For those of you who have yet to find the perfect iPad case, I can’t say I’m surprised. There are so many options out there, but none seem to have every benefit all together at once. Either you get a slim silhouette, or you get a kickstand. Either you have something super pretty or something really durable.
If your priorities happen to be thin, attractive, and indestructible, you’re in luck. Enter the monCarbone iPad portfolio. It works essentially like a folder for your iPad which snaps inside, nice and snugly. The bottom is made from actual handmade carbon fiber, so it’s got the smooth, shiny feel of a bike helmet or a rocket ship (seriously–same material) and evidently has more strength and durability than steel. The top however is less gearhead than that–the colorful, water-resistant cover looks like a day planner, but is velvet-y on the inside to protect your screen.
They sent me the Narcissus Green option for review and it’s not nearly as neon as the photo. More like a nice subtle sage. Great gender neutral choice.
I also love the look of the silver iPad 2 case (shown above) made with the same carbon fibers. But then, I’d need an iPad 2. Ahem.
The monCarbone portfolio really is a dandy case if you want a basic but tough portfolio that you can slide into a bag’s side pocket with almost no bulk at all. My only complaint is that while it opens up fairly flat behind the iPad when in use, it doesn’t close flat; little tab with a snap or bit of Velcro would do the trick. But it does offer such sturdy protection, that if you already keep your iPad in some sort of soft case when you’re out and about, it’s a terrific option. –Liz
For iPad 1 and 2 cases, portfolios, and iPhone accessories, check out monCarbone
How is this for dropping it – does it have enough cushion? Looking for something cool, sleek but a true protection (my tends to get dropped!)
Thanks for the review!
I got one of the first iPad2 smart cover compatible cases (the smartt mate one) so I could probably comment on it:
The portfolio case (they have two, a portfolio and a smartt mate) would probably provide more protection than Smartt mate (which is the sleek one shown in the picture) but its more bulky. The sleek Smartt mate design would take a fair amount of knocks, but obviously because carbon fibre is hard as steel, it will transfer the drop through to the ipad so while it will protect it from being dented, if its a hard enough drop, it may still damage the internal workings because the carbon fibre doesn’t offer cushioning at all. I don’t think any case without bulk will provide any cushioning, its a compromise because the cushioning needs to add bulk in order to give way. The smartt mate is probably the sleekest best design I’ve seen for the iPad2 and the smart cover compatible nature of the cover is really good.
Completely agree with the notion that it’s not about cushioning. what it does do is keep it from getting banged around in your bag, but not sure if it will survive a toddler flinging it off a high chair.
I love the DoDo case! It’s classy and practical – I feel like the case is very protective.
Agree on the dodocase, its a really nice design. There is a similar book style one called the octavo which is compatible with the magnetic latch so when you open the cover it automatically switches the iPad2 on – I don’t think the dodocase has added it yet, but its only applicable to the iPad2 anyway. The other book design I used on an old iPad was something called the BookBook which looks like a 100 year old book. Its good for knocks and disguising the iPad but pretty bulky, even more so than the dodocase and the octavo, so its not ideal if you want something slim but it gets reactions if you go to meetings with it.