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Pad & Quill Little Pocket Book for iPhone 5/5s: Review and giveaway
As a reviewer, you know you're getting something special to look at when the item comes hand-wrapped in paper sealed with wax. That was the first thing that caught my attention when Pad & Quill sent over one of their Little Pocket Book wallet cases for the iPhone 5 and 5s (US$69.95, currently on sale for $59.95). The second thing to catch my eye? The wisely-designed interior wallet that -- for once -- had slots wide enough to easily accept credit cards and IDs. Competing designs have assumed that a slot needs to be exactly as wide as a credit card, which sadly means that you end up forcing cards into those slots. Not so with the Little Pocket Book. Like every one of the Pad & Quill products I've had the pleasure to review over the years, this wallet case shows an attention to detail in both design and execution. The Little Pocket Book comes in a choice of two exterior leathers, either black or brown. For the brown exterior, there's a choice of Deep Sea Blue or Forest Green for the interior; with the black exterior, the blue interior color is joined by Merlot, French Roast, Plum and Slate Gray. As with many of Pad & Quill's cases, the iPhone is held into place in a Baltic Birch wood frame that is carefully machined and finished. The leather stitching is perfect inside and out, and there are subtle embossed areas on the front and spine of the case that add texture and class. Everything is held shut by an elastic band, and Pad & Quill even offers personalization with a three-initial embossed monogram on the cover. The Little Pocket Book isn't going to add a lot of weight to your pocket -- even with the solid construction, it only weighs 2.7 oz (76.5 gm). Pad & Quill certainly has faith in its products: they're now offering a 30-day no-questions-asked money back guarantee, and the leatherwork has a 25-year warranty. That's a heck of a lot longer than your iPhone is probably going to last... Pros Three wide slots for credit and ID cards in the wallet, plus a slot for currency Incredibly good construction and attention to detail Leather warranty is unprecedented in the case business and there's a 30-day no-questions-asked money back guarantee as well Made in the USA Cons None to speak of Who is it for? The discerning iPhone 5 or 5s owner who wants a good-looking, well-made wallet case that will last for years Giveaway We've had our chance at trying out the beautifully functional Little Pocket Book for iPhone 5/5s. Now it's time for you to win one of these craftsman-made cases from Pad & Quill. Here are the rules for the giveaway: Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older. To enter, fill out the form below completely and click or tap the Submit button. The entry must be made before October 1, 2013 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time. You may enter only once. One winner will be selected and will receive a Pad & Quill Little Pocket Book for iPhone 5/5s valued at $69.95 Click Here for complete Official Rules. Loading...
Weekend giveaway: Pad and Quill Aria iPad cases -- and discounts
Mr. and Mrs. PQ, proprietors of Pad and Quill LLC in lovely Minneapolis, Minnesota, are apparently trying to keep themselves sane in this year's wacky spring weather (it was crazy in Colorado yesterday, too). They're warming things up by offering a giveaway of Pad and Quill Aria iPad cases -- one for iPad 2-4, the other for iPad mini (see photo above) -- and a nice discount for TUAW readers who don't win one of these beautiful cases. The Aria cases are, to quote a certain blogger, "a masterpiece." They're handmade out of gorgeous full-grain leather with hand tooling and protect your iPad in a hand-finished Baltic birch wood frame. The Aria for iPad (image below, usually $119.99, now on sale for $109.99) is available in three different finishes, as iss the Aria for iPad mini (normally $99.99, on sale for $89.99). To take part in the giveaway, fill out the form below. If you would just like to take advantage of a great deal, Pad and Quill is offering 15% off the price of any of the product line -- whether or not it's already on sale! Just use coupon code TUAW4 when checking out to save yourself some bucks. Here are the rules for the giveaway: Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older. To enter, fill out the form below completely and click or tap the Submit button. The entry must be made before May 6, 2013 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time. You may enter only once. Two winners will be selected. One will receive a Pad and Quill Aria case for iPad mini valued at $99.99, while the other receives a Pad and Quill Aria for iPad 4/3/2 valued at $119.99. Click Here for complete Official Rules. Loading...
Pad and Quill's Aria iPad mini case: A masterpiece
In musical terms, an aria is an expressive melody usually sung by one singer. In classic opera, an aria is one incredible, soaring experience that brings an audience to its feet. For an iPad mini, an Aria (US$99.99, pre-order price $89.99) is a beautiful leather iPad mini case crafted by the artisans at Pad and Quill. Brian Holmes, aka "Mr. PQ", was kind enough to send me one of only three Aria prototypes in existence so I could give it a try. What I found upon opening the box was a symphony of wood and leather that is really quite breathtaking. The Aria, which folds into a traditional landscape-mode stand, is made of a thick full-grain American leather -- boot leather, if you will. That's quite different from the thin leather veneers that are usually used in concert with book binder's board to make a stiff cover. The leather has small embossed decorations on the cover and spine, with the cover decoration done in an "apple branch" motif. The Aria comes in three color schemes: coffee spine and onyx black cover, chestnut (lighter brown) spine and onyx black cover, and an onyx black spine with chestnut cover. The cover, by the way, has those little magnets to turn your mini on and off automatically. There's also an elastic band to hold the cover closed in transit, and a red "bookmark" ribbon to ease removing your mini from the case. Holding the iPad mini in place is one of Pad and Quill's hand-finished Baltic Birch frames, perfectly form-fitting and beautifully finished. There are large cutouts for the earphone jack, orientation lock, volume controls, speakers and Lightning port. If you've been holding off on buying an iPad mini case, there's no reason to wait any longer. I honestly don't believe that you're going to find a more stunning or well-made iPad mini case anywhere. Owners of "regular" iPads will be happy to hear that a full-sized version of Aria is in the design phase now and should be available later this year.
Attending Macworld/iWorld 2013? Join us for the TUAW Meetup tonight
For the past few years at Macworld Expo and Macworld/iWorld, we've sponsored a meetup to get together with TUAW readers, enjoy each other's company and do some great giveaways. This year is no exception, and we have a meetup planned for tonight -- Friday, February 1, 2013 -- starting at 8:30 PM at Jillian's, 175 4th Street, San Francisco. That's just across the street from Moscone West, where Macworld/iWorld is taking place. We'll be providing refreshments, billiards and tons of giveaways, and the meetup is always a fun place to meet the TUAW cast of characters and new friends. So please join us for what's sure to be an enjoyable evening! This year's event is made possible by the generosity of our sponsors: HP -- be sure to visit the HP team at booth 602 to see how technology can empower people to help them create, make the digital tangible and harness the power of human information. Readdle -- one of the amazing success stories of the iPad era has been Readdle, the developers of such great productivity apps as Documents for iPad, Remarks, PDF Expert and Scanner Pro. Pad and Quill -- beautiful cases for iPad, iPhone, MacBook Air and Kindle. Handcrafted in the USA by a small Minneapolis-based family company, using local craftsmen to construct bookbindery cases for touch devices. Many thanks also go out to the many other manufacturers and developers who have donated the products to be given away at tonight's event. What's in the goodie bags? You'll have to show up to find out! (Note that we did not deliberately choose to cross-schedule with the annual Cirque du Mac festivities hosted by our friends at The Mac Observer; that's just how the venue availability shook out this year. If you're headed to Cirque, come by and say hi on your way!)
iPhone 5 case roundup for November 8, 2012
iPhone 5 cases are starting to arrive at the TUAW labs in droves, so we'll be doing a series of roundups over the next month or so highlighting some of the best of the crop. In today's roundup we feature the Pad & Quill Little Pocket Book, the Grove Bamboo case, the Tavik Time case, the Seidio Surface case and the totally unique U Bling Do It Yourself case. Pad & Quill Little Pocket Book TUAW has reviewed a number of cases from Minneapolis-based Pad & Quill, and they're all beautiful leather-bound wood-lined cases. The Little Pocket Book for iPhone 5 (US$59.99, see image at top of post) takes one of these classic cases and adds a wallet to the front cover so that you can carry your most important items -- ID, credit card, cash, and iPhone -- in one case. The wood frame for the iPhone 5 is made of lacquer-finished Baltic birch that has been machine routered to fit the phone perfectly. On the wallet side, there are leather pockets for your ID and credit cards, as well as a larger pocket for folding cash. The case comes in either black or brown leather on the exterior -- the black case interior pockets can be either "french roast" brown or mahogany red, while those for the brown case come in a choice of either deep sea blue or forest green. If you're looking for a thin, minimalist iPhone 5 case, then the Little Pocket Book is probably not for you. While your iPhone 5 is a svelte .30" thick, popping it into the Little Pocket Book is going to increase the width to about .68". Still, you can replace a wallet with this case and it both looks and feels great. Grove Bamboo Case Portland, OR-based Grove makes some beautiful iPhone cases as well, also using natural materials. With this case, the "wood" is actually a grass -- bamboo -- and the iPhone 5 case ($79) provides protection and beauty in a lovely, thin, and lightweight package. A plant fiber composite material in either black or white is used around the bezel of the phone to add both contrast to the case and protection for the iPhone. The case is made up of a small bottom piece with holes for the Lightning connector and earbud jack, and a larger top piece containing openings for the volume/lock buttons and the camera/flash combo. The on/off button is actually another piece of wood that flexes to push the "real" button on the phone when depressed. Inside, the back of the phone is protected by a soft black felt material that covers some pads that help "push" the phone into the front of the case for a snug fit. The case weighs just 1.1 ounces, and with the case installed your iPhone 5 will only be about .44" thick. The cases can be monogrammed for personalization ($15 per monogram), you can choose a laser-etched artwork from a large variety ($20 extra), or you can even provide your own logo or artwork for a truly unique case ($129). The Grove Bamboo Case really has to be seen and touched to be believed -- it's quite a gorgeous piece of art. Tavik Time Case Of the iPhone 5 cases being reviewed today, this is probably the most commonplace. The Tavik Time Case ($29.95) is made of a thin resin material (black, white, grey, pink, cyan, or green) with a cutout design that accentuates the phone. The Time Case adds virtually no weight to your iPhone 5 -- just .5 ounce -- and is also the slimmest case in this review at just .375" thickness. If you aren't particularly blown away by the Time Case, I recommend visiting the Tavik website and taking a look at their catalog. The Staple and Channel cases are both lightweight and slim, and there are other designs shown in the catalog that might be concepts at this point, but represent a bold direction for this Southern California-based design house. Seidio Surface Case The Surface Case ($29.95, $49.95 in a combo version with holster, $54.95 with holster and kickstand) is another plastic case that adds little in terms in weight or bulk to your iPhone 5. The review case was the Combo with a kickstand and holster. While the case can be carried by itself in pocket or purse without too much of a fuss, those who like to carry a phone on their belt will love the adjustable holster (lined with felt to protect the iPhone screen). The coolest feature on this case is the kickstand, which flips out of the back and lets your iPhone 5 sit up in landscape mode. It's perfect for watching movies with the iPhone sitting on a table. The case is available in black, glossed white, sage green, garnet red, piano black (gloss black), amethyst (purple), royal blue, and fuchsia. U Bling Do It Yourself Case This is probably the most fun case I've ever had the pleasure of reviewing! The U Bling Do It Yourself Case (€29.99) consists of a case with a special "sheet" perforated with a bunch of small holes. With each case you get about 400 "pops", small plastic pieces that are popped into those holes using a special installation tool. The result? You can create your own fun and completely unique case with a pattern that you design. There's a design tool online for perfecting your design before you start inserting the pops, as well as a free iPad app. Customizing this case can be enhanced by adding a different colored back (they come in pink, white and black) and then using a Fun Pack that comes with 600 more pops to play with. Giveaway Now that you've had a chance to look at all of these iPhone 5 cases, it's your time to win one. Here are the rules for the giveaway: Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older. To enter, fill out the form below completely and click or tap the Submit button. The entry must be made before November 11, 2012 11:59PM Eastern Standard Time. You may enter only once. Five winners will be selected and each will receive one of the cases described in this post. Value of the cases is as follows: Little Pocket Book for iPhone 5 ($59.99), Grove Bamboo Case ($79), Tavik Time Case ($29.95), Seidio Surface Combo with Holster and Kickstand ($54.95), and U Bling Do It Yourself Case with two Fun Packs (€53.99). Click Here for complete Official Rules. Loading...
Pad & Quill's Littlest Black Book turns an April Fool's joke into reality
Back on April Fools' Day, Pad & Quill CEO Brian Holmes let me in on a little joke that he was putting together. The joke was a small version of their Little Black Book iPhone case that was created for the iPod nano. To make the joke look realistic, Holmes and his team actually made a small prototype. Of course, at the time Holmes really didn't think that Pad & Quill would ever make more than just one of these cases, nonetheless put the case into production. Now, after getting some funding through Kickstarter, Pad & Quill is selling the Littlest Black Book as a real product. The product, which costs US$34.99, is amazingly cute. The result of Holmes' sense of humor is the smallest handmade bindery case for any device. It's made in Minneapolis, Minnesota from of the same quality materials that are used for Pad & Quill's other products. A tiny handmade wood frame holds the iPod nano into place. There is a leather bound cover, and inside the front cover there is even room for a miniscule, stamp–sized bookplate. And would you believe there's even a small red ribbon bookmark? It's certainly novel (no pun intended), and your friends are sure to do a double-take when you reach into a bag, pull out a tiny book, open it up, and tap on the display. Enjoy the gallery of photos. %Gallery-158168%
The Ultimate iPad Case Review Roundup and Giveaway
As much as I love reviewing iPad cases, it sometimes becomes a bit overwhelming to handle all of the review requests we get from manufacturers. In the interest of getting a pile of overdue case reviews done and get these cool cases into the hands of our readers, I'm going to review and give away a dozen of these cases in one big post. Anyone looking for an iPad case can find something here to make them happy. Aranez Notebook K-Leather Case The most exotic case of the bunch has to be the Aranez Notebook K-Leather iPad Case (US$119.95). In case you're wondering what K-Leather is, it's leather made from kangaroos! This beautiful black folio-style case comes with leather conditioner and a fiber cloth to keep your K-Leather case looking good. When the case is opened, the left side reveals a small wallet -- there's room for a driver's license, some credit cards, and even a pouch for folding money. On the other side is a polycarbonate clip-in for your iPad 2 or third-generation iPad. Officially it's designed for the iPad 2 only, but my third-gen device fit into the case with no issues. The case has openings in the bottom for the Dock Connector and speaker, a cut-out on the side for the volume toggle and orientation/mute lock, and the top is wide open. The folio is held closed with a magnetic clasp, and the entire thing looks like something that would be entirely at home in an executive suite. With no offense to the many other manufacturers of folio cases, the Aranez Notebook K-Leather Case is probably the classiest case I've seen so far. Pad & Quill Contega, Octavo, Octavo Luxury, and Graduate Edition Cases for Third-Generation iPad I've raved about Pad & Quill's iPad and iPhone cases before, but this time I think they've outdone themselves. With each iteration of their products comes refinement, and the products just keep getting better. First, let's talk about the Octavo Luxury Case ($119.99). Rather than the bonded leather used in Pad & Quill's other cases, the Luxury Case features real soft-stitched leather in either black or mahogany brown. Like the other cases, the iPad is held into the case securely in a beautifully-machined lacquered Baltic birch frame. There are a variety of interior bookbinding cloth colors to choose from. Pad & Quill used to use those little sticky-backed pads in the corners a lá DODOcase, but now they use small rubber inserts that are more permanent, durable and attractive. They call this the Sure-Lock System; this makes sense, since the last name of the owners of Pad & Quill is Holmes (Get it? Sure-Lock Holmes? Wa-hahahaha!) Other features of the Octavo Luxury Case include an elastic band to hold the cover closed in transit, magnets in the cover to turn your iPad on and off, and a folder in the inside cover for important papers. If you like the combination of laminated wood, real leather, and traditional bookbinding techniques, you're going to love the Octavo Luxury Case. Next, the Octavo comes in a less-expensive ($69.99) version using bonded leather on the outside, but with the same Sure-Lock bumper system and magnetic on/off system. For wood and leather folio cases, the Octavo is probably the best bargain on the market. For our next case from Pad & Quill, we'll go to something that is a bit more like the DODOcase -- the Graduate Edition Case for iPad ($59.99). Rather than using leather, the exterior of the Graduate Edition is beautifully finished in traditional book bindery cloth. The one I received for this review was covered in a delicious forest green cloth with a "espresso" interior; there are also for deep blue and burgundy exteriors. I'd like to point out to anyone considering a DODOcase that they'll be missing out on the new Sure-Lock bumper system and will have to pay an extra five bucks just to get a camera hole that the Pad & Quill cases already have. Finally, the Contega case / iPad stand ($99.99) has been fully redesigned to add the Sure-Lock system and an improved magnetic switch system. The fold-out design of the Contega makes it an easy way to stand an iPad up in landscape orientation. Pad & Quill continues to be the innovative leader in leather-bound iPad folio cases. All of the cases are handcrafted in the exotic city of Minneapolis, MN. Booq Folio Fibre Collection for iPad 2 and 3rd-generation iPad Literally minutes before I was set to publish this iPad case roundup, my doorbell rang. Not only was there another case from Pad & Quill, but also another box containing two Booq Folios for iPad 2 and the third-generation iPad ($49.95). That was fortunate since I'm able to include these beautiful and functional cases in the review. What makes these cases so nice? They have a natural fibre exterior that not only has a good feel to it (good for holding onto your iPad), but also just plain looks nice. TUAW received both the black and sand colored cases, and they both stand out from the crowd. The cases include a folding front cover so that you can prop your iPad up in a variety of positions, and they also include the magnetic on/off capability that is common with most recent iPad cases. Powis iCase The Powis iCase ($79.95) is the case that unashamedly asks the question "what's your favorite position?" that's because it has a innovative design that offers "9+" viewing positions. The best feature, in my opinion, is that you can emblazon the exterior of the case with your very own photography. In the giveaway portion of this post, you'll get a chance to win a Powis iCase with one of my twilight photographs of Venice, Italy on the cover. Your iPad is held into the right side of the case in a plastic frame that securely holds your iPad in place. There's a large elastic band that serves to hold the case closed, and it's wide enough to also let you hold the case with the strap wrapped around your hand. As with the other iPad 2/3 cases, the Powis iCase has magnets embedded in the cover to automatically turn the device on and off. As I noted before, the best feature has to be the ability to create a totally customized case with your own art or photography. That means that you can have a completely unique case. The printing process is flawless; I honestly have no idea how Powis makes money selling a custom case for only $79.95. mophie workbook Yes, you read that correctly. This is a protective smart case made by mophie, the same company that makes those sweet battery packs. The mophie workbook ($49.95) comes in five different exterior colors (black, white, gray, brown, and purple) with four contrasting elastic bands that can be changed out depending on your taste or whims. The black case that we received for review came with straps in the standard printer's colors of cyan, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK). While most of the other cases discussed in this post are made of real or bonded leather, the workbook is made of synthetic animal-friendly materials. As opposed to the other cases, the workbook doesn't use a rigid frame to hold the iPad in place. Instead, there's a "pleather" bezel that goes around the entire perimeter of the iPad to hold it steady. That method of securing the iPad makes it easy to install or remove the iPad from the case, but I did notice that the magnetic closures were rather inconsistent. Sometimes when I expected the iPad to shut off, I could see that it was still turned on when the cover was closed. I had to adjust the cover a bit to get the iPad to shut off. A unique feature of the workbook is its ability to adjust to just about any viewing angle. That can be very useful when you're using your iPad in your lap and want to change the angle depending on whether you're reading a book or watching a video. iFrogz Summit Last in this review in terms of full cases, but certainly not least in terms of capabilities, is the iFrogz Summit Case ($59.95). This case features a solid polycarbonate frame to hold an iPad 2 or third-generation iPad in place, and has a faux-leather exterior that should stand up to a lot of use. The Summit quickly adjusts to one of three positions in landscape orientation. You'll need to use a little muscle to get the Summit out of its usual folio position, though -- there's a big hunk of Velcro on the back of the polycarbonate frame that requires a good tug to overcome. For those of you who like to use styluses with your iPads, you'll be happy to know that the Summit comes with a stylus holder -- the only case of those reviewed today that has that feature. As with the other cases, the cover turns an iPad 2 or third-generation iPad on and off. There's a business card slot in the front cover, handy for those situations where you want to carry some cards with you but don't want them taking up wallet space. Happy Owl Studios Leather Shell for iPad 2 This item isn't a complete case; rather, it's a snap-on shell made to protect the back of your iPad 2. Unfortunately, it won't fit on a third-generation iPad -- I tried. The Leather Shell for iPad 2 ($39.99) snaps on easily and provides a luxurious thin leather feel to cover the cold aluminum back of the iPad. Like all of Happy Owl's other products, the Leather Shell is well-designed and constructed. This is the perfect product for the iPad 2 owner who is happy with Apple's Smart Cover but would like protection for the rest of the iPad as well. X-Doria Widge Your kids can't keep their hands off of your iPad, so what do you do? Protect it with an X-Doria Widge ($39.99). As the name sorta implies, the Widge is a wedge made of reddish-pinkish squishy foam. You push an iPad into it, and the kids have something fun to hold while they're playing Angry Birds on your device. Should they drop it, the foam padding will protect your precious from damage unless they manage to score a direct hit on your display. For parents, the Widge is a godsend, but it's not just for kids. A friend of mine liked the Widge that her kids were using so much that she gave one to a friend with bad arthritis in his hands. He loves being able to use his iPad while holding something soft in his aching hands. Giveaway Now, it's time to make room in my office for the next wave of iPad cases. Twelve TUAW readers will get one of the cases described in this review, courtesy of the manufacturers and TUAW. All you need to do to fill out the giveaway form below. Only one entry is allowed per reader. Personal information will not be used for any purpose other than contacting the winners, who will be selected in a random drawing of eligible entrants. Here are the rules for the giveaway: Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older. To enter, fill out the form below completely and click or tap the Submit button. The entry must be made before May 23, 2012 11:59PM Eastern Standard Time. You may enter only once. Twelve winners will be selected and will receive one of the following prizes: Aranez Notebook K-Leather Case ($119.95 value), Pad & Quill Contega iPad case/stand ($99.99 value), Pad & Quill Octavo Luxury Case ($119.99 value), Pad & Quill Octavo Case ($69.99 value), Pad & Quill Graduate Edition Case ($59.99), Powis iCase with Steve Sande personalized photo ($79.95 value), mophie workbook ($49.95 value), iFrogz Summit Case ($59.95 value), Happy Owl Studios Leather Shell for iPad 2 ($39.99 value), X-Doria Widge ($39.99 value), Booq Folio Fibre Collection iPad 2/3 Case ($49.99 value). Click Here for complete Official Rules. Loading...
TUAW discount on Pad & Quill cases this weekend
Pad & Quill, the Minneapolis-based manufacturer of outstanding handmade cases for a variety of Apple and Amazon devices, is offering TUAW readers a 15 percent discount on all orders this weekend. The cases are colorful, nicely designed, and lovingly constructed with top-notch materials. I reviewed the entire Pad & Quill line in January, and was particularly in love with the Cartella case for MacBook Air (11" and 13") and the beautiful Little Black Book for iPhone 4/4S. To take advantage of the discount, just use the code PQTW12 to receive 15 percent off your entire order. The icing on the proverbial cake? Those Cartella cases are already US$10 off their normal price, so you can buy protection for your lovely MacBook Air and save big bucks. Like any other Apple-oriented announcement, I'm going to end this post with "one more thing": a photo from Pad & Quill of an up and coming leather case that looks positively yummy.
