The Week in iPad Cases: Sparkles

 

With some nasty weather and a presidential election under our belt, it's time for another look at what's new in the world of protective accessories for your iPad. As you might expect, manufacturers are focusing on the iPad mini, but that doesn't mean that full-size iPad owners have been forgotten.

BoxWave's Glamour and Glitz

BoxWave: The Glamour and Glitz (iPad mini; $20) is a snap-on back case designed to protect the back and sides of your iPad mini while providing a splash of colour and fashion thanks to rows of sparkling, embedded gemstones. The case features all the appropriate openings to ensure that you enjoy unfettered access to all ports and cameras, and it comes in pink, purple, black, or blue. As an added bonus, it will probably keep you safe, too, if you happen to walk next to a busy road at night.

Hard Candy's Candy Convertible

Hard Candy: The Candy Convertible (iPad mini; $45) combines a convenient folio design with a beautiful, faux-nubuck material that looks and feels great without harming animals. The case can be used to prop up your table for viewing and typing in landscape mode, features all the appropriate openings to keep cameras and ports readily accessible, and is available in black or red.

Luma13's LumaGuard

Luma13: The LumaGuard (iPad mini; $24 to $34) is a premium, protective film designed to cover the back of your iPad mini with a layer of soft PVC film that helps protect against bumps and scratches. The film is shaped so that it won’t interfere with any of the iPad mini’s functionality, and it will even play nice alongside Apple’s Smart Cover, as well as with most form-fitting cases. The LumaGuard comes in clear, black, blue, red, white, or reflective aluminium white.

M-Edge's Incline 360

M-Edge: The Incline 360 (iPad mini; $45) is a portfolio-style case made of microfiber leather with a microsuede interior that keeps your tablet safe during transport. A special microsuction cup keeps the cover in place when not in use. The Incline 360 is available in pink or red. If you like the idea of microfiber leather but prefer a sturdier construction, the Profile (iPad mini; $40) is a minimalist case whose core is made from ultrastrong fiberglass.
The Latitude 360 (iPad mini; $35) is a zippered sleeve made of heavy ballistic nylon, available in either black or blue. Its 360-degree-rotation feature allows you to prop up your iPad mini for viewing in several landscape- and portrait-orientation positions. If nylon is not your thing, the Hampton 360 (iPad mini; $40) uses a similar design but with a microfiber-leather exterior.

Orbino's Padova Mini

Orbino: The Padova Mini (iPad mini; $209 to $689) is handmade from premium, handstitched leather to fit your iPad mini like a tanned glove. It features a brushed-metal button and a front cover that’s compatible with the iPad mini’s magnetic sleep/wake feature; the case can be propped up for viewing in both landscape and portrait orientations thanks to its special removable typing stand. In addition to standard calfskin, brown, pecan, or deep-red bark-tanned leather, the case also comes in a variety of exotic skins, such as crocodile and ostrich, available in multiple colors.

Padacs's Enduro Mini

Padacs: The Enduro Mini (iPad mini; $60) is a redesign of Padacs’s Enduro for the full-size iPad. Like its bigger sibling, the Enduro Mini incorporates a rechargeable battery that boosts your iPad mini’s internal battery charge by 125 percent while adding minimal bulk and weight. The case can also be used to prop up your tablet for viewing in landscape orientation. It comes in black, blue, or pink PU leather designed specifically to minimize slipping and to improve your grip.

Pyle's Universal Waterproof Sport Case

Pyle: The Universal Waterproof Sport Case (iPad 2, 3, and 4; $50) is unlikely to win a prize for inventive naming, but it could well be all that’s standing between your iPad and an unfortunate meeting with the infamous dihydrogen monoxide. The case is designed to be waterproof up to thirty-three feet, and it even features a special headphone-jack attachment for listening to music without having to open the case. Naturally, the case also protects your tablet from dust and sand—making it the perfect companion by the pool or at the beach.

Studio Proper's Clumsy Case

Studio Proper: The Clumsy Case (iPad 2, 3, and 4; $40) is built for tiny hands and their destructive power, with generous padding that keeps your iPad safe and sound during even the roughest tumbles. It works as a convenient stand for watching cartoons and movies, and its keeps the iPad’s headphone jack, cameras, buttons, and ports easily accessible. The Clumsy Case comes in candy red, apple green, or sky blue.

XtremeMac's ThinFolio

XtremeMac: The Vintage Sleeve (iPad mini; $33) is designed to keep your iPad mini safe during transport. It features a heavyweight, retro-canvas look with faux-leather straps that hold the carrying case closed and offer a connection point for a shoulder strap or for a carabiner that connects to a larger carrier.
The Micro Folio (iPad mini; $43) is a premium folio case with a built-in stand for viewing or typing in landscape orientation. It’s compatible with the iPad mini’s magnetic sleep/wake function and comes in licorice black, bubble gum pink, peacock blue, coconut white, cherry bomb red, or grape jelly. For a different twist on the same idea, the ThinFolio (iPad mini; $38) is a one-piece, folio-style case available in carbon-fiber and leather finishes.