapping software currently available
Using state-of-the-art Bluetooth Technology, making it ideal for connection to your notebook, PDA or mobile phone, the Freedom Keychain GPS SiRF III Receiver also comes with a USB charger cable and car charger cable, giving you the advantage of being able to charge from home or in the car.
As well as being the neatest and most compact GPS receiver ever, this innovative device has a solid working time of up to 10 hours, and is able to connect simultaneously to up to 20 satellite channels.
Ensure you never lose your way – grab one of these little gems by visiting www.proporta.com - Available from next week.

Proporta Magnetic Dashboard Mount

2007-08-22T17:00:00.000Z

The Proporta Magnetic Dashboard Mount offers a small but effective hands free magnetic phone car kit. Attaches to any vehicle dashboard using a strong 3M adhesive pad, the Mount can be stuck fast to your dashboard for secure and easy access to your phone. A small, subtle magnetic pad is applied to the back of your phone, which will allow it to securely attach itself to the mount, creating a safe but accessible Car Kit.
More details from the Proporta website.

Resco Brain Gain released

2007-08-02T17:00:00.000Z

Resco Brain Gain is a collection of 37 mini-games aimed to give the brain a workout. Thanks to the well designed user interface, Brain Gain is easy for anyone to pick up and play.
Each game uses a similar interface where players touch the number or symbol or use the devices's 5-way button. Players are given a brain 'gain' index reflecting their performance. Over time, the brain gain index should get greater as better scores are achieved.
Brain Gain is created to improve the brain's ability in the following categories; Memory, Numerical and Analytical.
More details from the Resco website.

Resco BrainGain

2007-07-13T12:30:00.000Z

The latest craze just now for mobile software seems to be in brain training puzzle games and Resco are entering the fray with their version. Currently in beta, it looks attractive with its uncomplicated visual style.

Benefits:

native support for QVGA, VGA and landscape QVGA displays
nearly 40 training unique games
memory, calculation and analytical training's
sophisticated training methods
comprehensive and attractive guide
context guide
optimized for one-hand use

Head on over to the Resco website for more details of the beta version.

Proporta Portable Laptop Battery

2007-07-06T12:00:00.000Z

You can now make sure that wherever you are you can always guarantee your laptop is fully charged with Proporta's Portable Laptop Battery. This product charges from your laptop's AC adapter and stores a remarkable 6000mAh of power for when you need it.
The Portable Laptop Battery comes with a selection of input and output tips to cater for most laptop models. Simply attach the input tip to your laptop's AC adapter and charge the battery for future use. When your laptop is next running low, insert the battery's output cable and tip into the laptop charging port, and recharge your laptop for prolonged use.
A well as being environmentally friendly, it also includes a very handy USB port to allow you to charge your other USB devices, such as your iPod, camera and phone, whilst on the move. Just plug your mobile device’s USB charge cable into the battery's standard USB port and recharge anywhere.
Following on from the mobile device charger, this seems like a great unit for the power hungry road warriors out there. More details from the Proporta website.

50% off all PDAmill Titles!

2007-06-27T12:00:00.001Z

Perhaps it's the summer heat (yeh right!) driving them a little crazy, but they've decided to offer 50% off of all PDAmill Game Studios titles for a whole month!
If you BUY ANY of their titles you get 50% off Which means you could even buy ALL FOUR of their latest releases (The Corsair, Gamebox Sudoku, Rats!!, and Maggot Attack) at a cost less than buying only 2.
Usage: Just redeem the promotion code 'PDAMILL5150' in your Shopping Cart. You will get your order processed with the discount instantly, when you click the 'Recalculate' button.
This is a fantastic offer from PDAMill so if you fancy a new game or two then head on over to PDAMill and pick up a bargain. This special offer is valid until 26/07/2007.

Spb Software House Releases Spb Traveler

2007-06-27T12:00:00.000Z

Spb Software House have released their latest product in their ever expanding line up - Spb Traveler, a must have tool set for travelers. Nowadays mobile devices are powerful minicomputers that assist users in many ways. Traveling is definitely a field where a user can get maximum of his Windows Mobile device powered with proper software. A traveler will always have to face things like local time estimation, weather forecasts, currency, unit and clothing size conversion, city guides, planning of international calls and meetings, multi-connection trans-continental
flights.

Spb Traveler provides users with an all-in-one solution - a universal travel tool set:

World time

Weather forecast

Currency converter

Unit converter

Clothing sizes

Tip calculator

Flight assistant

Meeting planner

Geo Game

SPB have introduced some unique features into their application which seems wellw orth checking out. More details at the SPB Software website

Proporta protect the SanDisk Sansa Express MP3

2007-06-06T17:00:00.000Z

The SanDisk Sansa Express is the latest device to be added to SanDisk’s MP3 player selection. Hailed as the first flash based MP3 player with direct USB connection, the Express is proving to be a great little device for listening to your music, the radio, or even your personal recordings whilst on the move.
Unfortunately, due to the slim and lightweight design of the device, the SanDisk Sansa Express is left vulnerable to damage. Proporta has taken note, and has designed a case and screen protector to completely encase the MP3 player, without interfering with the sound quality of the device.
The Proporta Alu-leather Case (SanDisk Sansa Express) is a definite must have for protecting your MP3 player against the day to day impacts your MP3 player is likely to encounter. Proporta creates this supreme protection by incorporating their trademark ‘screen saver system’ which uses a sheet of lightweight aircraft grade aluminium to line the case, perfectly protecting against crushing and impact shocks.
Proporta can also protect your SanDisk Sansa Express screen from hazards such as scratches, scrapes and the natural oils from your skin, with the Advanced Screen Protector (SanDisk Sansa Express). Made from ultra high clarity plastic, the screen protector is easy to apply, washable and replaceable and also reduces glare from overhead lighting. More info and pictures at the Proporta website.

GameBox Sudoku Released

2007-06-04T13:45:00.000Z

GameBox Sudoku is the fantastic, high quality Sudoku Puzzle game including Three different board layouts and Three levels of difficulty from PDAMill.
Superb graphics, high-quality music and sound effects, and fantastic playability make this a excellent addition to your game collection, and to the GameBox series.

Three board layouts: 4x4, 9x9, and 16x16 puzzles sizes

High quality graphics: High quality graphics that are easy on the eyes even during long Sudoku sessions

Hint feature: An integrated hint feature helps you along whenever you hit a Sudoku stump

Ambient music: High quality, relaxing background music which fits the mood of Sudoku perfectly

Unlimited Undos and Redos: Unlimited Undo and Redo features gives you a chance to correct any error you make

Auto-save: Games are automatically saved when you exit, so you can continue where you've left off

More details and screens from the PDAMill website.

Proporta protecting the HTC S710 / Vox Series

2007-05-30T12:00:00.000Z

The HTC S710 is the first PPC from HTC to offer Windows Mobile 6 and is one of the smallest offerings to include a slide out keyboard. To ensure no damage comes to your new feature packed device, Proporta has released two accessories for all the proud owners of the HTC S710 (HTC Vox).
The Alu-Leather Case (HTCS710/HTC Vox Series) combines an elegant appearance with rigid protection. A strong yet lightweight sheet of aircraft grade aluminium is encased within luxurious leather, which is made to fit the exact specifications of your new handheld –protecting it against accidental crushing and impact shocks. All features, including the slide out keyboard, can be used whilst the device is housed in the case.
While the case is open, the screen is vulnerable to minor offences such as finger prints, scratches and dirt, as well as visibility being affected by overhead lighting which can generate a glare on the screen. The Proporta Advanced Screen Protector combats these problems by being that little bit thicker than rival brands, which has the added bonus of making them easier to apply too.
More details from the Proporta website.

Damage control for your GPS Navigator

2007-05-29T12:00:00.000Z

Protect your portable GPS unit when you are on the move with this Protective GPS Carrying Case. Available in three sizes to best fit your GPS unit, the Protective Carry Case is made from tough Cordura®. The Carry Case also has an added lining to protect your GPS unit from damage caused by impact and scratching caused on the move by knocks, bumps or loose items in your bag.
A wrist lanyard provides an easy carry option which can easily be removed if you decide to use the case to protect your device in your bag.
It looks like Proporta will leave no device untouched when it comes to protection. More details can be found at the Proporta website.

Proporta releases accessories for the connected

2007-05-24T17:45:00.000Z

While I have been away, Proporta have been releasing new products like crazy. The pick of the bunch for the connected crowd are accessories for the HTC Athena and BlackBerry 8800.
The HTC Athena (AKA T Mobile Ameo, AKA HTC Advantage, AKA Dopod U1000) has caused quite the stir in the mobile world – smaller than a laptop and larger than a PDA, this function packed device can cater for most of your mobile needs.
The magnetic keyboard dock is very sturdy, however, the device is precariously top heavy and with a high retail price – nothing about the device is cheap…enter Proporta with carefully designed protection.

Screen Protection:
With such a sizable screen and a 3 mega pixel camera, of course Proporta has provided top screen protection for this device. Made from ultra high clarity plastic; it reduces glare, improves stylus feel and is washable and replaceable.

Cases:
The Proporta Leather Case for this device is custom designed to fit the exact specifications of the device, and allows full use of the HTC Advantage within the case to avoid any damage from drops or impacts at any time.
The screen is firmly gripped at the side in two places so as not to obstruct the vision of the screen, and gentle magnets within the leather keep the keyboard in place as you type.
More information can be found at the product page.

With a similar sexy design as the Pearl, yet with a full QWERTY keyboard, the new BlackBerry 8800 (Gamma Ray) is certainly worthy of protection.

Protecting against minor offenses:
Proporta can protect your BlackBerry screen from minor injuries such as scratches, scrapes and dust invasion with the Proporta Advanced Screen Protector. Not only does this Screen Protector have anti glare properties, it is also washable and replaceable.

Protecting against major offenses:
The trademark Proporta Alu-Leather Case (BlackBerry 8800 / Gamma Ray Series) is custom made to fit the exact specifications of your BlackBerry 8800. A layer of rigid, yet light, aircraft grade aluminium is built into the leather which covers the screen to subtly protect it against crushing and impact shocks.
More details can be found at the product page.

PDAMill release Rats!! for Windows Mobile

2007-05-24T09:30:00.000Z

It's been a long time in the making, but the wait is finally over: Rats!! has finally been released from its cage! Rats!! is the new Run N' Jump, Collect the Pickups, and Kill the Baddies Game for Windows Mobile devices!
Take control of Morty the Rat as he runs, jumps, climbs, and generally does a lot of damage in an effort to reclaim his stolen Cheese!
PDAMill have released their latest game with all the quality and presentation you expect from them and this title looks certain to become a favourite. Fine out more at the PDAMill website.

Acer release new ROM Update for n300 series

2007-05-23T17:00:00.000Z

Acer have released a new ROM update for their n310 and n311 Pocket PCs. This latest version, v1.00.24 addresses a couple of minor updates but if you are still on an early release then I encourage you to upgrade. The update can be found at the Acer support website.

Proporta releases the Bluetake BT510 Bluetooth Mouse

2007-04-25T16:00:00.000Z

The latest addition from Proporta to aid your mobile life is the Bluetake BT510 Bluetooth Mouse. Compact and elegantly curved, this product enables you to navigate your PC, Mac, Laptop or PDA wirelessly and accurately.
You can now have the convenience and accuracy of a full working mouse, from a distance of up to 10 meters away.

The technical bits…

* Bluetooth Class 2, up to 10 meters (in open space)
* Carrier Frequency: 2.402~2.480GHZ
* Data Rate: up to 723 Kbps
* FHSS (Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum)
* Internal antenna
* Human Interface Device Profile (HID)
* Optical Resoulution: 800 dpi
* Power: DV 3V (AAA Alkaline Battery x2)
* Dimensions: 85.2 x 50 x 32.6 mm
* Weight: 64g
* Box Contents: BT510 Bluetooth Mouse, Quick Start-Up Guide, Mac OS X User Guide, Utility CD, AAA Alkaline Battery x2

Coupled with a Freedom Bluetooth Keyboard, you can turn your PDA into a complete mobile desktop. More details from the Proporta website.

Proporta need your help...

2007-03-29T17:00:00.000Z

For 10 years now, Proporta has been listening to its customers and reviewers in order to perfect their case design, and deliver the best service possible. Two main designs of the Alu-Leather Case have dominated the product so far, the case with the Side Grip, and the design using a Pouch.
Preferences differ from person to person…some people favour style over protection, some like constant access to their keyboards, and some prefer everything to be securely covered up.
Which case type suits you? Pop over to www.proporta.com/vote to see the two case types from Proporta, along with details of how to vote and a prize for 5 lucky Proporta helpers. There has been an on-going question as to which is the preferred case design for some time, and they would like to do what’s right by you, the customer.

Newton Peripherals MoGo Bluetooth Mouse mini review

2007-03-20T12:00:00.001Z

A while ago I was on the lookout for a new mouse specifically to carry around with my laptop. One such mouse that caught my eye but wasn’t at the time available was a new folding Bluetooth mouse by Newtown Peripherals. What made this particular model so attractive was its ability to fold down into the size of a standard PCMCIA card and be stored inside your laptop. Fast forward a few months and I finally got the chance to try out this device first hand.
The MoGo mouse truly is an exceptional design; a flat unit with folding kick stand that is easily stored inside a free PCMCIA slot and also makes use of this bay to recharge when not needed. Being a Bluetooth device, you will need to pair this mouse with your laptop upon first use. This is simply a case of folding down the kick stand to turn the mouse on and then holding in the connect button on the underside for a second using a pen tip or similar to make the mouse visible – indicated by a quick flashing blue led. Using your laptop’s Bluetooth, you will now be able to find the MoGo and then select it to complete the pairing which is straight forward using the standard HID profile.
As much as I was impressed by the design of this mouse, I had reservations about how good it would prove to be as a day to day replacement to a more conventional size and design. These reservations were blown away after only a few minutes of use as the MoGo proved to be as comfortable as any other travel sized mouse I had experience of; not quite up there with a full sized desktop equivalent for extended periods of use but more than adequate for an average days work. The kick stand raises the rear end into a hand friendly angle with index and middle fingers sitting perfectly on top on the slightly recessed buttons, proving a far more attractive proposition when pitted against a track pad or stick. The only thing missing from this design is a scroll wheel although his will be addressed in a future release thanks to a touch sensitive strip between the buttons.

Performance from this Bluetooth mouse was excellent with smooth and speedy tracking and no discernible lag with the pointer or button presses. The quoted resolution of 500dpi worked fine for standard tasks although could prove a little limiting for scenarios where absolute precision is desirable such as graphic editing or gaming. Being a rechargeable device, power saving is in place and the mouse will go to sleep after 10 minutes of inactivity however wakes up in around a second after a button press. Powering off is as simple as folding in the kick stand which allows the super slim profile to slide perfectly into a vacant PC card slot for storage meaning the mouse will also be carried around with you. In this state, the mouse will also charge up with the red led changing to green when fully replenished so you will never have to be concerned with replacement batteries.
I must admit to being very impressed with the design and thought behind the MoGo Bluetooth mouse. Using the PCMCIA slot solves two issues, storage and recharging and the kick stand approach makes it a simple yet surprising comfortable fit for the hand. If you hate having extra accessories in your laptop bag or tangled cables and your laptop is armed with Bluetooth then the MoGo could prove to be a real bonus for you. Only people who have a dependency on very high accuracy should be put off by the slightly limited resolution. More details can be found at the Newton Peripherals website and UK readers can purchase MoGo at EasyLaptopShop for £49.99.

Sandisk Cruzer Micro U3 mini review

2007-03-12T17:30:00.001Z

With the falling prices of flash media and the influx of higher capacity USB flash drives on the market, I decided it was time to have a look at what is available out there. With capacities rising beyond 16GB, it really is a truly pocket able way of carrying a lot of data around and the plug and play nature of these devices make life that much easier as well.
Sandisk very kindly sent me one of their Cruzer line up to take a look at. This model is the Micro with 2GB of storage on board. I really like the design of this unit; one caveat of many of these drives is the cap for the USB connector can be easily lost. Sandisk circumvent this issue by not having one to start with but employ a simple sliding mechanism to keep the connector out of harms way when not in use. I have no idea about the long term durability of such a design but it worked flawlessly for me during my testing and also keeps the overall dimensions to a minimum. The Cruzer Micro has a small ring attachment in one corner to attach the supplied lanyard or a keyring.

USB flash drives typically come in two flavours, the simple storage solution and one that offers a level of security/application support. Being the U3 model, this drive falls into the latter category. The U3 system has a small partition on the drive that allows you to store applications that run from the flash drive on any PC and do not need to be installed as such. It also allows you to set up encryption using a password system to keep your data safe from prying eyes should you lose your drive. To find out more about this system, go here. The Cruzer comes pre-installed with Skype and Avast Anitvirus as well as an application for storing passwords and an Outlook synchronisation tool. While I must admit that the U3 system has limited appeal for someone like myself who carries a PDA around, the security and outlook tools would be a great asset to people who don’t. The last thing I like about this system is the flexibility; you can choose to have the U3 menu system pop up every time you plug the flash drive in or you can manually start it instead. Finally, if you so wish, you can completely remove this component from the drive altogether using the space for storage and repartition it back in at a later date.
As the name suggests, the Micro is suitably compact at 7.94mm x 20.6mm x 57.15mm (D x W x L) which means it is easily carried around and with capacities up to 4GB, should provide a good amount of storage. Armed with this information, the final important part of the puzzle when looking at flash drives is performance. While some people consider capacity as the main deciding factor in a drive, I have had enough experience with flash drives to know that no two will perform the same and not all are built equal. If you rarely transfer files and you are normally reading from the drive then the transfer rate may well not be an issue but when used on a regular basis, you really do appreciate the faster rates offered by some of the better drives out there.
Thankfully, the Sandisk proves to be a solid performer. Benchmarking with HD Tach, the Cruzer recorded an average read speed of 13.6Mb/sec. Further benchmarking using SiSoft’s Sandra showed a maximum read speed of 15292 Kb/sec using 64MB files and a maximum write speed of 6554 Kb/sec. At the lower end of the spectrum, the same benchmark using much smaller 32KB files generated a maximum read speed of 8130 Kb/sec with writing dropping down to 601 Kb/sec for comparison. So how does this translate to real world use? Well I did three simple tests consisting of writing data to the drive and then reading this data back to a different hard drive. I also repeated these tests after reboots of the PC to ensure they were accurate and consistent. First up, I transferred a single 700MB video file which posted a write time of 1m 36s and was read back in 47seconds. The next consisted of transferring a folder containing 700MB of 7MP pictures which contained a total of 172 files of between 3 and 4.5MB each. The write time here was 1m 49s and reading back took 51 seconds. The final test saw a 555MB system folder containing 3246 files ranging from a few bytes to a few MB. As expected, the write time was lengthy at 6m 26s although the read time was a respectable 1m 14s.
I think the Sandisk Cruzer Micro hits the sweet spot between physical size, functionality and capacity. While not the fastest drive I have seen, it is no slouch either and does manage to perform well above average for a small flash drive. While I would love to see this in capacities higher than 4GB, if this current limit satisfies your needs then the Cruzer Micro represents a good purchase.
More details can be found at the Sandisk website.

Proporta Splash Proof Sports Kit for nano mini review

2007-03-02T18:00:00.001Z

The Proporta Splash Proof Sports Kit is designed to give you a no compromise experience when it comes to training with your iPod nano. The package contains three silicone cases, hard screen protector, armband, lanyard and splash proof base.
The sports kit can work in a number of ways but the fundamental aspect of it lies in the multiple layers of silicone. A clear inner case forms the first layer of protection covering all areas of the iPod including the hold switch and click wheel but leaving the data port and headphone socket free and it is this layer that forms the main shower proof protection. On top of this, you have a choice of orange or black second skin with cut out sections for the screen, click wheel, data port headphone socket. This second skin is designed to give the protection a degree of ruggedness while leaving access to control your iPod. The screen protector can be inserted into this skin provided a clear but hard wearing guard over the screen.
From here, you have a few options on how you swish to wear your ipod. The belt loop on the outer cases allows a belt to be passed through or more likely, the included sports arm band. This strong, elasticated band is fully adjustable, secured in place with Velcro and is normally worn on the upper arm while running. The outer case also has a screw socket for connecting an optional free belt clip that can be ordered at the same time as the sports kit which makes wearing this on a belt or similar a much easier proposition than the belt loop alone. Finally, there is an included lanyard which can be attached to the small loop on the bottom left corner of the silicone case.

To make the whole package shower proof when out running in the rain, there is the included optional bottom silicone cover designed to seal up the protection while still allowing the headphones to connect. This bottom component is very much designed with the standard iPod earphone plug in mind and users will third party earphones will find getting their phones connect a harder task than planned; it is still possible to pass other plugs through this but it is a less refined process.
As a standard sports arm band, this kit certainly does the job however the splash proof fittings make it the perfect all-rounder, especially for those who like to train outdoors regardless of the weather. At £19.95, it seems like a good option if you are such a person. More details can be found at the Proporta website.

Proporta's in house band....

2007-02-23T16:30:00.000Z

Ever wondered who the band are, playing on Proporta MP3 player displays?
Visit www.proporta.com/youngsoulrebels to find out.
You can then follow the link to their personal page to learn more, or buy their limited edition 7” vinyl here.
But of course this would not be a Proporta plug unless they had something special lined up for you and guess what.... they have 5 7” singles to give away too – simply email rebels@proporta.com with links to 5 separate Proporta product pages which display the Young Soul Rebels logo to have a chance of winning some rare music. The only issue is you will need to dust off your turn tables. ;)