We have reviewed several outstanding products by Padacs, a company that brings consumers low cost, quality accessories for Apple products, and today we take a look at some of Padacs’ iPhone 4 case lineup. There are three cases here, the Storm, the Plexus and iPhone 4 Bumpers. Each are very dfferent from each other, with the Storm being a play-through case, the Plexus being a snap on shell, and the latter being simple rubber bumpers.
The Storm case for iPhone that I received was the clear version, although Padacs also offers a blue version. It is a semi hard silicon case similar to the feel of the Belkin Grip Vue, and the back has a wavy designs of dots. When put on the iPhone, the design was more prominent, and contrasted the iPhone’s glass back quite nicely. The case has a slight lip over the front sides, although not quite as much as many cases. Functionality wise, the case has integrated button covers, which do line up well and are fairly easy to press. It’s got a decent sized opening for both the headphone jack and the cable connection, while the mute switch is also easily accessible. The hole for the camera and flash is also nicely shaped, and should not interfere with any photography. The only downside I saw with this case was that in my hand, it just felt a tad bit like cheaper quality silicon. Most people probably won’t notice it, but perhaps it is just because I’ve become accustomed to the glossy Grip Vue case. However, at a price of $9.95, it’s hard not to consider this as a case for you.
Ever since the iPad was released there has been a plethora of cases on the market. Made by PADACS, the Generation iPad Case and the Executive Leather iPad Case are 2 more in the iPad case market. Both cases are in the same style as the iPad case made by Apple, i.e. like a book. Also like the Apple case, there is a flap on the back where you can bend the front of the case around to put it in either the typing mode or the display mode. A neat feature of these cases are that when you close the case, there is a magnet in the end so the top doesn’t flap around unnecessarily and stays closed. Very nice.
Both cases are made of very high quality material and that is the only difference between the cases. The Executive case is as you could guess, is made out of black leather, and it is very high quality at that. Which makes it have a very premium feel to it, and it feels great! On the other hand, the Generation iPad Case is a mix of denim and white synthetic leather. Weird mix but it works. The texture of the external part of the case is very nice and the softness and smoothness of the inside is great. Overall, both cases are very nice to hold and use. Also, all the external buttons and speakers are exposed and are really easy to get to. However, with everything, there are some issues. But, I can only find one. The issue is to do with how the case actually touches the iPad on the left hand side. In short, it doesn’t. I presume this is caused when the flap that keeps the iPad secure in the case is in, it pulls the material at the top which then causes the case to lift slightly on the left hand side. Now, it is not that catastrophic as it only lifts up from the iPad about 8mm and it went away within a week of use.
In conclusion, both of these cases are good. They are both very durable, protective and stylish. But if I had to choose which one is the best, I would have to say the Generation case. Mainly because of the denim material. For me it is a lot nicer to hold and is better feeling for me. Also, as it is not made fully out of leather, it is quite a bit lighter as well.
PADACS is now shipping all of their products to the US & Canada with free shipping within the US starting September 17th. The Executive leather case is $53.95 and the Generation case is $47.95.
Belkin is currently one of the main contenders in the iPod/iPhone case market, so it’s no surprise that they have a wide assortment of iPad cases available to protect your expensive toy. Of the types of cases they offer, today we’ll be looking at three different designs of iPad sleeves. Sleeve cases are designed to put your iPad in travelling, and not intended to be used while using the iPad itself. The three designs offered by Belkin are the Pleat Sleeve for iPad, Contour Sleeve for iPad and the Vue Sleeve for iPad.
All three cases are made of durable neoprene inside and out, and the inside feels soft so there’s no need to worry about a naked iPad getting scratched up. Each has a neoprene ‘lip’ underneath the zipper that prevents the zipper from scratching the sides of your iPad, a well thought out addition. The top half of the sleeve unzips, and the inclusion of two zippers makes it easier to open and close these cases. All have a Belkin logo on the bottom right corner, but from here on in, the cases are all unique with their own strengths and weaknesses.
This certain case is available in four colours, grey, blue, black and purple. The Pleat is designed so the front has pleated layers, which is intended to expand as you put items in the somewhat hidden pocket. The layers don’t expand much, but despite this the pocket is able to hold a generous amount of items (I easily added my earphones, mobile and wallet). The zipper for the pocket can be tucked away neatly between two of the layers, making it unnoticeable and giving the front a more streamlined look. The front pleated designed looks nice, although it may not suit some people’s tastes. To prevent items in the pocket from damaging the iPad screen, the neoprene layer separating them is reinforced with a hard but bendable panel. The biggest difference for this case is the size, as it is larger than the other two. Because of this, it can accommodate an iPad within a play through case such as the Belkin Grip Vue.
The Vue Sleeve is available in purple or black, and is quite similar to the Pleat sleeve. It also has a similar capacity pocket and a reinforced panel between the pocket and the screen, but is a smaller fit and will not accommodate an iPad in a case (a slim case such as the Switcheasy Nude might fit). The front pocket is clear, so you will be able to see your contents. Other than this, the case has the same functionalities as the Pleat sleeve and available for the same price.
The final case is quite different from the other two. It lacks a pocket at the front (therefore no reinforced panel either), it’s the same smaller size as the Vue sleeve, and the front has many raised silicon waves running horizontally. The wavy pattern may appeal to others, but to me it doesn’t quite compare to the simplistic looks of the Pleat and Vue sleeves. It also feels more flimsy than the other two, while still costing a $20 premium over the other two cases.
Belkin’s iPad sleeve lineup is guaranteed to have at least one case that will appeal to everyone. My preference of the lot would have to be the Pleat sleeve, as I regularly use play-through cases and the compatibility is great. However, the style of the Vue sleeve appeals to me the most, as the wavy lines on front pocket look stylish yet still simplistic. I find the Contour case to be somewhat of a letdown compared to the other cases, as it lacks the feature of a pocket, and feels less protective of my iPad. At a price of $59.99USD compared to the $39.99USD of the Pleat and Vue, I would only recommend it to people who are purely looking for the style of the design. Follow the link to see these and many other great iPad cases on Belkin’s website.
Carbon fiber fans rejoice! Today l'll be reviewing monCarbone'sHoverCoat glossy and matte finished carbon fiber iPad cases. The HoverCoat is made out of real carbon fiber that provides a very unique and great looking sharp look to your iPad without compromising weight or bulk. The HoverCoat is extremely lightweight and slim. It easily snaps to the back of your iPad, but I found that if you use a back skin of any kind, the HoverCoat will not be sitted on very well and will easily pull back a bit if you place your fingers right on the edge of the case. I could barely tell I had a case on my iPad while using the HoverCoat, it's so thin that I felt like I was holding my iPad without a case on. The HoverCoat does flex and it isn't super hard. Corners are cut very precise and are rounded so there are not sharp corners or edges, which is great. I should note that the HoverCoat does not cover or provide any protection to the iPad's metal bezel. All the buttons and ports are easily accessible and uncovered. There are no logos on the outside only on the inside of the case which I was very happy about.
Both the matte and glossy HoverCoat finishes look beautiful, but if you really want to show off the carbon fiber pattern, the glossy does a much better job at showing the weave better than the matte finished HoverCoat. With that said, the glossy finish scratched very easily by just placing it on a table. For this kind of price I think there should be an anti-scratch coating added to the glossy finish. The matte finish does have an anti-scratch finish that works very well. The key differences between both matte and glossy HoverCoat finishes is that the glossy attracts fingerprints, it scratches more easily and it shows off the carbon fiber weave much better. The matte finished HoverCoat has a more grippy and rough texture to it. It's a much more stealthy looking iPad cover and will appeal to different kind of users. On the back you will notice a line of perforations at the top, this is meant for the 3G iPad model so it will not interfere with the reception. I have not noticed any signal issues on my WiFi iPad at all.
The HoverCoat looks stunning under sunlight. You can clearly see the 3D carbon fiber weave in good lighting. I really think that monCarbone did a good job on the design of the HoverCoat case for the iPad, but I would have liked to see an anti-scratch coating for the glossy model at this price. And as we all know, real carbon fiber doesn't come cheap. Price $89.99.
