Monday, November 3, 2003
Power to Go - The Proporta Data Power Pack for the iPAQ
Posted by Anthony Caruana in "HARDWARE" @ 10:30 AM
So, you know how it is - you're getting ready for that business trip or holiday and at some point during that time away you know that your chances to charge your Pocket PC's battery are going to be limited. If you're going overseas then it's even more complex because you'll have to deal with all of the different possible electrical outlet connections. And then there will be that critical moment when your Pocket PC is running really low on power and there is no outlet for you hook into. In all of these situations the Proporta Data Power Pack can come to your rescue.
The Proporta Data Power Pack has become one of my most indispensible accessories. As well as providing you with a useful charge and sync cable (which can both charging and syncing at the same time) it provides you with both AC and cigarette lighter adapters as well. The AC adapter also comes with converters to most international outlets. To top it off, if you can't get to an electrical outlet, it ships with a nine volt battery and power adapter. If you travel with this kit you will never run out of power!
So, What's In The Kit?
Here's what the Data Power Pack delivered to me contained.
The Charge and Sync cable does exactly what it says. Connected to the USB port of your computer it allows you to sync your Pocket PC and charge it at the same time. I've been a long time user of Belkin Charge and Sync cables and while they work well, they don't let you charge and sync at the same time - you have to toggle between functions. Being able to do both is a big plus for me. The cable is a generous 50 inches long and is flexible enough to easily roll up to fit into a carry bag.
While using the cable to charge my iPAQ 2210 I did notice that it took longer to recharge my iPAQ than the cradle with its own AC power.
Using the Power Adapters
All of the power adapters worked easily. While travelling I used the different power adapters and found they worked without any glitches. The USB to AC adapter has the following ratings
Charging From the Nine Volt Adapter
For me, the inclusion of the nine Volt adapter is the icing on a pretty nice cake. This nifty little accessory means that you can keep your Pocket PC going without being tied to any sort of AC power. As well as being useful while traveling it means that the more intrepid Pocket PC user can keep his or her device powered up where there are no wall sockets.
In testing the nine Volt charger I ran the battery on my iPAQ 2210 right down. The Battery Meter in Spb Pocket Plus estimates that I get about 318 minutes use out of my 2210 on a full charge.
I ran the battery down completely in my 2210 and left the nine volt battery charger connected for two hours. I disconnected the charger when the charge light on my iPAQ stopped flashing (it was actually off, indicating to me that the battery was fully discharged). According the Spb Pocket Plus Battery Meter I had about 31 minutes of charge available. The Power applet in the Control Panel indicated that I had 10% charge available. That was pretty disappointing. Also, for some reason, I had to do a soft reset to use the device again which had me a little worried as I wasn't sure whether I was about to do a hard reset or soft reset :worried:
I repeated the same test with another new nine volt but this time left it connected overnight. Again, after fully draining the nine volt battery I had 10% of a full charge avaialble in my iPAQ.
Gotchas
The Proporta Data Power Pack does most of does most of what it sets out to do with no complication. If I had to be nit-picky I'd say that the fact the unit I received shipped with no documentation at all was a negative. But, it's pretty easy to see what all the bits do so I don't see that as a big deal.
My experience with the battery charger was not what I expected. I was hoping to be able to get about 20% (or about an hour's use) from a single nine volt battery.
Supported Devices
The Data Power Pack I reviewed was suitable from the 3800, 3900, 5400, 5500, 2200 and 1900 series iPAQs. I assume that this means it will also be usable with the 4100 and 4300 series. There are also Data Power Packs for the Dell Axim and Toshiba e740 and e330. Similar kits for various Palm and Sony handheld devices are available as well.
Conclusions
If you are looking for a power solution for your Pocket PC then I can recommend the Proporta Data Power Pack. With one simple pack you can keep your Pocket PC charged up anywhere. Just be aware of the limitations of the nine volt battery charger.
The Proporta Data Power Pack has become one of my most indispensible accessories. As well as providing you with a useful charge and sync cable (which can both charging and syncing at the same time) it provides you with both AC and cigarette lighter adapters as well. The AC adapter also comes with converters to most international outlets. To top it off, if you can't get to an electrical outlet, it ships with a nine volt battery and power adapter. If you travel with this kit you will never run out of power!
So, What's In The Kit?
Here's what the Data Power Pack delivered to me contained.
- Charge and Sync Cable;
- Cigarertte lighter adapter for charging in the car;
- AC Adapter for connecting the Charge and Sync cable to a wall socket;
- Three more adapters for connecting the AC to different wall sockets available around the world;
- The nine volt battery kit.
The Charge and Sync cable does exactly what it says. Connected to the USB port of your computer it allows you to sync your Pocket PC and charge it at the same time. I've been a long time user of Belkin Charge and Sync cables and while they work well, they don't let you charge and sync at the same time - you have to toggle between functions. Being able to do both is a big plus for me. The cable is a generous 50 inches long and is flexible enough to easily roll up to fit into a carry bag.
While using the cable to charge my iPAQ 2210 I did notice that it took longer to recharge my iPAQ than the cradle with its own AC power.
Using the Power Adapters
All of the power adapters worked easily. While travelling I used the different power adapters and found they worked without any glitches. The USB to AC adapter has the following ratings
- Input 100-240 Vac, 0.1 A, 50-60 HZ
- Output: 5.0Vdc, 600mA, 3.0W(Max)
Charging From the Nine Volt Adapter
For me, the inclusion of the nine Volt adapter is the icing on a pretty nice cake. This nifty little accessory means that you can keep your Pocket PC going without being tied to any sort of AC power. As well as being useful while traveling it means that the more intrepid Pocket PC user can keep his or her device powered up where there are no wall sockets.
In testing the nine Volt charger I ran the battery on my iPAQ 2210 right down. The Battery Meter in Spb Pocket Plus estimates that I get about 318 minutes use out of my 2210 on a full charge.
I ran the battery down completely in my 2210 and left the nine volt battery charger connected for two hours. I disconnected the charger when the charge light on my iPAQ stopped flashing (it was actually off, indicating to me that the battery was fully discharged). According the Spb Pocket Plus Battery Meter I had about 31 minutes of charge available. The Power applet in the Control Panel indicated that I had 10% charge available. That was pretty disappointing. Also, for some reason, I had to do a soft reset to use the device again which had me a little worried as I wasn't sure whether I was about to do a hard reset or soft reset :worried:
I repeated the same test with another new nine volt but this time left it connected overnight. Again, after fully draining the nine volt battery I had 10% of a full charge avaialble in my iPAQ.
Gotchas
The Proporta Data Power Pack does most of does most of what it sets out to do with no complication. If I had to be nit-picky I'd say that the fact the unit I received shipped with no documentation at all was a negative. But, it's pretty easy to see what all the bits do so I don't see that as a big deal.
My experience with the battery charger was not what I expected. I was hoping to be able to get about 20% (or about an hour's use) from a single nine volt battery.
Supported Devices
The Data Power Pack I reviewed was suitable from the 3800, 3900, 5400, 5500, 2200 and 1900 series iPAQs. I assume that this means it will also be usable with the 4100 and 4300 series. There are also Data Power Packs for the Dell Axim and Toshiba e740 and e330. Similar kits for various Palm and Sony handheld devices are available as well.
Conclusions
If you are looking for a power solution for your Pocket PC then I can recommend the Proporta Data Power Pack. With one simple pack you can keep your Pocket PC charged up anywhere. Just be aware of the limitations of the nine volt battery charger.
