Contour Design Nylon Canvas Folio
This nicely designed folio's canvas exterior gives it a sober but stylish air that separates its out from its executive-look. The bit that holds the iPad is solid and secure, holding the tablet in place with a couple of small velcro straps. It also packs in a six credit card and two document pockets. Best of all, you can still dock your iPad while it's in this case.
Reg Rating 85%
Price RRP: TBC
More Info Contour Design
Cygnett Lavish
A bog-standard mock leather folio that holds the iPad snuggly, but disappoints by a poor alignment of the tablet's screen and home button, and the spaces in the casing through which they're reached. And on the sample case, one half of the magnetic clasp was positioned to easily latch to the other.
Reg Rating 60%
Price RRP: £35 Online: £20
More Info Cygnett
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COMMENTS
Corner and edge protection
One of the main reasons to put the 'pad in a case is to protect it when the inevitable drop happens. A lot of these cases don't protect the corners or edges of the 'pad.
One of the benefits of the Apple case, which I still haven't replaced, is that it does the job of protecting the pad exceedingly well. It's also extremely convenient being thin, relatively unobtrusive and the little stand, whilst primitive, works very well.
What's worrying is that despite the iPad being out for 6 months plus, none of the folio case makers have really bettered the Apple case in terms of core functionality. Aesthetics maybe, but functionally not.
Now...
I know you can't review EVERY folio, but why miss out the Incipio Kickstand? To me, it's one of the front runners - it can be used as a stand, it's got good protection and doesn't block any ports (some of these do) it looks, well, alright, and it's cheap.
Have I picked up a lemon and not noticed?
The Twelve South case
You can synch with the case on if you're only using a cable, and not a dock - the zip flattens just enough, and the bottom corners are far enough from it for the cable to fit without any problems
Point taken, but...
Point taken about the manual brightness control, but the auto brightness definitely uses the ambient light sensor at the top centre of the screen surround, hence the hole in some covers at around this point.
More often, cover are far thinner around the edge and simply do not obscure the sensor at all.
brightness control
The iPad has always had a brightness control, under Settings>Brightness & Wallpaper. iOS 4.2 just places a copy on the multitasking bar.
