Reviews

Proporta Alu-Leather Case for the palmOne LifeDrive

July 8, 2005

This case looks similar to many other leather PDA cases out there at first glance, but it has several unique features that set it apart from the crowd. The case is available in both flip and book style configurations, and this review specifically covers the flip style.

The first thing you may notice is the fact that the snap is on the front of the case. This isn’t generally the case for this type of case and it takes a little getting used to. The snap is magnetic, which is a nice touch, and having the case close in the front makes the back of the case much smoother. What I didn’t like is the fact that the closure tab sometimes got in the way of pressing the application buttons on the front of the LifeDrive, though as it softens up over time this shouldn’t be an issue. Or you can open the case and refasten the snap, slipping your hand between the front and back covers of the case in the space created. While I’m finishing up a description of the front of the case, I’ll go ahead and mention that all of the stitching is white, and there’s a small Proporta logo on the bottom right corner of the cover.

Open up the case and you’ll see that the device is held in the case by a small “clip” on each side; just slide in the LifeDrive and you’re good to go. They hold the handheld very securely, even when I held the case upside down and shook it my LifeDrive didn’t move at all. A simple push on the bottom of the unit though is enough to slide it out of the case, making this a better design than the typical leather “yoke” seen in other cases. All of the buttons on the front and side of the device are easily accessible, and charging with a sync cable is easy.

This case does more than hold your handheld though, the opposite side has a number of features. As you can likely guess from the name of this product, there’s an aluminum shield inserted into the flap to offer the ultimate in screen protection. You can see a bit of it in the oval on the flap, though from the photo you can’t see that it says “proporta.com” as the name is etched into the metal. The flap also features storage for two SD cards, and since the flap is thickly padded they’re actually a bit recessed into the flap. This case also comes with a removable credit card holder. It has a clear plastic pocket for ID and another pocket for business or credit cards. It’s made from a soft, slightly fuzzy black material with an interesting pattern of weaving. It attaches via a small bit of Velcro just under a pocket in the flap of the case. You can take it out if you like, since it does make the case a bit bulkier, but I appreciate the fact that it offers additional protection for your handheld. I’m rather leery of the idea of SD storage under case flaps— useful, but potentially damaging. With the credit card insert between the screen and the cards, there aren’t any worry at all.

The Alu-Leather Case for the palmOne LifeDrive is well made and seems rather durable. I also like the fact that the interior is made of a sueded fabric with a soft touch, and that there are small holes in the back of the case just over the speaker on the LifeDrive. Even better, the belt clip and belt clip nub are removable! If you use the Proporta vehicle mounting system you’ll be glad to know this case has a hidden magnet on the back that allows it to dock with the holder for use with a GPS system. It’s a good value for $34.99 at the Proporta web site.

All content copyright 2001 - 2007 PocketGoddess.com
XHTML | CSS | RSS | 508