Proporta Magnetic Car Mount

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Posted by Alli Flowers on June 21, 2007 03:00 PM

Treo accessories reviews

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Proporta has a rather generic goose neck windscreen suction cup mount with a twist. Most mounts work in one of two ways: you slide your device into a generic or custom enclosure, or slide the button from your belt clip into a hole. Proporta has placed a fairly heavy magnet at the end of the goose neck, and included a self-stick metal plate.

As you can see from the photo on the left, the magnet is covered with a velvety material, so there is no chance of scratching your Treo, even though it's the magnetic plate that actually touches the mount's magnet.

As my choice of case is Seidio's black rubberized (right), I simply stuck the metal plate to the back of the case.

The black on black is nice, visually. You really can't tell it's there at first glance. It does, however, take away from the smoothness of the touch of this case. The edges are almost sharp, and because of the self-stick back, the plate is slightly raised.

As someone who doesn't use a case with a belt clip, this is still a standout solution. I tried several "universal" mounts with wings, and my Treo was always falling out of them. Custom mounts are great, but I do like to keep my Treo in a case. Proporta makes it easy here. With the magnetic mount, I just hold my Treo up to the mount when I get in the car, and voila!

Once the metal plate has had a chance to bond with the back of your Treo/case, you can just pull it off the magnet. The first few days, I would recommend placing your Treo a little higher up on the mount so that you can reach behind and grab the plate and your Treo when you're ready to take it down.

The nice thing about a goose neck mount is that you can place it anywhere. On my previous car, I preferred affixing it low towards the dash. On my new car, it seems to work best when located just below the rear view mirror. The suction cup means you can attach and detach wherever/whenever you want. It's small and light so you can always take it to a friend's car, or travel with it if you're planning on using a rental vehicle.

The bad thing about a goose neck mount, or any window mount, is that your Treo can be exposed to the hot sun. While something like Piel Frama's peak is great for keeping the glare off the front of your Treo's screen, there isn't anything offering protection from direct sunlight and heat. That being said, this isn't an issue for most people during most of the year, but definitely something to keep in mind.

I really like the combination of the flexible goose neck and the magnetic holder. It is versatile as well as functional, and if I'm not using my Treo to navigate, I can put my XM radio on it. This definitely meets my needs on the road.

Related Links

Treo Car Kits

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Proporta Magnetic Car Mount

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Comments

June 21, 2007 04:54 PM {#}

TREOinmypocket says:

Am I crazy for immediately wondering if that magnet is going to mess with SD Card or my treo's internals?

God knows the flukey thing resets enough on its own - I don't want to give it any help...

June 22, 2007 04:46 AM {#}

Alli says:

I actually wondered that myself, but the magnet probably isn't strong enough to have any effect on the sd card, and they don't come in direct contact. I haven't had any problems at any rate.

June 22, 2007 04:07 PM {#}

adimiron says:

Actually, SD cards are chip-based, rather than magnetic media, and as such shouldn't be affected by magnets, right?

June 24, 2007 09:32 AM {#}

Joad says:

Maybe it's old habit, but I prefer to keep strong magnets away from the Treo, there's just too many electronic activities going on in one small place. Though for about 6 months with my 700p I did use a case with a rather strong magnetic closure - didn't notice any problems that the average Treo user didn't report on the boards.

I would think the most obvious danger with a magnet is that a good pothole could easily leverage the Treo free of the mount - whack the screen on your shifter and you're calling Lockline.

I designed my own car holder from an old plastic holster and a mount that fit into it - I ground it down in necessary places so it wasn't so tight - I just rest the Treo in and hook up the wires at the bottom.

BTW- California has a law against windshield mounts (wtf?!?) so be careful if driving here. (yes, it's MUCH safer looking down at your GPS on the seat...)

June 25, 2007 06:36 PM {#}

HarracH says:

The magnet won't affect the SD card's data because the transistors in the card are made of magneto-resistive metal. That's actually why the SD can store data even without a power source. It is pretty resistant, but still if it is placed in a strong electro-magnetic field it could get messed up. The small natural magnet on this holder just doesn't have near that much juice. Also, the metal plate absorbs most of the magnetic field's force, so I'm pretty sure that the electronics within the Treo will do just fine.

But, be aware: there is a chance of messing your device up by putting it the wrong side (make that the screen-side) onto the holder (whoops!). The most sensitive electronics are placed behind and around the screen (as if the screen is not sensitive enough) and also the screen is where your Treo has the thinnest 'skin'.

June 25, 2007 06:37 PM {#}

HarracH says:

June 27, 2007 01:42 AM {#}

darkm2222 says:

the internals of the treo and sd card will not be affected by a magnet of the power used in the mount if the magnet was powerful enough to effect the treo in a permanent way it would effect your car too as it has the same type of electronics in the car.

June 27, 2007 10:06 PM {#}

danh1225 says:

Don't hang that thing from your windshield in MN or CA - not legal and you could get a ticket or at least give a cop grounds to stop you.

June 29, 2007 12:10 AM {#}

Alli says:

I've now discovered something über cool! My new car (a Toyota Camry) has this big ole screen for the stereo (which I will never use), but it's just the right size for a suction cup! It puts my Treo at a much better distance and angle for viewing whilst driving. :D

July 2, 2007 10:07 PM {#}

asawadude says:

Not only are they illegal in 2 states (with more to follow), suction cup winshield mounts are not a good choice in desert climates. It doesn't take more than a day or two of parking under the desert sun to bake a suction cup mount permanently to the windshield. The rubber turns to glue in high heat. Dashboard or console mounts are a far better option.