Reviews by The Church of Apple

Tag: iPad

  • The Ultimate Irony: ION iLP Review

    The ION iLP is a product that converts your old 33s, 45s and 78s (if you don’t know what those are, you need not read this review) into an MP3 file onto your computer or iOS device. You can also use the device to just play the records, if you have external speakers that is. The ultimate irony of it is that the iLP has a 30-pin dock connector on it, putting technologies that are 40 years apart from each other on the same device! The iLP is available directly from ION for $99.99. Free apps direct from ION for iOS, PC and Mac are available to transfer the music. $100 is a high price but if you have a huge collection of records around and you don’t have a turntable for them or you do but you want to transfer your aging records into something that will last even longer, this is for you.

    Form

    When you look at the iLP, it reminds you of the past blended with the present. It has the classic stylus (you can take off this stylus and replace it with a diamond stylus for even better sound quality) for the record, the place to put the record on and even a 45 holder so if you lost all those plastic things that you placed in the middle of the record so you could fit it in the player, you are in luck. On one corner, it has the iOS dock (oh, the irony). Covering the record playing stuff is a see-through plastic dust cover which is really useful and you don’t even have to put it on yourself, it is already attached to the turntable. Just lift and close the cover. The turntable itself, like the ION iCade Mobile, has a Piano Black chrome feel and color, which just make the device very nice. Don’t expect the iLP to be portable, it is about the size of a record player and it will require speakers even then. It is not light either but at least that shows it is sturdy and not made poorly. The iLP can not be used without the complimentary application. The app itself provides instructions and is self-explanitory. I found it to be easy to use both on the iOS devices and Mac, not sure about the PC as nothing is easy to use on that :). Seriously, it is an app that does what it needs to and performs well despite many people’s criticisms about it. Of course, what it does and how it does it is more important so let’s move on.

    Function

    The iLP is a turntable that allows you to play and record your songs on records. You put the record pole into the hold in the record (put in the 45 port if need be first) and pull the lever so you can move the stylus. Move and line up the stylus, pull the lever down and it will do one of three things. One, it will play on it’s weak internal speaker. Two, it will play through your way more powerful external speakers (and play beautifully too) or three it will play/record on your iOS device, Mac or PC. The internal speakers in the iLP, despite being quiet, are okay since they will only be used to make sure that the device is playing and recording on your iOS device, Mac or PC if you have the volume off on the device you are recording onto. Of course, this is 2013 so why not make a change to it and add more power to the internal speakers? I don’t see any reason why not. The iLP plugs into RCA inputs from a stereo system. This is how other record players worked too. Perhaps not through RCA inputs but through external speakers. Additionally, you can play the music on your computer speakers as well if the internal is too weak or you don’t have external speakers for it. It has the auto stop function and a switch to change from 33, 45 and 78 RPM speeds. It comes with a 45 connector so you can use your 45s should you have lost the ones you had from a long time ago. The applications that come with the iLP are useful despite what most reviews say. You are able to record multiple tracks at one at a time, at one time. You can do the automatic track splitting, however it will make mistakes if the song becomes quiet or if there is a scratch on the disk. I played “The Entertainer” and I got three recordings for one song. Just turn this feature off and manually split the songs if there is more than one song on a disc. What you hear is what you get. If there is static, it will playback as static which is okay considering that it is a straight conversion. Be prepared to give up some of your office space though since it is certainly not the smallest player out there. It is big and bulky, which to me is a downside because not everyone has a lot of space. Overall, the iLP is well made and is very useful for those of you who want to keep your golden oldies.

    Conclusion

    Pros

    -Strong aesthetic
    -Converts records to MP3 with no problem, easy transfer into iTunes
    -Brings back the Golden Age
    -With external speakers, including RCA or computer speakers, you can blast your ears with Johnny Cash and The Beatles
    -Applications for iOS, Mac and PC are simple to use and self-explanatory.
    -Attached dust cover
    -Stylus can be taken off and replaced by any stylus

    Cons

    -Bulky (as with all turntables)
    -Internal speaker could be improved

    Ways to improve

    This product would do best with better internal speakers. Many similar products also don’t have speakers in their turntable conversion products but why not innovate? Why not be the first to add those needed speakers?Make it more than a conversion table, make it a conversion/listening table. It concerns me a bit that this product is a bit bulky and there isn’t a whole lot you can do especially when you have a similar product that ION sells that is marketed as a smaller, cheaper version of this turntable. However, I believe that ION could work on making it a bit smaller. It can be done. I believe it can be, Apple does it all the time! :)

    The ION iLP truly does a great job at combining the older record age with the new digital age. The record age may be gone but this product helps it make it’s own little comeback. It offers conversion of your golden oldies unseen by any other product of similar pricing. It’s a job well done. It receives 4 and a half stars from me.

    Thanks for reading,

    Joe

  • Snugg iPad 2 Executive Case and Stand in Black PU Leather

    The Snugg iPad 2 Executive Case and Stand in PU Leather is exactly what it’s long title suggests. It is an iPad case! It is generally known that iPad cases for iPad 2, iPad 3, or iPad 4 will fit with iPad 2, iPad 3 or iPad 4 interchangeably but if you are still worried that the iPad 2 Executive case won’t fit your iPad 4, don’t worry, Snugg sells the iPad 4 executive case. It’s the same case but if you’re ODD about it, Snugg has got you covered (which is okay, I get that way too sometimes). Anyways, the Executive case is available from Snugg for $39.99 direct. Let’s see if it can match it’s five star brother.

    Form

    The form of the case is very similar to it’s sibling that I reviewed earlier, the Snugg iPad 4 case. It has the same nice stitching, the same out of the way features such as the stylus holder and the strap. The front has the same out of the way branding and bifold. The inside is even nicer in this case than the other Snugg case. There are a few differences in the two cases, however. First, the feel of this case isn’t as soft as the other Snugg case I reviewed. Despite that, the case is very comfortable and it feels like it is still very sturdy, just as the other case is. Another difference is that this case has another cool feature that the other regular case did not have. This case has four really nice pockets built in. One is for bigger things such as paper, money, paper pad, pencils, pens etc. The other three pockets are for pens, slips of paper such as business cards, pencils and any other little object that fits. The pockets again are out of your way and are really useful when you use them. Once again, the form of a Snugg case aces.

    Function

    The case, like it’s sibling that I reviewed, is very good at protecting the iPad. It keeps the iPad snug inside while preventing it from breaking when dropped. It does a great job keeping it from getting scratches, big or small. The case, again like it’s equivalent, has a sturdy stand and puts the iPad at both a comfortable ergonomically correct typing angle and a comfortable widescreen, landscape view. The strap, again, is very handy and I really like the ability to carry the iPad around with one hand comfortably. The additional feature of the case, the added pockets really do come in handy and I’m sure that businessmen and women really appreciate this added feature, as well as doctors, lawyers and other professionals. The pockets do go a long way especially when you use them a lot. It adds a business side to the iPad case while still keeping it practical and light.

    Conclusion

    Pros

    -Great aesthetics
    -Great design
    -Great protection
    -Great stand
    -Great strap
    -Great pockets

    Cons

    -For the third time, there is nothing that fits this category.

    Snugg has really delivered. They sent me three cases to review, two of the last case I reviewed and this one and all three are excellent cases. I mentioned in my last Snugg case review that I had used a Snugg case for a year or so. I will continue to use Snugg cases for as long as the ones I have received last and once they fall apart, if I don’t find an even better case than this, I will buy another. As with my last case, it is still at work, providing the same protection it provided me for my iPad now for my friend’s iPad and I expect it to last awhile longer. Great job Snugg on all the cases you sent me, keep doing what you’re doing, it’s working well.

    Thanks for reading,

    Joe

  • Kanex Sydnee iOS Charging Station

    The Sydnee, from Kanex, is a four device charging station available direct for $149.00. This sleek, minimalistic and space saving machine will charge four iOS devices at maximum charging speed, providing a full charge to your smaller iPod touch/iPhone devices in an hour or so to a full charge to your big boy devices, your iPads, in about two hours. If you have a shortage of cords, don’t worry, they provide you with three small but long enough cords to charge with so you only need to come up with one more. Let’s see if this charger is worth it’s high cost.

    Form

    I have very mixed opinions on this one. The Sydnee has it’s positives and negatives to it’s design, the negatives mostly applying only to those who receive a poorly constructed product. First off, the Syndee, out of all the multi-device chargers I’ve seen, takes the least amount of space on my desk. It is compact, allowing it to be stored anywhere. The product is made out of what seems to be a hard plastic with rubber pieces. It is very elegant in design and looks particularly great on my black glass desk, as the one I received is black, it comes in white as well. It does look tacky from the back having four cables coming from the back of it but if the Sydnee is against a wall, you won’t see them anyway. Also, the charger is light, consisting of a lot of air so it is easy to carry around. There are a few problems with the form of the case, not what it looks like, but how it was built. The rubber piece inside of the charger, as soon as I took Sydnee out of it’s box had already come off. Now this isn’t a small rubber piece, it’s a padding for any device that it has in it. If this said device did not have a case, it could be scratched, therefore that space would be unusable. Also, let’s not forget that you pay $150 for this charger and as soon as you open it, it already is falling apart. However, I will give the product the benefit of the doubt, provided that I probably just received a faulty product, and not all are. However, zoom up a few weeks later, and a provided cord had the connector part come out partially when I unplugged it from the iPad. It did go right back in and was still usable but the point is, it shouldn’t do that. It is not a good pattern. In addition to these two incidents, there is another thing that bugs me as well. The whole thing is black, chrome black, except for one part that is yellow. The rubber part that is yellow, a part that is actually quite useful to the charger (I will explain it in a bit), does not fit with the rest of the charger. It’s just there and it looks a little weird. It is a little nit-picky but it is not to be discounted as everything goes in a review. As a wrap-up, the Sydnee has it’s highs and lows, (more lows than highs here) in the Form category but will it be so in the Function category?

    Function

    The answer is no. The function of the charger is much better than its form. First of all, like I mentioned before, the charger does charge devices incredibly fast, faster than the Apple chargers, at least to what I have seen with it. The charger takes up little room whether on a desk, shelf etc. The charger has a pretty neat cord system as to hide the cords as much as possible. Because of the amount of power this charger provides, 2.1 amps per device, it can charge 4 iPads at the same time from 0-100% in a little over two hours. This is pretty good. Of course, not everyone has four iPads so you can charge a mixture of different Apple products and some other non-Apple products as well. The product is mainly for Apple products but it does charge other companies products as well, provided the charger is compatible with the said product(s). The device itself is pretty well protected, though I recommend that you make sure that there are cases on any device that you put on or in the Sydnee considering that they can fall right off/out of it. Fortunately, Kanex thought of this and they made it so that the device can be small enough to go anywhere, but yet open enough to where an iPad with just about any case could fit, allowing it to keep it’s protection should it fall out. I think that the best thing overall, is it’s ability to charge four iPads at the same time, charging them all in a short amount of time. That, after all, above all else, is what they advertise it will do, and it does it well.

    Conclusion

    Pros

    -Charges FAST, up to four devices, the most I have seen out of one product
    -I use it everyday
    -Cord management is effective
    -Takes up little room
    -Simplistic, yet useful design
    -Sleek black color looks great on any surface

    Cons

    -Pieces falling off (Big problem for me)
    -Not a lot of protection for the iPads themselves
    -Yellow piece doesn’t match with the rest of the charger, subtracts from elegant look of the charger
    -Three cables, four ports. Why?
    -HIGH Price

    Out of all the products I have reviewed, this charger is a true test of Form vs Function and which one is more important. I believe that if a product doesn’t perform well but looks great, it isn’t as worth as it as one that works really well but has cosmetic issues. This is the case with this charger. The charger isn’t the greatest in the form, but it does everything it promised it would do. The product definitely received a 5/5 in what it does but it receives a 3.5/5 in its form, it would have been a 2/5 with the pieces falling off, however I realize that most people’s chargers would not fall apart like mine. At what point does the Form influence the final score? I think that as long as Kanex doesn’t send out chargers with rubber pieces coming off, then I will give the benefit of the doubt and give the Kanex Sydnee a 4/5. I believe that there is not a product quite like this one on the market at this time, considering the low space it takes up and the amount of things it can charge at one time. However, the price and the poor construction make it so that I can’t give it anything higher than a 4/5. I hope that Kanex can just put a little more glue on their product and take a little less money for the product and I would definitely raise the final score. Good job Kanex on a product that performs well and meets and exceeds it’s advertised abilities.

    Thanks for reading,

    Joe

  • Hammerhead Capo iPad Case

    The Hammerhead Capo Case is a case for the iPad 2,3 and 4. The case is available for $39.99 direct from Hammerhead. Personally, this is the case I use everyday. Allow me to explain why.

    Form

    The case does not excel in the form section of this review. The case is available in 5 two-toned colors. All cases feature black trim. The available colors are as follows: White, orange, blue, red and black. The black case is all black with no color, including the trimming. The case is a one-fold that flips around the back and the clip attached goes into one of the holes on the back to form a very functional case. The case is also comfortable on the hands. In terms of colors, I think the two-toned color scheme is nice. It gives the case a uniqueness, unlike many uni-colored cases on the market. The case provides a lot of protection for your iPad but it still is light and thin. However, there are a few issues cosmetically with it also. The case sent to me (this may not apply to all cases) was not completed, in my opinion. The white part on the case was not pressed in all the way, forming raised parts where the white part was not pressed in all the way. After a short time of using this case, I was already getting loose string hanging on the case, something that happened to my last case a year or more after I received it. Also, while I appreciate the black part of the case, I do not appreciate the fact that it is painstakingly clear that it is metal. The bi-fold on the case that folds back is metal (it’s the black bar that goes across about 1/3 the case). It’s not the bar itself that bothers me, but it’s the fact that you can see the metal of it (little bolts that hold it together, the line that separates the two pieces). To me, it is a little tacky. Despite these tacky issues the case still does what it is meant to do, protect.

    Function

    This case does what it is meant to do, protect. Despite it’s light and thin profile, this case provides the most protection I have seen out of any case this form factor. The case is made out of polyurethane material which always does a great job in protection. The case is a hard-shell case that will protect against falls. The case holds onto the iPad extremely well, probably one of the best grasps I have see on an iPad case thus far. The case also protects the ports better than any case I have reviewed thus far. There is only an opening to put the ports into and thats it, and even the case that surrounds the port is raised. It is very port protective. The case also has the best stand out of the cases I have reviewed so far. The case has a stand with five different options. Three, tall landscape stand options (more choices than most cases, allowing you to choose your perfect viewing angle), one for typing (which has been placed at the perfect angle), and one for a upright portrait stand. The case of course has the standard auto lock/unlock feature that would be a bad thing not to have. There is one thing that I like and dislike about the case. The case has a clasp that holds it closed. While the clasp ensures that the case will not accidentally open, there are some people who won’t be able to open the case. The clasp is the reason why people who have arthritis in their hands will not be able to use the case. It is a great case, but it’s a great case for people who can open it. For me and anyone else without weak hands, it’s great but I would not recommend it for a person with weak hands only because of the difficulty of opening the case. Despite this flaw, the case is still probably one of the best I have reviewed thus far.

    Conclusion

    Pros

    -Very durable
    -Thin and light
    -Best stand on a case I have reviewed
    -Clasp keeps case closed
    -Colored nicely
    -Comfortable to the hands to hold

    Cons

    -Case would be difficult to open for anyone with weak hands, especially senior citizens
    -Some tacky aesthetics

    The reason people buy a case is not for it to be the nicest case ever, but to be durable, light, thin and functional. This case passes all those and more. It delivers on it’s protective abilities and stand. The case I mentioned earlier was the case that I have been using for a long time and it is the case that was replaced by this one. I use this case on a daily basis; it is my primary case. Considering the pros and the cons, this case receives a 4 and a half star rating from me. Great job Hammerhead!

    Thanks for reading,

    Joe

  • Switcheasy CoverBuddy

    The Switcheasy CoverBuddy is a backing for the iPad that has an Apple Smart Cover attached to it. It literally is a “buddy” for an Smart Cover equipped iPad. It is available from Switcheasy for $24.99 and I will tell you why that would be $24.99 well spent for anyone with a Smart Cover equipped iPad.

    Form

    The product is simple. It’s a backing for a Smart Covered iPad. Despite this over-simplisity, the case can still be reviewed very positively. The CoverBuddy is made out of tough polycarbonate material. The case’s material is very smooth to the touch and almost a gift to hold. The protection of the ports, aside from the port protectors, is excellent and I feel that nothing will end up hitting the port while still leaving enough room to actually put the cable into it. The CoverBuddy has a very light and thin profile and adds virtually no weight or thickness to the iPad. Despite this profile, the SmartCover protects the iPad pretty well. Despite the fact that, by itself, it doesn’t provide enough protection, I would rather use it by itself than some full-fledged cases I have seen in the past.

    Function

    The function of the cover is simple. The CoverBuddy provides protection for the back of an iPad that has a Smart Cover attached to it. The case has polycarbonate material which is known to be pretty protective. The backing provides protection for the speaker grill and ports. It lacks a stand but that is taken care of by the Smart Cover so it doesn’t matter. Again, like the other Switcheasy cases I reviewed, it has it’s disadvantages. Like the others, it has the annoying port protectors that are not attached to the case through physical attachment or a pouch. It is my (strong) recommendation to Switcheasy to either attach the port protectors to the case, whether it be physically attached or in a pouch, or abandon the idea altogether. However, despite this disadvantage, the CoverBuddy is still very protective and practical for someone who has an iPad with a Smart Cover.

    Conclusion

    Pros

    -Very protective of the back
    -Protects ports well without the port protectors
    -Very smooth and easy to the skin
    -Comes in many colors so you can personalize to your favorite color

    Cons

    -Port protectors

    The Switcheasy CoverBuddy is easily one of the best back covers for the iPad. I fear that the need for this product will diminish with the Smart Case bound to take over the Smart Cover completely. But until then, if you have a Smart Cover or buy one before they are pulled from the shelves, make sure to remember the 5 star reviewed CoverBuddy because it will compliment your Smart Cover well.

    Thanks for reading,

    Joe

  • Switcheasy Pelle case

       The Switcheasy Pelle case is an iPad 2/3 case that is available directly from Switcheasy for $59.99 direct from the manufacturer. The case is made out of very durable material and has a slide lock for the stand, which in myopinion is a good idea and I’ll explain in a bit. Again, switch easy made the same color error they made with the exec case. As you all know, my name is Joe and I am a guy. They sent me a blueish green case with little “diamonds” on it. Unless I want to have “bling” on my iPad case, this isn’t exactly my choice but I’ll tell you why it might be your choice, that is if they send you a color you like.

    Form:

    The design of the case is simplistic yet elegant. The case features a bifold Polyurethane Faux Leather front cover and a tough polycarbonate backing. The front cover of the case comes in five colors, two with the “bling”, three without. It has pink and blue-green with sparkles, and red, blue and black without them. The backing is set to whatever front color you get. There is a light brown that goes with the pink, blue-green and red cases. There is a light blue backing for the blue case and a black backing for the black case. The little diamonds are located on a metal “lock” that locks and unlocks the bifold. The lock is used so that if you want to use the stand, you can pull out the bifold and use the stand and if not, you can lock it in so it isn’t slinging about, which is a really nice form and function of the case.  The material of the case is very soft to the hand and is not sharp. Despite it’s slim and lightweight form factor, the case provides very good protection from wear and tear and three story falls alike. All the ports are adequately protected and I like the quilt-like hole pattern they use to cover the speaker. I have found that the quality of the speaker is not reduced by the protection so that is nice (the iPad speaker is already not good as it is, we don’t need something completely blocking out the sound).  The stitching that went into the case is solid and there are no loose strings. I think the case definitely aces the “form” section of the review, but of course the real question is “Is it sufficient?”

    Function:

    In short, the answer to that question is mostly yes. The case does very well at doing what it is made to do. It protects the iPad should it fall out of your hands. It has the auto lock/unlock feature that just about every iPad 2/3 case has and while in itself isn’t a thing that will give it a higher prestige than other cases, it is one of those things that if it didn’t have it, it would be a big negative. I am a fan of the lock and unlock of the bifold since when I am not using the stand on the case, I don’t want something dangling down and annoying my hand or flopping around, so it is an appreciated feature. Again, as I mentioned the case does have good protection of the ports. There are a few things I am not pleased with, however. The case lacks protection for the screen when it is open. Therefore, should you drop the iPad while the front cover is open and it lands on the screen face down, the case will provide no protection should it fall face down. Another thing, as with the previous Switcheasy case I reviewed, the exec, the case has the annoying port protectors that aren’t attached nor can be stored in a pouch. The protectors would have worked if they pulled a Ottorbox case idea where the protectors are part of the case. They do provide purpose in everyday use but they are weakly implemented and need to be improved. On a brighter note, the stand on the Pelle is better than the one on the exec case. It was a bit difficult to figure out but once I did, it provided a much better stand than the exec did, the entire iPad is still protected and it provides a better, more ergonomically correct angle. This one isn’t too high and isn’t too low. It also provides an adequate upright stand which the exec didn’t provide as well as the Pelle did. In all, the case does what it’s supposed to do, protect.

    Conclusion:

    Pros:

    -Provides adequate protection

    -Made out of strong material

    -Auto lock/unlock feature

    -Lock and unlock bifold minimize “dangling”

    -Adequate stand both landscaper and portrait

    Cons:

    -When the front cover is open, the screen of the iPad is completely unprotected. This is my biggest issue.

    -Port protectors not integrated with the case and can easily be lost

     

    As you can see there are a lot more Pros in this case than Cons. The one thing this case does best is provide protection but one thing it does worst at is provide protection (when the front cover is open). The case is very protective and grips the iPad in a death grip, so there is no possibility of it falling out. As a lot of iOS screens are getting damaged these days, it is important for cases to provide protection on the front of it and this case does not do so. However, I will say this. I have not seen a lot of iPads with broken screens but a lot of iPhones and iPods with broken screens. iPads tend not to get screens broken but it is possible. Despite the fact that the front isn’t covered at all when the front cover is open, it is still a really good case. It provides adequate protection when closed (when most falls happen) and provides an adequate stand, something the exec case lacked. The areas around the ports are protected by the case efficiently and that is part of the reason why I see no point in the port protectors. The case has its pros and cons and despite one major con, the major pros block it out mostly and give the case a 4 star rating.

     

    Thanks for reading,

    Joe

  • Switcheasy exec iPad case

    The Switcheasy exec case is an iPad case that is available from Switcheasy for $59.99 directly from the store. The case is available in 5 colors, black, orange, blue, green or pink. The case is made out of very durable materialand offers a stand and protectors for the different ports (we will discuss these in a minute). The case they sent me was pink (not entirely sure why, my name is Joe, how much more obvious could it get?) so I won’t be using it but I’m going to explain why it might be for you, just make sure you get it in the right color.

     

    Form:

    The exec case is made out of very durable polycarbonate and PU material. It is some of the strongest case material on the market making this one very protective case. The case comes in 5 stunning colors (even the pink looks good), black, orange, blue, green, or pink, my favorite being the black one since it matches well with a white iPad. Speaking of iPad, it fits the iPad 2 and the new iPad perfectly, using a very durable snap frame to lock into place. In fact, it grips it so tight, there is a certain way you have to put it on or it won’t even go on. The way to put it on is simple but it definitely is comforting to know this case is as attached to the iPad as an alcoholic is to his bottle. The stand is set up to where the front cover have groves in it, the one side of the iPad comes out and goes into the groves as a stand. It works well as a stand to make the iPad tall, but isn’t very ergonomically correct to type on. The texture on the case is very smooth and is “kind” to the touch. Again, it is very durable and does not bend but yet the case adds little weight. It does add a bit of thickness to it but that’s a tradeoff for one really protective case, perhaps one of the most protective on the market. The form of this case is perfect and should not be changed one bit (with the exception of the stand, I’ll discuss this in a moment). The case is attractive and appeals to the eye while still being made out of the materials to protect it from the worst of falls.

    Function:

    As made apparent in the previous paragraph, this case is very protective. It will protect it against falls that most cases would give little protection to. This is the main purpose of the case and it it exceeds it well. Also, as with most iPad cases these days, the case has the auto wake feature which in itself doesn’t make a case better than others but a lack of it certainly makes it worse, so I’m glad this case has it. All the ports and buttons are easily accessible, something that is a little harder to find in cases. However, despite it serving it’s main purposes, the case does has it’s flaws. For one, the port protectors are useful, but only if the iPad will sit and collect dust. The protectors are not attached to the case and that’s a huge flaw because you only have two sets of these things, once you lose them (which is very easy to do since there is no pouch or anywhere to put it), they’re gone and if you want them back you need to buy more. This, in my opinion, was a big flaw. The protectors, in order to prove useful, should have been attached to the case, just are the protectors are for the Otterbox cases. The protectors on those is probably what the company was striving for but missed it. In fact, I’d rather them not give them to you at all. Also, another thing was the stand. While it was a positive in my view that it had one, the case has a flawed stand. To put the iPad in a typing position, it could be done, very easily too,  but it was a little low for me. I would have preferred it a bit higher, and this isn’t such a big deal as compared to the “stand tall” stand. In order to have a tall iPad, you will need to take out half the iPad to put into a grove on the front cover of the case. There are a few issues with this. One, you need a flat surface because the front cover needs to be flat. Two, half the iPad is uncovered, should it fall while “standing” you might be in trouble, especially on high surfaces. Three, I found it a bit difficult to get the iPad out of the side to put it into a grove. While this isn’t necessarily a problem with me, people with weak hands won’t be able to get it out to make a stand. I feel that the stand is poorly implemented and needs improvement. I feel that if I were Switcheasy, I would make the front cover go into a slit in the back and make a stand out of that. Of course, I am not reviewing a stand, I’m reviewing a case, and as a case it does very well. However, because the case comes with a stand, it would not be fair not to include it.

    Conclusion

    Pros

    -Very protective

    -Auto-on function

    -Comes in great colors

    -Made out of smooth-to-the-touch, protective material

    Cons

    -Doesn’t need the I/O protectors

    -Poor stand

     

    As you can see the pros outweigh the cons and the case performs its main function of protecting the case but unfortunately doesn’t provide a sufficient stand. Therefore, if you don’t mind it having a not-so-good stand, then this case is perfect for you. If you want a stand, I would look somewhere else but I wouldn’t look far, this company has other great cases that may be for you, I have a few other cases from this company I think you’d really enjoy. As a stand-alone stand, it clearly earns a 5/5 but as a case with a stand I would give it a 4/5 with the power of the protection of the case saving it from a 3.5. I feel I should rate everything that it comes with so, with that,  the score is a 4/5.

    Thanks for reading,

    Joe