iPad Bag Review: NewerTech iFolio
August 24, 2010 by Daynah · Leave a Comment
You know those briefcases that business people carry with them to the office? Now there’s one made specifically for the iPad. It’s called the iFolio from NewerTech. It’s handcrafted here in the US from imported premium Brazilian leather. This little luxury item is a perfect fit for the business types.
The iFolio can be used in two ways. You can use the shoulder strap and wear it on one side. This is nice if you need to keep your hands free. The bag hangs right next to your side and feels very sturdy and lightweight. You can also remove the shoulder strap and convert it into a handheld case by holding the strap on its spine. I find the latter way to be convenient when you take your iPad to a meeting. It just gives the professional touch.
The case is held together with a zipper. Unzipping it will reveal a very business-like setup. To the left are compartments for various things. One compartment is for papers or a small notepad and there are also two credit card/identification/business card slots. In the center is a loop for a pen. I think this is the perfect place for an iPad stylist! On the right side is where you iPad would go.
The iPad is held together by four flexible leather straps. Putting your iPad in may be a little tricky at first, but is easy once you get the hang of it. Be sure to put the iPad into the top straps first. These ones are more fixed. Then put the lower right strap on next, and then the lower left strap. The lower left strap is wider, so it’s more flexible to reach the edge of the iPad. The one thing I noticed is that these four straps aren’t symmetrical or evenly sewn on the case. Also, the fourth strap is much wider than the other three. This was a bit odd, but they did their job well, which was holding the iPad firmly in place.
Once the iPad and your belongings are in place, just zip and go. I think this folio is more of a carrying case for the iPad and is not meant to be used on a desk. Typing from your lap is fine, but putting the case with the iPad on a table may not be the best way to use it. The cushions of the case get in the way. Fortunately, the leather straps can be stretched to hold the iPad along with a NewerTech NuGuard case in it for less formal use.
If you do not have many things to take with you, this is a very beautiful case to carry your iPad in. But if you’re like me and like to carry your keys, wallet, and phone with you, you may want to carry a smaller second bag.
Overall, the iFolio gives off a professional look and feel to those you rare carrying it. It’s classic design will attract business men and women alike. Although it may be beautiful and luxurious, there are some downsides including the uneven straps holding the iPad, lack of extra space and storage, and the high price to pay. The case does come with a lifetime warranty, which is very assuring.
The iFolio is available in a big assortment of colors — black, red, cream, dark red, yellow, orange, lite green, dark green, blue, cognac, and tan. The price range from $129.99 – $179.99 depending on the color. You can purchase it at NewerTech.com.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars · $129.99 – $179.99 · NewerTech.com
NewerTech unveils iPad leather case
March 31, 2010 by Beatweek · 5 Comments
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.
Review: NewerTech Charge & Sync
January 5, 2010 by Bill Palmer · Leave a Comment
NewerTechnology has a track record of taking expensive functionality and bringing it down to a breakthrough price point, as best demonstrated by the company’s $19 iPhone-specific earbuds two years ago, at a time when it was difficult to find such a product for less than triple digits. Here in 2010, where anything beyond lame snap-on batteries will cost you sixty dollars or (much) more, here comes the descriptively if not-so-catchily named Charge & Sync+ which offers battery brick functionality for forty bucks.
As you might expect, the price point brings some compromises with it. While the $129 ZAGGsparq offers a mind-blowing 6000 mAh of battery life, and form-fitting battery cradles typically offer 1800 to 3300 mAh, the Charge & Sync+ offers a mere 1400, putting it barely above the svelte Juice Pack Air battery case. What 1400 mAh means is that the Charge & Sync+ will not-quite-double your iPhone’s battery life, or if your iPhone’s battery is dead to begin with, not quite charge it up to full. For this price, I’ll take it.
Further attempting to push the value quotient, the Charge & Sync+ not only comes with an iPhone/iPod connector cable (several more expensive batteries inexplicably don’t), the cable is actually built in to the brick. Unfortunately this is an instance of a product outsmarting itself, as extending the cable requires undoing the kind of plastic trap door that you’d have to pop open to change the AA batteries in an alarm clock; not something you want to be fiddling with every time you go to use the product. And in a head scratching move, the built in electrical prongs can’t be extended until the cable has been unwrapped – meaning you have to go through all the trap door hoopla just to charge up the brick itself, let alone connect it to your device. It’s nice that they’ve included separate tips for charging mini and micro USB devices, but the cable implementation is so befuzzled that I’d rather have seen then go with a simple USB port and a separate cable. As such it’s a three star product that gets bumped up half a star for being a good value play despite the flawed concept.
Learn more at NewerTech.com
