The Proporta Cradle for Treo 750 Review

I have owned about 4 Proporta aluminium cases in the past (Axim X5, iPAQ 1930, iPAQ 2210, iPAQ 4350), and I have been extremely happy with their quality and design. When Proporta asked us to take their Treo 750 Cradle out for a spin, I was more than happy to.

The cradle comes in a small cardboard box.

Inside are the cradle and a miniUSB cable.

The second I took the cradle of the box I was disappointed. In all honestly it looked like something I had picked up for $10 on eBay. It is very light, and is very large and boxy, nothing like the cradle I was expecting. Based on previous Proporta experience, I was thinking it would be nice and compact, and shaped to cup the Treo nicely, just like their cases.

The design is simply not something that flatters the Treo at all. On the back is a DC port and miniUSB port. I was again disappointed to not find an AC adaptor in the box. I don?t always have my cradle plugged into my laptop, so if I want to charge it when the computer is not on (or not connected) I have to resort to using the original charger.

The separate miniUSB cable connects to the port on the back of the cradle, and then to your computer.

One thing that I really hate is bright LEDs. They just seem so obnoxious, and really distracting in the corner of your eye. The cradle has a blue LED (they are the WORST), which is so bright that when the room is dark, it isn?t any longer because the cradle lights it up.

But aside from all that does it work? Yes it does work fine as a cradle. It is also handy that the USB port will charge the Treo (especially considering the lack of AC adaptor).

The Treo sits very firmly in the cradle, and will not fall out. You can use the Treo (push buttons and use the stylus) without fear of the connector snapping off, or your Treo falling out.

The problem comes when trying to remove your Treo from the cradle. The connector holds onto the Treo quite tight, and combined with the light weight of the cradle means removing it is a two handed job, or a really contorted one handed job trying to push the cradle down with one finger and pulling the Treo out with the others.

I took the bottom off the cradle, and it is appears to be modularly designed, probably to reduce manufacturing costs. There is also NOTHING inside. There is a cable running between the Treo connector and the miniUSB/DC connectors. There are also two ?weights? inside, but they don?t add enough weight to make removing the Treo easy. If they weren?t there though, the cradle would slide around your desk so easily.

To be honest I was disappointed with the Proporta Cradle. If just looks and feels like a super-cheap item that you’d buy off eBay. I would highly recommend their cases, as they are the best, but there is no way I can recommend this cradle.

The Proporta Treo 750 Cradle is available directly from the manufacturer as well as from other retailers.
MSRP: $24.95 + $4.95 Shipping
What I Like: Syncs and charges just fine, using the Treo in the cradle won’t knock it out or break anything
What Needs Improvement: Poor quality construction, doesn’t really look very stylish, no AC adaptor included, bit overpriced for the quality.

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About the Author

Mitchell Oke
Mitchell is a video producer and director working with Australia's leading motoring news sites and car companies. He's always on the go with a camera in hand. With a Bachelor of Creative Technology (Digital Video Production), Mitchell's worked for News Limited, CarAdvice.com and as a freelancer for many years.

1 Comment on "The Proporta Cradle for Treo 750 Review"

  1. Chris Magnusson | April 22, 2007 at 5:29 pm |

    So you can charge the Treo with this using a DC cable or a mini-USB cable, but not with the cable that ships with the Treo? 😕

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