iPad gains Spacesuit neoprene case from Booq
June 9, 2010 by Beatweek · Leave a Comment
The iPad, sometimes referred to as a space-age device, has now gained a case called the Spacesuit. The new neoprene case from Booq features a zippered top, whose full name is the Taipan Spacesuit XS, comes in silver/turquoise, black/red, and additional color options. According to Booq’s head of product design Jake Orak, “Most protective accessories for the iPad have followed the same design as an iPhone case or other mobile device. An open face case design is great when you’re using the iPad, but leaves the screen exposed when carrying the iPad in another bag, backpack, or purse.”
The Spacesuit is available now for $29.95; more details are available at BooqBags.com.
iPad review: Kensington Reversible Sleeve
April 26, 2010 by Daynah · Leave a Comment
This is a hands-on review of Kensington’s Reversible Sleeve for the iPad.
If you’re looking for a simple look, yet with durable protection for your iPad, you may want to try the Kensington Reversible Sleeve. Made of soft neoprene, this sleeves protects against any scratches and bumps your iPad may encounter. It’s super slim, so it’d fit nicely in another bag or case.
What makes this sleeve special is the fact that it’s reversible. One side is black and the other side is a light gray with black lining. It’s like having two sleeves for the price of one. The gray side does have two tags that you might want to cut off before using. This sleeve is also great for very small netbooks or even the Kindle.
The sleeve is very slim and form-fitting, so I don’t recommend having any other cases attached on the iPad. At most, a very thin hardshell snap-on backing case will fit fine.
You can purchase the Kensington Reversible Sleeve for $9.99. For more information, see Kensington’s official website.
review: RunWallet
February 21, 2010 by Bill Palmer · Leave a Comment
The idea is that your typical pocket items like credit cards and keys can be stashed on your arm in a neoprene pouch, which straps to your arm via an adjustable velcro armband – and if you want to clip something like an iPod shuffle onto the armband as well, you’re free to do so. In my tests with the RunWallet I found that its pair of internal pouches held my cards and cash just fine, but car keys were more of a stretch (literally) as my oversized new-fangled car key and its attached mini-remote took up one of the two pouches all on their own, with my house key on the same ring making for a really tight squeeze.
Is the RunWallet’s included armband comfortable? So-so. I’ve had more comfortable armband experiences with competing products from big manufacturers, but those products typically cost forty dollars or more; this one costs twelve for the armband and the pouch combined. So while you can do better, it’s unlikely that you can do better at anything approaching this price point.
Not that I was expecting there to be any issues, but I went ahead and tested out the RunWallet with my current third-generation and previous second-generation iPod shuffles, and found that they indeed stayed clipped on with no problem. In all, the RunWallet is a nice little product.
Learn more about the RunWallet at grantwoodtechnology.com
Review: XtremeMac Sportwrap
November 24, 2009 by Beatweek · 5 Comments
New in iProng Magazine: a hands-on review of the Sportwrap armband for iPhone and iPod touch from XtremeMac, priced at $29…
While there are some nicely done hybrid products available, there aren’t a whole lot of pure armband options on the market for use with the iPhone or iPod touch – and for a simple enough reason: how many users really want to go jogging with a device that bulky strapped to their upper arm anyway? In fact a number of iPhone and iPod touch users also keep a nano or shuffle around specifically for exercise purposes. And so the lack of demand for such an armband leads to a lack of options, which generally means far too few good options. Which is why those iPhone and iPod touch users who really do want to wear their device on their arm may view XtremeMac’s forthcoming Sportwrap as more of a relief than anything; it’s not particularly flashy and isn’t perfect, but it gets the job done well.
Neoprene is generally the most comfortable material when it comes to armbands, so it came as no surprise that the Sportwrap felt plenty comfy on my arm once I adjusted the strap to the appropriate size. And the almost-clear material over the screen is easy enough to use the touchscreen through it. I say “almost clear” though because for some reason the chosen material is a bit grainy when you look through it. Not so much a big deal, as it’s not like you’re going to be doing heavy websurfing or reading the fine print of an email while you’re jogging and your device is mounted to your arm, but the blurry screen cover did cost the Sportwrap what otherwise would have been a four and a half star rating. Of course star ratings are comparative, and so the argument for the Sportwrap is helped by the lack of competition in general.
The single biggest issue when wearing an iPhone or iPod touch on your arm remains the fact that the auto-rotation can’t be turned off during music playback, causing the device to go into and out of Cover Flow mode every time you move your arm – but that ongoing fiasco is entirely Apple’s fault. The only real thing that armband fans are likely to fault XtremeMac for is the fact that the Sportwrap isn’t yet shipping.
review by Bill Palmer
*****
Learn more about the Sportwrap at XtremeMac.com.
