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Review and giveaway: Incipio Lexington and Slim Kickstand cases for the new iPad
Another pair of nice looking and affordable cases for the new iPad arrived at the TUAW Labs a few days ago, the Lexington (US$39.99) and Slim Kickstand ($39.99) from accessory manufacturer Incipio. Both offer full protection for your third-generation iPad and have a micro-suede lining to keep the iPad's aluminum body from scratches, but that's where the similarity ends. Let's take a look at the Lexington and Slim Kickstand, and then you'll have a chance to win these great new items from Incipio. Lexington The Lexington case is probably the more flexible case of the two, with the ability to stand up in landscape mode for viewing or prop up on a desk for typing. The Lexington comes in black and gray exteriors that use a "vegan leather" strap to keep the case closed during transport. What I like the most about both of these Incipio cases is that they're very slim. Too many of the cases that I see are almost an inch thick by the time you take the front and back padding into account. Not so with the Lexington, which is only .56" thick and weighs just 8.3 ounces. %Gallery-152145% Installing the case is a snap -- literally. My new iPad snapped right into the back and was held securely. I was a bit confused by the packaging of the Lexington, which showed that it had a "magnetic front cover." It doesn't, so if you're used to your iPad turning off automatically when you close the Smart Cover, you'll have to revert to the time-honored method of just hitting the sleep/wake switch to turn it off. While the plain black or gray may be rather unexciting, the cases are very professional-looking. As my wife said when I showed her the Lexington, "I want something with a little more color to it!" The Lexington is very well made, reasonably-priced, and offers a lot of protection for both the new iPad and the iPad 2. Let's take a look at its other sibling, the Slim Kickstand. Slim Kickstand The Slim Kickstand, oddly enough, is thicker than the Lexington and slightly heavier -- .64" and 8.8 ounces. Once again, the packaging confused me -- it says that there are three viewing modes, but the actual case only has two slots into which the iPad and cover can be locked for upright viewing. Rather than using the leather strap to hold the cover closed during movement, the Slim Kickstand uses the tried-and-true elastic band. As with the Lexington case, the new iPad clicked into the well-made bottom casing and was held securely. %Gallery-152146% You can get the Slim Kickstand case in any color, as long as it's black. This is also a very professional-looking case, but some choices would be nice. Conclusion and Giveaway While the Incipio Lexington and Slim Kickstand iPad cases aren't the most exciting cases I've seen, they offer a perfect fit for the iPad 2 and new iPad. Both cases would be welcome in an executive suite, and both have a finish that is almost perfect. Some cases I review have looked disturbingly tossed-together, while the Incipio products appear to be manufactured to much higher standards. The best thing about both cases? The price. Considering that many other iPad cases of similar style start at $59.99, it's amazing that Incipio can produce such a high quality product for just $39.99. And now is your chance to win one of these cases from Incipio and TUAW. Just fill out the contest entry form completely and tap or click that Submit button, and you'll be entered into the giveaway. One person will win the Lexington, the other the Slim Kickstand, and both will also get a Plex Clear iPad screen protector ($19.99) with a microfiber cleaning cloth for complete protection. Finally, we're also giving away a personalized Inscribe Pro Stylus and Pen ($19.99). Here are the rules: 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. You must enter before April 5, 2012 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time. You may enter only once. Three winners will be selected. One will receive a Lexington case and Plex Clear iPad screen protector (value US$59.98), one will receive a Slim Kickstand case and Plex Clear iPad screen protector (Value US$59.98), and one will receive a personalized Inscribe Pro Stylus and Pen ($19.99). Click Here for complete Official Rules. Loading...
Droid 2 cases arrive at Best Buy, Droid 2s soon to follow?
At this point, we're starting to think that Motorola is intentionally (and cruelly) teasing us with its Droid successor. Today we can add to the parade of leaks preceding the Droid 2's debut in the form of the above hard case, which has just landed in Best Buy's storerooms. Before you go off on some conspiracy theory comparing this to the iPhone's Bumper and questioning whether this Droid might need a jacket, you should be aware that Rocketfish does similar paraphernalia for the Droid Incredible, marking this out as an entirely unremarkable run-of-the-mill accessory. Which might be the best news of all, we figure -- if the unexciting peripherals are already being shipped, the handset itself shouldn't be too far behind. [Thanks, Justin]
