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Review and giveaway: a trio of iPad mini cases (updated)
After a slow start, it appears that every accessory manufacturer on the planet is now up to speed on pumping out shiploads (that is spelled correctly, BTW) of iPad mini cases. Today, for your amusement and my employment, I'll take a look at three of the cases that have come to the attention of TUAW recently and give you a chance to win one. The three iPad mini cases of the week are: The Loop Attachment Mummy case for iPad mini (US$30) The Mapi Cases Milano Portfolio Leather Mini iPad Case ($200) The id America SmartFold Leatherette Portfolio for iPad mini ($39.95) %Gallery-186934% Loop Attachment Mummy Case for iPad mini To begin with, we'll look at the Loop Attachment Mummy case for iPad mini, a larger version of the Mummy case for iPhone 4/4S/5. That means that it's a silicone case made with a "mummy-like" pattern on the back mimicking bands of cloth swathed around the mini. The Mummy case comes in six different colors: the usual black and white, teal, red, blue and graphite. The case is easy to install and remove, and has openings for the speakers, Lightning port, mute/orientation lock switch, camera, microphone, and earphone port. There's also a trapezoidal cutout on the back that playfully frames the Apple logo on the iPad mini. As with the Mummy cases for iPhone, the Loop Attachment iPad mini cases are inexpensive, durable, and provide a good grip on what can be a slippery device to hold. There's nothing fancy about the Mummy case, but it does exactly what it's supposed to do -- protect your iPad mini from scratches and bumps. Update: <facepalm> time. I completely forgot to mention that the Mummy cases have two metal plates that are embedded in the silicone that provide a place for an Apple Smart Cover to stick on. Now you know! Mapi Cases Milano Portfolio Leather Mini iPad Case At the other end of the price spectrum from the Mummy case is the Milano Portfolio Leather Mini iPad Case from Mapi Cases. While I'm a huge fan of handmade leather cases, I can't help but think that the company is charging too much the Milano. This leather portfolio comes in four finishes: black, brown, tan and red. Yes, it's made with "100% premium leather", but as my late father-in-law probably would have said, "I don't want to pay for the whole cow." The case is closed with a zipper to keep your iPad mini locked away and has a fabric interior to avoid scratching the device. On the left side of the case are two slots for business or credit cards, as well as a larger pocket for travel documents or cash. The iPad mini is held into place by a leather "frame" with a tuck-under flap on one side. Don't try to take any photos with your iPad mini in the Milano, because there's no hole for the camera to peer through. While I appreciate the excellent workmanship that went into the Milano, I do honestly think it is overpriced. It doesn't include a stand, nor are there magnets to automatically turn the device on and off. A quick look on Amazon.com showed some $25 - $40 cases made of "PU leather", which is cheaper leather covered with a layer of polyurethane. At a glance, there isn't much of a difference in terms of looks, except for the fact that the $25 case is much more functional, including a camera hole, a folding stand, an elastic hand strap, a stylus holder, and more choices in color. If paying for "real leather" is a big thing for you, then by all means spend $200 on this case. If you're like most of our readers, though, you might want to think twice before spending that almost two-thirds of the price of an entry-level iPad mini for a case. id America SmartFold Leatherette Portfolio for iPad mini Finally we come to the SmartFold Leatherette Portfolio from id America. About the closest thing to compare this case to is Apple's very own iPad mini Smart Cover ($39), which is made of polyurethane rather than leatherette (a fabric made to simulate leather). So once again you have faux leather; if that is a big deal for you, then think about the Mapi case... The SmartFold comes in black, brown, gray, orange, red and white, and is probably the most functional of all the cases listed here. Like the Smart Cover, the SmartFold features a cover that can be folded into a stand for viewing or typing on the iPad mini. It also features auto-sleep and wake using magnets in the cover. The iPad mini is held into place by a frame of that same leatherette, and the inside surfaces are made of a felt-like material. I had no issues folding the SmartFold into the typing position, but for the life of me I couldn't get it to stand up in a viewing mode. Perhaps the cover needs to be flexed a bit more to loosen it up. Conclusion So what I've shown you today are three different iPad mini cases for three different types of people. For those who want inexpensive and fun protection, the Loop Attachment Mummy is perfect. Well-heeled iPad mini users who want real leather to match their shoes and not look out of place on the leather seats of their Tesla S, the Mapi Cases Milano Portfolio might be a good solution. And finally, someone who wants protection and functionality in an inexpensive case could not go wrong with the id America SmartFold. Giveaway Now it's time for you to enter to win one of the cases we have to give away. There are two Loop Attachment Mummy cases (one black, one blue), a black leather Mapi Cases Milano Portfolio, and a black id America SmartFold up for grabs. 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 Day, Month Year 11:59PM Eastern Standard Time. You may enter only once. Four winners will be selected. Two will receive Loop Attachment Mummy Cases for iPad mini valued at $30, one will receive a Mapi Cases Milano Portfolio Mini iPad case valued at $200, and one will receive an id America SmartFold case valued at $39.95. Click Here for complete Official Rules. Loading...
id America's Metropolitan in-ear headphones offer comfort, great sound and a bargain price
I am not a fan of the Apple EarPods that come with the iPhone 5, so when id America sent a pair of their new Metropolitan In-Ear Headphones (US$29.95) I was eager to give them a try. My main complaint with the EarPods is that they refuse to stay in my ears, preferring instead to pop out at inopportune times during important phone calls. Then again, I've never been fond of in-ear headphones either, since they're usually quite uncomfortable. But my frustration with the EarPods was enough to make me give the Metropolitans a try. Design and Functionality The headphones come with four sets of tips -- one made out of memory foam, the other three made of a rubber material. I tried the memory foam tips first, basically treating them like the pair of memory foam earplugs I own -- squishing them down, inserting them into my ear canal, and then letting them expand to fit. The memory foam tips were tight and did a good job of blocking out ambient sound, but I found them to be quite uncomfortable. That left the rubber plugs to try. Fortunately, changing the tips is easy to accomplish -- it just takes a pull to take off a set and a good push to install the new set. The Metropolitan headphones are made from aluminum, so there's no concern that you're going to break them. I must have the world's most narrow ear canals, as the smallest set of rubber ear tips worked beautifully. With the ear end of the headphones figured out, I plugged the gold-plated right-angle connector into the audio port of my iPhone 5 and started listening to music. The Metropolitan headphones are definitely stronger on the bass end than Apple's EarPods, so if you're a fan of really loud rock you're gonna love these. I tried several music genres, playing with the iPhone's equalizer (Settings > Music > EQ) to sweeten the experience on several albums. What I found was that the Metropolitan headphones also have really decent treble response, too. The Metropolitan features a fabric covered cable, which I found to be somewhat noisier than the rubberized coating Apple uses on the EarPods. That's not an issue if you're sitting still listening to music or talking on a phone call, but it an be annoying to hear the rustle of clothing against the cable if you're moving a lot. There's a microphone and remote on the cable in the usual spot. When on the phone, pressing the single remote button once answers a call; pressing it again hangs up. While listening to music, a single press pauses or restarts music playback. A double press is used to skip to the next track on a playlist, while a triple press skips to the previous track. Siri is just a long press-and-hold away, and rejecting an incoming phone call can be accomplished by holding down the button for about two seconds. My only gripe here is that there's no volume control from the headphone button -- you have to change volume on the device. When used with the iPhone 5 to make phone calls (people actually do that on occasion...), my phone call recipients found the voice quality to be about the same as it was from the EarPods -- in other words, not that great. I think there's just something inherently wrong with the dinky microphones used in headphones of any sort. If you're tired of Apple's white EarPods and cables, that may be worth the price of the Metropolitan headphones alone as they come in Brilliant Red, Navy Blue, Lime Green, Rose Pink, and Jet Black in addition to the Aluminum Silver I tested. In each case, the cable color matches the headphone hue. Conclusion Apple's EarPods are included with every new iPhone and the latest iPods, but they don't appeal to everyone's tastes. id America's Metropolitan cost about a dollar more than the Apple 'pods, and can provide a much more comfortable listening experience for people who don't like the feel or functionality of the Apple product. They're much less expensive than the $150 Beats Tour In-Ear headphones that I've tried before and offer sound quality that's not that much different. Pros Excellent price point Fabric-coated cables don't tangle easily Includes a small cloth carrying bag One set of memory foam ear tips, three sizes of rubber ear tips included Sound quality meets or beats other in-ear headphones that are much more expensive Cons No volume control on the button/mic Noise of cable bumping against clothing can be annoying when in motion Microphone isn't very sensitive Who is it for? Anyone who finds the standard Apple EarPods to be uncomfortable or loose, but doesn't want to spend an arm and a leg for quality in-ear headphones.
