Exspect Leather Flip Case
If you want your folio to open vertically like a notepad rather than book-fashion, this one's for you. It's nicely made, and extra points to Exspect for ensuring you can still use earphones with your iPad when the case's cover is closed - which latches magnetically, by the way. The open case stands up.
Reg Rating 80%
Price RRP: £30 Online: £18
More Info Exspect
Griffin Elan Passport
Clad in hide, the Elan Passport is a simple stand-less folio with the addition of a pocket for (small) documents and four credit-card slots which you almost certainly won't use. What, whip your iPad out to pay for that latte? I think not. Still, it's a solid-feeling case that'll take the rough and tumble, holding the tablet securely and keeping stitching away from wear-attracting edges. And it will, at a pinch, work as a stand, even though that's not part of the design.
Reg Rating 80%
Price RRP: £35 Online: £18
More Info Griffin
Next page: Jivo Executive Case and Stand
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.
