The Portenzo Composition for iPad 2 Case is a clever case that looks just like an old-school composition notebook. Actually, just like current composition books as well – I wasn’t sure these were still around but my daughter set me straight on that.
When I first saw the Composition I thought it looked great and ordered one straight away. After a week of using it heavily I can tell you that I’m not disappointed with it – hit the jump for some good reasons why …
Here’s an iPad 2 case that I really like the look of – the Composition iPad 2 Case from Portenzo. I got an email from Portenzo yesterday about another of their products, but this is the one that immediately caught my eye.
I remember using composition notebooks that looked just like that, and I love the idea of applying that style to an iPad case. Here’s a few more things I like about the Composition iPad 2 Case:
— It’s made with traditional bookbinding materials, and made here in the US.
— It support the iPad 2 automatic sleep/wake feature.
— You can swap out the elastic band and have a magna grip closure instead (for $10 extra)
— You can also add a compartment for a stylus (again for $10 extra)
I ordered one yesterday and I’m looking forward to trying it out.
You can get more information on the Composition case, or place an order (pricing starts at $79.95) on the Portenzo product page for it.
When I first saw the video demo of the Gorillamobile Ori for iPad 2 case, I was impressed with how slick and versatile this case looked. I ordered one that same day and it arrived this morning.
As first impressions go, color me very impressed indeed with Ori for iPad 2. When I’ve spent more time with the case I’ll do a full review, but in the meantime here are a few reasons it is making a very favorable first impression:
— It’s sleek and unique looking – all lightweight aluminum goodness.
— It’s extremely versatile. You can quickly swivel the iPad between landscape and portrait orientation.
Flowfold iPad Sleeves are a superb case for the iPad 2 or original iPad. They started out as a Kickstarter project last year; the project got funded and these excellent cases are now available to order. I was fortunate enough to be given a sample unit to test while the Kickstarter project was going on, was thoroughly impressed, and became a project backer.
I’ve been using the Flowfold sleeve for a couple months now and I can’t recommend it highly enough. It’s one of my favorite cases for my iPad 2. So I’m happy to say there are two bits of good news on Flowfold to share with you today: that they’re available to purchase now at the Flowfold site at a very reasonable $35 price point, and that we’ve got two to giveaway to a pair of lucky readers.
Read on for more details about why the Flowfold iPad Sleeves are so good, and how to enter for a chance to win one …
The GorillaMobile Ori iPad 2 case by Joby is one of the most versatile and slick looking cases I’ve seen, at least by the looks of things in the demo video for it. Here’s a bit of detail on this innovative looking case:
Inspired by the Japanese art of the fold, Gorillamobile Ori for iPad 2 transforms effortlessly from a flat, light- weight protective case to an amazingly versatile iPad stand. Following months of research, Ori was designed to provide limitless ergonomic screen positioning and hands-free stability, without sacrificing the protection or portability of a sleek iPad case. Whether you’re watching a movie on the plane, flipping through a portfolio pre- sentation or typing an email at a café, you can position your iPad at the most comfortable height and viewing angle for you. For quick adjustments, simply tilt the screen or swivel the iPad from landscape to portrait display. Engineered from a special aluminum composite used in high-performance cars, the Ori stand delivers rigid sta- bility in a sculptural, lightweight form …
I love the look of the Ori iPad 2 case, and ordered one earlier today. It goes for $69.95, and you can see more information on it and place an order at the Joby product page for it here:
Oh yes readers, this is how I roll. Other site owners may get their names engraved on $500 leather iPad cases, but I have got myself the ultimate in site branding bling – a customized iPad 2 Duct Tape Magnetic Jacket.
The iPad 2 DTMJ (that’s what all the cool kids are calling it) is a Kickstarter project run by long-time friend of this site coregeek. He told me about this project at its early stages, asked if I would like to try one out, it arrived today, and I have to say I love it. And not just because it’s got the iPad Insight branding on it – I’m also impressed as heck with what coregeek’s done with these.
There are an awful lot of iPad cases that look a whole lot like an awful lot of others. Similar colors, similar designs. The Hokusai iPad 2 Cover by Oberon Design is definitely one of the most striking and unique looking iPad cases I’ve ever seen. The folks at Oberon Design were kind enough to supply me with a review unit which I’ve had for around 6 weeks now.
As soon as I received the case I knew it was lovely to look at and I could tell it was made with quality materials and fine craftsmanship. That’s a great starting point and what I wanted to know next was how good a case it is when put to use. I’ve spent enough time with it to have some thoughts on that and on the case as a whole.
The folks at DODOcase have created The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore DODOcase for the iPad 2 that is inspired by the wonderful iPad eBook.
Here’s a little more background on that inspiration:
From the moment the DODOcase team first read The Fantastic Flying Books of Morris Lessmore we were both amazed and inspired. We felt Morris’ journey of discovery and love of books and stories mimicked our own love of bookbinding. We have worked with the team at MoonBot to create an iPad case that Morris Lessmore himself would have loved. The result looks like it jumped right out of Morris’s hands.
And more on this new case:
The exterior covers are hand crafted in DODOcase’s San Francisco book bindery from a striking red faux leather and is ordained with Morris Lessmore’s signature hat and cane mark on the cover, and his “M” on the spine. These embellishments are created using century old book stamping techniques. The interior is a cream colored linen.
I did a review of The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore back in July. It is easily the best eBook I have seen for the iPad and also one of m y all-time favorite iPad apps.
I think the DODOcase inspired by this book is a great idea and it looks like it is a superb case in its own right.
It’s priced at $64.95 – for more details on to place an order check out the DODOcase product page for it.
I spotted this via Joshua Schnell’s post on it at Macgasm.
This morning I received the Oberon Design iPad 2 Cover shown above – a review unit provided by Oberon. The design I chose is called the Hokusai Wave and I hope that despite my terribly poor photographic efforts you can get some idea how gorgeous this thing is.
And that would be my strongest first impression of this case – that it is just a beautiful design and made with lovely thick quality leather. Or, as the Oberon site describes it, ‘old school leather artistry’. Hurrah for old school then.
I’m not sure how well this case will serve when using the iPad heavily (I’ll soon put that to the test) but it is certainly a fantastic looking option for a carrying case.
Once I’ve spent more time with the Oberon iPad 2 Cover I’ll post a review. In the meantime, you can see more details on it or place an order at Oberon’s product page for it here: http://www.oberondesign.com/iPad2.php
The Snugg iPad 2 Case Cover (Ultra Thin Version) is described thusly on the Snugg page for it:
The Snugg iPad 2 ultra thin case is sleek, classy and hardly adds any bulk to the iPad2. This new design is extremely lightweight and created from smooth polyurethane leather to the front and connected with a TPU back cover.
I’ve been trying one of these out over recent days, and as always I’ve got some thoughts to share on it.
Notes
This is an almost folio style smart cover replacement case. I say almost folio style because although it is an all-in-one case (not separate front and back covers) it does not feel as ‘together’ as a full folio style case. Perhaps that’s why it’s got the ‘Ultra Thin Version’ as part of its name.
It supports the iPad 2 automatic sleep / wake feature whenever the front cover is closed and opened.
It’s priced at around $55 (£34.99) in the UK by Snugg themselves, but the US Amazon price point is around $35.
A few weeks back I did a post here mentioning the new ZAGGfolio iPad 2 case with integrated removable keyboard. The case + keyboard combo looked good to me and I ended up ordering one.
I’ve recently had my ZAGGfolio delivered – but I won’t be getting any use out of the case for a while, as ZAGG have announced that there is a defect in the design, as described by James Rogers in his updated review over at iSource.com:
This review has been updated as of July 29, 2011 to reflect a defect in the design of the ZAGGfolio that came to light two days after its publication. The defect kept the clasp from holding the ZAGGfolio closed unless the iPad 2 inside had an InvisibleShield or similar skin installed on the screen.
It’s not a huge, terrible issue – but it is one that had many users complaining and ZAGG has (admirably) acknowledged the issue quite quickly and informed customers that they will be shipping out replacement cases in a few weeks.