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The Road Warrior Review: Proporta Classic Sleeve Case And 4 Port USB Compact Hub For MacBook Air

Proporta Classic Sleeve - MacBook Air

As Steve Jobs demonstrated at Macworld Expo in January, the MacBook Air is so compact and thin it will fit in a standard brown manila envelope. However, if you're fortunate enough to own an Air, you’ll probably want to carry it in something with a bit more class and that offers better protection than a mailing envelope.

One very nice new case for packing a MacBook Air is Proporta's Classic Sleeve - MacBook Air. This custom designed sleeve fits the MacBook Air like a proverbial glove and keeps it protected from dust and minor thumps and bumps when not in use.

Proporta refers to the material used for this sleeve case as an "alternative to leather." It's actually pretty good faux leather. When my wife first saw it, her first question was "Is that leather?" I replied that no it wasn't but she had to feel and then sniff it to be convinced. Proporta claims that the synthetic material offers similar protection to real cowhide at a price that's easier on the wallet than a leather case would be.

Our test sleeve came in a fetching shade of green with sharp=looking contrasting-color stitching, and an interesting-looking little quadruple elliptical oval logo on the lower right corner of the case front.

A foldover closure strap helps ensure that your Air stays inside the sleeve until you want to take it out. There is no mechanical fastener or velcro, but rather a snug loop that the strap inserts into, which seems quite secure, but is also quick and easy to open.

Inside, the Proporta Classic Sleeve for MacBook Air is lined with a finer-grained version of the same synthetic leather material used for the outside of the case, with our review unit is a rich-looking oyster-shell light beige shade.

The case is advertised as hand-made, and workmanship seems first-rate, which is what I expect from Proporta products, with neat stitching and no loose threads hanging.

A very classy touch with Proporta products is that they ship (worldwide starting at $4.95) with complementary packets of real British tea, such as the Earl Grey Tea by Taylor's of Harrogate (Family Tea Merchants; est. 1886) that came with our review unit.

The Proporta Classic Sleeve for MacBook Air sells for
$59.95, plus shipping worldwide at very reasonable rates beginning at $4.95. The Proporta store checkout can supply shipping cost details. (See URL at end of this article)

Proporta 4 Port USB Compact Hub, MacBook Air

Among the MacBook Air's several functional and feature deficiencies is the provenance of just one, lonely USB port on a machine that depends extraordinarily heavily on its USB interface for I/O and peripherals support due to a complete absence of Ethernet and FireWire ports (Ethernet is available though an optional - you guessed it - USB adapter). Even the optional external optical drive interfaces through that poor little overworked USB port. You can't connect a wired mouse and keyboard simultaneously unless the latter has a USB repeater port, something increasingly rarely included on today's crop of keyboards, and even some wireless input devices (eg: non-Bluetooth Kensington and Logitech products) require a USB dongle receiver. Then there are USB mics for those of us who use dictation software or Internet telephony. My Revolabs USB microphone has a USB-connected receiver. Hooking up printers or scanners will have to be via USB unless you have wireless units, as will downloading photos from a digital camera.

Of course, the counter-argument is that the Air is designed and intended for predominantly wireless connectivity, but in the real world that is still often more an ideal than a practical reality.

And while I'm at it, for that matter I find the measly two USB ports on the MacBook and 15" MacBook Pro (and my PowerBook G4) pathetically inadequate. I keep a four-port powered USB hub connected to my PowerBook most of the time and still end up plugging and unplugging cables frequently, and when I get an Intel 'Book, I'll have to add an external USB modem, being stuck for now with dialup Internet. At least the 17" MacBook Pro has three USB ports, which is about the number most PC laptops come with.

Then there's the recently reported revelation that the MacBook and MacBook Pro's two USB ports are not created equal, with only one of them supporting a full powered, full speed bus. Nor is it just MacBooks. I've found that the right USB port on my 1.33 GHz G4 PowerBook, a model that debuted in September, 2003, doesn't supply enough juice to spin up one of my external USB 2 hard drives (which has a relatively low power demand 4200 RPM 2.5" notebook drive in it), although my G3 iBook and Pismo PowerBooks seem to have no trouble bus-powering that drive. However, with the PowerBook I'm obliged to hook it up to an external power brick.

Back in August, 2007, ZNet's David Berlind posted a technical article on this topic that's worth checking out if you're interested in the topic:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Berlind/?p=736&tag=btxcsim

Berlind notes that while all USB ports offer 5 volts, amperage (ie: volume of power) available can vary substantially which is an important factor when it comes to bus-powering devices like external hard drives. The standard amperage is 500 milliamps (ma), but some computers, or even different ports in the same computer, sometimes offer more, which means that if your external hard drive won't power up from one USB port on your 'Book, it's worth a shot at least trying it in another before rummaging around for a power brick.

Anyway, the long and short of it, especially with the MacBook Air and most likely with one of the larger 'Books as well, is that you're going to need a USB hub, and one that very nicely compliments the Air's compactness and portability is Proporta's 4 Port USB Compact Hub, whose trim dimensions and feather-light weight let it fit comfortably in a shirt pocket or purse, and it also has a USB male connector small enough to fit comfortably in the MacBook Air's recessed USB port.

The Proporta hub is sharp-looking too, with a metallic charcoal finish, and a blue indicator LED that glows when the unit is powered up either via bus power or l dedicated five volt power supply (the latter is not included, but works with standard universal power bricks).

The Proporta 4-Port USB Compact Hub is about the size and shape of a jumbo pack of chewing gum and with a smaller footprint than a PC Card (or an Earl Grey tea bag! - see below), although it's slightly thicker. The USB plug, which lives at the end of a very short cable extension, conveniently and neatly tucks into a dedicated recess in the bottom of the hub housing for storage and transport.

Three of the Proporta hub's four USB ports are arrayed along the right-hand side of the unit, while the fourth lives at the bottom. There is also a socket for a standard 1/8" power supply connector jack at the top (USB plug) end of the housing.

Construction and materials quality appear to be first-rate, and no drivers or software installation are needed with a Mac. It's pure plug in and play.

The MacBook Air is something of a carriage-trade laptop, so while at $29.95 the Proporta unit isn't the cheapest compact USB hub on the market, its slightly upmarket quality and positioning make it an appropriate match for the Air, as does the inclusion of that complimentary Earl Grey tea sample.

Just be careful not to spill Earl Grey on your MacBook Air's keyboard!

Back on our main topic to wrap things up, the Proporta 4-Port USB compact Hub sells for $ 29.95 When you purchase 4 Port USB Compact Hub you can take advantage of a discount on the Proporta Car Power Supply with USB Socket (regularly $ 8.95; bundled with hub $ 8.06).

For more information, visit:
http://www.proporta.com/F02/PPF02P05.php?t_id=874&t_mode=des

When you purchase Classic Sleeve for MacBook Air you can take advantage of bundled savings on several other Proporta products including Proporta Coloured Stereo Headphones for $ 22.46, regular price $ 24.95, and the Proporta USB Mobile Device Charger (USB Rechargeable Battery) with Car and World AC Power for $ 53.96, regular price $ 59.95

For more information, visit:
http://www.proporta.com/



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cmoore@macopinion.com

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