Piel Frama Leather Case for iPad: review

So this is what it costs to get a book-style leather iPad case done right. After testing a good number of middling quality swing-open leather iPad cases at prices, Piel Frama chimes in all the way from Spain with an entry that’s made of high quality leather, sustains the iPad perfectly inside, and even offers a lid which doubles as a surprisingly durable makeshift stand.

As with all book-style cases, Piel Frama’s Classic Magnetic Closure has a front flap which covers the entire front face of the iPad and flips open to reveal an internal iPad enclosure which hugs its sides but keeps the iPad’s screen accessible. The design allows you the protection of a closed-face case while being able to access the iPad’s screen without having to remove it from the case. As its name implies, hidden magnets hold the front flap shut. Even as the case offers cut-outs for all of the iPad’s ports and controls around the edges, it keeps the iPad’s four corners covered, which is good because we’ve found that it’s the most frequent impact point when a device like the iPad is accidentally dropped.

Intriguingly, the front flap has a crease on it which allows it to be bent over completely backwards and function as a diagonal stand for propping up the iPad in landscape mode. I wasn’t expecting it to be sturdy enough to type on, but as it turned out, it was actually plenty steady for that purpose. There’s also a hidden sleeve on the inside of the front flap, although it’s thin enough that it won’t hold more than a few scraps of paper.

As with past Piel Frama products I’ve tested over the years, there’s no overstating how fantastic the leather is on this case, from the look to the feel to the sturdiness to the smell. The catch is that while inferior leather book-style leather cases tend to clock in at just under a hundred dollars, the Piel Frama sells for 110 Euros, which converts to about 145 dollars. But then quality rarely comes cheap, particularly when it comes to leather products.

rating: 4.5 stars out of five • buy now: $145 at PielFrama.com.

Kensington KeyFolio Bluetooth Keyboard and Case for iPad: review

by Bill Palmer

If the most logical way to offer a portable iPad physical keyboard is to build it into an iPad case, then Kensington’s KeyFolio follows that concept in a pretty straightforward manner. It’s a book-style flip-open leather case which isn’t much thicker than a regular case despite the fact that the interior of the front flap has a keyboard on it. Designed to be used with the iPad in landscape (longways) mode, the KeyFolio allows you to slip your iPad into the internal sleeve, pair it up with the keyboard via bluetooth (no cables connecting the two), and you’re good to go.

As a case, the KeyFolio works pretty well. Although there are no snaps, clasps, or magnets to hold it tightly shut, it’s designed to be carried in your hand anyway, which keeps it closed plenty tightly. There are cut-outs for everything, meaning you can plug in a charging cable or earbuds while your iPad is in the case. My only complaint here would be that two of the iPad’s corners are exposed to the elements, considering something of a no-no in terms of case protection. However, this is mitigated by the fact that the sides and corners are recessed within the outer border of the case.

Half of the KeyFolio’s lid is actually a dual layer, so it folds out to create a triangle which allows the iPad to be positioned at an angle in front of the keyboard. The keyboard itself is something of an oddity. It’s got a rubbery feel reminiscent of those roll-up keyboards which used to be offered for early Palm devices. It’s okay to type on, as I found myself able to type faster and more accurately on the KeyFolio than I ever have on the iPad’s virtual keyboard. But that said, this keyboard is more of a challenge to type on than other keyboards with hard keys. But my real complaint is that despite the keyboard being almost as wide as the longer dimension of the iPad, the keyboard has been almost inexplicably rearranged. The removal of the right option key and command key is one thing, as their left-side counterparts are still there. But moving the apostrophe key down to the bottom row near the space bar is a bizarre move. Everything I typed ended up having semicolons in place of apostrophes, as the rearranged layout has the semicolon key next to the return key. This is something you could probably adjust to over time, but frequently going back and forth between the KeyFolio keyboard and a regular computer keyboard would be unnerving in that regard. In the KeyFolio’s defense, it does have all those iPad-specific keys across the top row, just like Apple’s own iPad keyboard dock does.

In all, the KeyFolio is a strong concept and may be the answer for some users. If they can put the keys back where they’re supposed to be on the next generation of the product, and perhaps switch to solid keys, that would be a product which would likely connect with more users. The KeyFolio is discounted from $99 to $69 on Amazon, which makes it much more of a value play.

buy now: $99 at Kensington.com or $69 at Amazon.com.

Vaja iVolution Top Leather Case for iPad: review

If you thought Vaja’s leather cases for iPhone and iPod weren’t cheap, wait til you get a load of the price tag on the company’s new iVolution Top for iPad, which clocks in at $150. Can any iPad case be worth such a price tag? This is the question which typically surrounds new cases from Vaja, which are made from some of the finest leather in the world, straight out of Argentina. It’s distinctive enough that you can tell it’s Argentinian leather as soon as you open the box, just by taking a whiff of it. So how has Vaja decided to approach the iPad with its leather cases?

The answer comes in two parts, literally. Rather than attempting a flap or seams to hold the front and rear pieces of the iVolution Top together, the case arrives in two distinct pieces, both of which are of the form fitting hardshell variety despite their all-leather exterior . The iPad snaps into the backshell which hugs its extremities, and then the front piece of the case snaps onto the iPad’s face, making for a nice protective fit. This design also allows the front piece to be left off entirely, for those times when you’re looking to keep your iPad encased but keep its screen accessible at all times.

It feels like a cop-out to use this line in a review, but the iVolution is one of those products whose quality you can’t quite put into words, as you’ve got to have the product in your hands to get a real feel for it. Is the price tag worth it? Sure, if you’ve got that kind of budget, particularly in light of competing leather iPad cases that are half the price and offer less than half the quality.

One quibble regarding the iVolution Top, which cost the product what could have been a five star rating: while the front piece is easy to remove, the back piece is not as easy. Better that way than the opposite, as the front piece is the one you’re likely to remove move often. But I do wish they could have found a way to make the back piece a little easier to remove.

rating: 4.5 stars out of five • buy now: $150 at VajaCases.com.

Aligata Nude Beauty Leather Case for iPad: review

The “Nude Beauty” leather iPad case from Aligata is a book-style leather case which gets its name perhaps for the fact that it comes in a flesh-tone beige color. Like a book, its front flap covers the iPad’s entire front face and swings open to reveal an interior iPad housing. With the iPad inside, it’s covered by leather on all sides, along with the portions of its front face apart from the screen. Cut-outs on the top, bottom, and right side provide access to the controls, ports, and speakers.

Interestingly, the case provides enough overlap that the ports and controls are recessed about a quarter inch within the case’s outer edges. That’s good news on the protection front, but it doesn’t make for a perfectly accurate fit as the iPad can shift fractionally within the case. As such I found myself sometimes having to nudge things a little to get to the volume controls or to plug a cable into the docking port. The silver lining is that unlike a lot of closed face leather iPad cases, the Nude Beauty actually does provide access to those ports and controls.

In all, the Nude Beauty is made of pretty nice leather, which is essentially what you’re paying for. Is this one worth $79? Maybe.

rating: 3.5 stars out of five • buy now: $79 at Aligata.com.

NewerTech unveils iPad leather case

Newer Technology has unveiled its “iFolio” leather carrying case for Apple’s iPad, which will begin shipping two days after the iPad itself hits the market. Available April 5th, the iFolio will sell for a $99 “introductory” price and will come in a choice of black or red Brazilian leather and a removable shoulder strap which can be adjusted in the range of 24 to 42 inches, along with a collapsible built-in handle. Once the introductory price expires, the iFolio will be officially priced at $129.

Learn more about the iFolio for iPad at macsales.com.

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Filed Under: Industry News
Tagged: iPad, iPad accessories, leather case, Macsales, NewerTech, Other World Computing, OWC