As a high school band director I spend much of my time in the fall outside in the football stadium, running back and forth between the stands and the field. My iPad has become my primary teaching device. It carries everything I need. Music, drill, metronome, video camera, gradebook, etc. But even though I am a type A person who takes very good care of my devices, I still worry about accidents happening in this very mobile teaching lifestyle. So I am always on the look out for a good case that will help protect my most important of teaching tools, but still allow me flexibility for other uses. I've tried the Otterbox case but it is very bulky. I have used snap on back covers but they don't play well with my Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard. Skins provide scratch protection but nothing substantive. What to do?!
The Grabbit case by New Trent was an intriguing choice so I decided to give it a try. It is a very affordable option, about the same price of many of the snap on rear covers. When it arrived it comes out of the box looking pretty attractive (the leather strap especially). The case comes with the back cover, the leather strap, the front cover and a white snap on stand that has the ability to also act as wall hanger. So how does all this work on the field?
The Grabbit fits my iPad 2 great. It snaps in very easily by attaching to the four corners of the iPad, leaving the sides of the iPad open. What I like about this set up is that it still allows for use of the Apple Smart Cover, though I have found that I don't use the combination as much as I thought I would. It also lets me take the case out very easily to use with other peripherals such as my Logitech keyboard. The case has the appropriate cut outs for the speaker, camera, volume buttons, etc and are easy to access.
The leather handle feels good and really does class up the unit, which is hard to do with any plastic cover. I am curious if the leather will end up stretching over time. The strap is attached to the back cover by a very simple process of threading through the back, and it also adjustable. The center of the back cover rotates 360 degrees so that while holding the iPad you can create the most comfortable viewing angle. I have read other reviews that said the back of the cover creates circular scratches but what I found was that those "scratches" clean off and aren't actually scratches at all. I suspect that it is dirt that gets in from the sides being open as well as the opening for the attachable stand.
The front cover snaps on very securely, almost too much. Many times when I am trying to take the front cover off, I end up taking it out of the back cover by mistake. But I do like how the unit feels with both covers attached. A real sense of a secure and protective cover combination. I know some have complained that there isn't a place to store the front cover. And while that is true, I am not sure that there is a solution. It can't fold back because of the leather strap. I just don't use the front cover when I am actively using the iPad. I think of the front cover being available for protection when I am throwing it in my backpack or walking from the school to the stadium. And again, the back cover works with the Apple Smart Cover, which is a bit easier to fold up and store. Overall, I think the front cover does what it is suppose to and does it well.
The stand/wall hanging mount snaps into the back center and allows you to set the iPad up for viewing movies or for use with a external keyboard, but only in portrait. The stand snaps in very securely and then rotates in the same process that the strap does. And yes, you can leave the strap on when using the stand. The wall mount feature is a neat idea and I want to like it, but I just can't figure out when I would realistically utilize it in that fashion. I will keep trying though! The stand pops off but it does take a bit of effort, which probably isn't a bad thing. At first it did feel that I was going to break the stand when trying to remove it but over time I got use to it.
Overall I would give this product a rating of 4+ out of 5. It is well thought out and constructed. The thing that I love the most, the way the iPad attaches to the back cover, also gives me hesitation that it could pop out a bit too easily. I have been thinking about what would make me feel more secure, perhaps a thicker plastic. But that would add weight. Securing beyond the four corners would do the job but then the iPad could very well be too hard to remove. Ultimately I think I should just realize that while the case is great for walking around during a presentation, it isn't to be hurled around like Captain America's shield. It just feels like it.
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Customer Review: Great accessory for the iPad 2
Jeff
