Tag Archives: iPad 2 skins

I’d been using a ZAGG Leatherskin on my iPad 2 until yesterday. I liked it a lot and the color of the leatherskin matched the color of my iPad 2 smart cover near perfectly, creating a very handsome effect. But as the weeks went by, I began to notice the extra weight of the leatherskin as opposed to a Gelaskin that I had been using before with the iPad 2.

It’s only a very tiny amount of difference in weight, but I’ve been missing that lightness of the Gelaskin – so I decided to have a go at removing the leatherskin and reapplying the same Gelaskin I had been using before – the ‘Vintage Dr. Gonzo’ one shown above. I’m far from adept at applying screen protectors and skins so I went into this little mini-project knowing it could easily end up being a mess.

Here’s how it went for me …

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iPad 2, iPad Accessory Reviews

Review: Zagg LEATHERskins for the iPad 2

July 22, 2011 Patrick Jordan 4 Comments

As I’ve mentioned many times here, I’m a huge fan of the iPad 2 Smart Cover. It’s nearly never off my iPad 2. So I’ve been trying out a number of back cover cases that are compatible with the iPad, and screen protectors and gelaskins for the iPad 2’s back cover.

Until recently I found the gelaskin to be my ideal partner for the iPad 2 and its smart cover; and that is certainly still an excellent option for me – but ZAGG LEATHERskins for iPad 2 have proved to be another top favorite for me. I’ve been using a ZAGG LEATHERskin for iPad 2 for a couple of weeks now and I’m impressed and happy with the skin.

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iPad 2, iPad Accessories

First Impressions – ZAGG LEATHERskin for iPad 2

July 5, 2011 Patrick Jordan 9 Comments

This morning I got a chance to install my brand new ZAGG LEATHERskin for iPad 2 onto my iPad 2. This is a skin for the back of the iPad 2, that’s made of genuine leather, as the name implies.

I got one in navy blue to match my iPad 2 Smart Cover. I’ve been looking forward to using this new skin, and here are my very quick first impressions on it:

— It looks very, very smart and matches my iPad 2 smart cover just about perfectly.

— Installation was quite easy, although I did find myself ignoring the instructions provided by ZAGG, which called for peeling it off in sections and aligning each one, and just applying it all at once. It took less than 10 minutes, including a fair bit of rubbing with a microfiber cloth to work in a couple of minor bubbles.

— The leather on the skin looks great and feels very nice, but has a little bit of a chemical smell blending with its leather smell right now. It’s nowhere near as bad as the horrible-smelling Yoobao leather case for the iPad 2, and hopefully the chemical smell will fade away soon.

— The iPad 2 feels a little heavier again with the LEATHERskin on; that is heavier than it previously did with an iPad 2 Gelaskin on it. At least early impressions-wise it does not feel as light as the iPad 2 does naked, as it did when the Gelaskin was on it. It’s not a lot heavier, but it feels noticeable to me at the moment.

I hope the weightier feeling will go away after a bit of use, as I really like the look of this skin, paired with the iPad 2 smart cover, a whole lot.

iPad 2, iPad Accessories

New LEATHERskins for iPad 2 Match Smart Cover Colors

June 28, 2011 Patrick Jordan

ZAGG’s has just released LEATHERskins – a set of soft, think skins to apply to the back of the iPad 2 and perfectly match the colors of the iPad 2 Smart Cover.

There is a set of Leatherskins to match the colors of the polyurethane iPad 2 smart covers, and another set to match the colors of the leather iPad 2 smart covers. These skins are actually made of genuine leather, but they are applied like a film. They’re just 3mm thick and weigh only 1-2 ounces.

I have to say these look very good to me. I’ll be trying one out soon, to match my leather navy iPad 2 smart cover. These look like they could rival my current favorite setup for the iPad 2, with smart cover and a Gelaskin on the back.

The Leatherskins are priced at $49.99 or $79.98 with invisbleSHIELD screen coverage. For more details or to place an order check out the Leatherskins web page.

iPad 2

Gelaskins for iPad 2 – First Impressions

June 12, 2011 Patrick Jordan 6 Comments

I posted a week ago about being interested in Gelaskins as a minimalist option to use with my iPad 2 and the iPad 2 Smart Cover. A few days ago I received my first Gelaskin and applied just the back cover piece of it to my iPad 2.

Over recent weeks I’ve tried a few back cover cases that are compatible with, and designed specifically for use with, the iPad smart cover. A couple of them are very nice cases, but all of them have ended up making the iPad 2 feel quite a bit heavier to me. It’s been a bit of a shocking revelation for me, as they all look quite slim, don’t visually add much bulk at all to the iPad 2, and the number for their actual weight seem quite tiny. Nevertheless, the iPad 2’s wonderful lightness is just not there anymore when using the first few back cover cases I’ve tried.

So Gelaskins started to look like they might be an ideal solution for getting a little bit of protection for the back cover of my iPad 2 while not sacrificing any of its great light feel. They are described as ‘super-thin’ and are less than 1mm thick.

I chose two Gelakins to try out with the iPad 2 – the first one I have applied is the one shown above and in a photo of mine after the break. It’s ‘Vintage Dr. Gonzo’ by Ralph Steadman – who illustrated ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’ and other works by Hunter S. Thompson. The second one is a rendering of Van Gogh’s Starry Night.

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iPad 2, iPad Accessories

Gelaskins – a Minimalist Option as iPad 2 Smart Cover Companion

June 5, 2011 Patrick Jordan 1 Comment

As I’ve mentioned here a lot lately, Apple’s iPad 2 Smart Cover has become my new best pal and my favorite iPad 2 case by a landslide margin. I’ve found a few full-protection sort of cases for the iPad 2 that are quite good, but I always find myself returning to the smart cover as my most-used option.

Recently I’ve also been trying out a handful of cases that are ‘iPad 2 smart cover compatible’ – i.e. cases that are back covers designed specifically to work as companions to the iPad 2 smart cover. I’m gradually discovering that even the lightest of these (that I’ve tried so far) make the iPad 2 feel quite a bit heavier.

This discovery has lead me to start thinking about more minimalist alternatives for use with the smart cover. I already use Ghost Armor screen protectors on the front and back of the iPad 2, so one option is to just stick with the smart cover and these. Another is to look at skins for the iPad 2. My friend and writing colleague Thomas (@ragart) has been singing the praises of Gelaskins – and this weekend I took a look and ordered a couple.

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