review: Marware SportShell Convertible Case for iPad

Each iteration of Marware’s SportShell Convertible over the years has seen a new twist on the product, continually redefining the functionality of the multi-function case. Now the company takes its first shot at an iPad version of the SportShell Convertible, after years of revving it for iPod and iPhone, and the results are a mix of common sense features and ones you never saw coming.

The case consists of a hard black plastic shell, but with a giant hole in the back. As it turns out, it comes with two different back-piece inserts. One is black plastic and matches the rest of the case. The other is clear hard plastic which allows most of the back of your iPad to remain visible to the world. But it turns out there’s more going on, as you can slip a photo in behind the clear plastic. Didn’t see that coming, did you? I’m not sure how many people will use such a feature, but it actually works without hassle.

The meat of the features, however, come by way of the four kick-out legs. The two smaller ones on the right can be used to slightly elevate a laid-flat iPad for typing purposes, while the two larger legs on the left can be used to set up the iPad as if it were a picture frame. And an included elastic handstrap can be connected to notches under the legs on either the right or left side, which is good news for left-handers and those who simply like to switch off which hand they hold their iPad with.

The less appealing news regarding the legs is that because they’re not of uniform length, they can only be used to let you type in landscape mode (bad news for those who prefer the smaller keyboard of portrait mode), and alternately, they can only be used to stand the iPad up in portrait mode. Another annoyance is that the iPad’s mute switch (or orientation lock switch, if you haven’t yet updated to iOS 4.2.1) is more difficult to access than it should be, thanks to a too-tight cut out around that particular area. All the iPad’s other ports and controls, however, are easily accessible.

The bottom line on Marware’s SportShell Convertible for iPad is that even though it’s not perfect, it’s well done and comes with a bunch of built-in flexibility. But you can get yourself a simple hard plastic iPad shell case for a lot less than $59, meaning that the SportShell Convertible is only going to be worth its price tag to you if you plan to take advantage of at least some of its various features.

rating: four stars out of five • Price: $59 • Marware.com

Review: SportShell Convertible

New in iProng Labs: a hands-on review of the new SportShell Convertible hard case with attachable belt clip and armband for iPhone, priced at $44…

by Bill Palmer

Marware’s multi-function Convertible cases have taken on a number of incarnations over the years with various iPod and iPhone models, but they’ve generally centered around the idea of a case that comes with a belt clip and an armband, and can be used with either or neither, depending on the scenario.



The new SportShell Convertible comes in the form of a two (technically three) piece hard plastic dark grey shell that slides onto the iPhone which, while it would be “just another iPhone case” if not for the included attachments and functionality, is well done in its own right; for instance the cut-out for the volume buttons and silencer switch is done perfectly, which is still not always a given, even with the iPhone having had the same identical body style for more than a year now.



But you buy this case because of what it can be converted into. The third grey plastic piece on the back can be substituted with a frosted clear piece that has a vertical belt clip attached. And the belt clip can then be slid onto the included adjustable armband in a way that locks it into place and allows it to feel a lot more comfortable than you might expect for something that sounds potentially cumbersome until you see (and feel) for yourself that it does work well.



Using an iPhone on an armband presents two quandaries, of course. The first is whether you want something that bulky on your arm while you’re active (some iPhone users keep an iPod nano or shuffle around for just this reason), and the other is the fact that Apple has inexplicably still not included a setting that allows you to turn the auto-rotation off in the iPhone’s iPod app, causing the screen to keep rotating back and forth as you try to twist your arm to get the iPhone out of that useless Cover Flow mode. But I digress – and that’s Apple’s fault anyway, not Marware’s.



In all, the SportShell Convertible is a very impressive product. As long as you actually look at the directions first, assembling and removing the various components is easy. My only complaints center around the belt clip, which is oddly large to begin with. And while it can be turned upside down, it can’t be used horizontally, which many users find more comfortable. That aside, this is a great multi-function value.

*****

Learn more about the SportShell Convertible at Marware.com.

*****