Proporta Alu-Leather Case - Book Type for HTC Hermes Review
As part 4 of our HTC Hermes multi case shootout review I have for your delectation the Proporta Alu-Leather Case - Book Type for HTC Hermes. Proporta offer one of the most comprehensive suites of accessories for Pocket PC's you can find on the web offering consistently high standards of quality and functionality. Can this latest case live up to the Proporta standards?
Read on to find out!
Special thanks go out to Kat from Proporta for supplying us with a review sample.
Supplier: Proporta
Product: Proporta Alu-Leather Case - Book Type for HTC Hermes
Cost: £26.95
Supplier Web Site: http://www.proporta.com
Supplier Product Web Site: http://www.proporta.com/F02/PPF02P05.php?t_id=2330&t_mode=des
For your delectation all photographs are thumbnails which, may be clicked on to load an image.
Introduction
We last saw the Proporta Alu-Leather Case - Book Type in our 10 case shootout review for the HTC Wizard range of devices. The case scored a solid Silver medal, with only the plastic keyboard cover and belt clip connector the real concerns. Both security and functionality are at the forefront of the Alu Leather's ****nal and it seems well placed to mount a serious challenge. With case competition even fiercer this time around could Proporta better the Silver medal it scored 6 months ago and bring home the gold?
Read on........
Aesthetics
I've never really been a fan of the silver stitching on black leather colour scheme. I think the problem is that unless the lines are completely straight it always seems a bit home made. Externally the craftsmanship is pretty good on the Proporta book style case, but on the inside cover it's got a whole wobbly thing going on that looks a little messy when you open it up. Other than the stitching the case is pretty good looking. The leather has a quite nice feel to it and the Proporta logo on front of the flip breaks up the black nicely. The best part for me though is the aluminium Proporta label on the inside of the flip. It gives you a taster of the armour plate that's protecting your screen.
To add a little more pizzazz to the whole thing Proporta have also updated their packaging to nice boxed affair as opposed to the regular vacuum formed plastic container. A nice touch.
Phone Functionality
I'll begin the tour through phone functionality by putting my hands up and admitting that last time around I missed the fact that Proporta offer a rather nice magnetic car kit which will attach to the case via a small plate in the base of the back cover. The combination of case and car kit provides a neat and easy way to mount your device in your car and being a feature in most of their device cases would allow you to easily use this functionality should you change or use multiple devices.
At first glance the Proporta Alu-Leather Case - Book Type for HTC Hermes looks almost identical to its older brother, the Wizard Book Type. There are however a few very important differences. Firstly the flip has been altered. Proporta have moved it to the other side of the case. Functionally this means that both the scroll wheel and ok button on the left side of the device are easily accessible for one handed use. This is excellent news. The other big improvement for the Hermes case is the plastic keyboard cover. The new keyboard cover is a small band rather than a complete cover and makes inserting the device into and out of the case a breeze while retaining full use of the keyboard. Another major improvement.
Port access is also better as with the front flip closed all the external ports and buttons one the side of the device are easily accessible, although you have to shift the Hermes slightly to the left to perform a soft reset.
The only real omission to this iteration of the Proporta Book is SD storage. Unusually for a Proporta design there are no SD card holders on the inside of the front cover. There is a slot at the top of the front cover but I don't think it was designed for this use.
Physical Security
From a security perspective there's a lot to like about this case. The front and back covers are padded nicely and have Aluminium inserts. It's kind of like a bullet proof vest for your phone. There's no way anything is going to come through these to get at the screen. As the case sits, all the corners of the phone are covered although as with the Wizard case I do have a slight concern about the movement in the front cover. The problem is that it swings a bit on the flip connector, and could pheasably expose the bottom corners of the Hermes to dropping. The other issue I had with the Wizard case is the way the plastic that holds the keyboard in place is attached. I'm happy to say this has been redesigned and is a lot less likely to damage your device. The catch that holds the front cover in place is a nice metallic one which clicks into place with a solid snap. I gave it a good pull and twist and it held firm. There's no danger of the flip opening on its own here.
As with most of the cases we've seen recently, the clip is a plastic one that has a slight hinge to attach around a belt or to grip to a trouser/skirt etc waist. You connect the clip to the case using the obligatory special knob. The knob is then screwed into the case, and the clip then attached. As you'll know if you've read my previous reviews I have a dislike for plastic knobs in general, but the one supplied by Proporta here is definitely one of the better ones I've encountered. It seems a lot sturdier than before. The clip is a fairly standard one, and seemed to hold its place on the belt. The case sat a little high for my liking but seating position is down to your own preference.
Value
Price: £26.95
The Alu flip case is still just in what I'd call the budget range of cases and offers a nice mix of protection and functionality for a good price. Excellent.
Pro's
Full keyboard usage while in case.
One handed use while flip open.
Completely covered device edges.
Good looks.
Magnetic holder support.
Excellent access to ports and controls.
Nice new packaging.
Con's
Plastic clip connector.
Wobbly stitching.
No SD card storage.
4WM Rating
80%
Conclusion
This latest iteration of the Proporta Alu-Leather Case - Book Type is based upon is previous incarnations but has been nicely tailored to suit the functionality of the Hermes. The plastic belt clip connector still worries me, seeming even more troublesome as almost all the competition has now gone for the metal option. That said, this Proporta still offers excellent functionality and security with the book style form factor, still looks great and with the addition of the magnetic car kit attachment has a cracking new dimension that I'm ashamed to say I missed last time around. If you can live with the wobbly stitching you're getting a whole lot of case for your money. Good stuff.
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Waveydavey
4WM Moderator & Reviewer.
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