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ZooGue's Case Prodigy iPad case has a magnetic personality
ZooGue has made some of the most flexible iPad cases in the past, and the new ZooGue Case Prodigy ($59.99) carries on the tradition while getting rid of the Velcro that made the Case Genius Pro (still available for $49.99) so adjustable and so popular. In this review we'll take a look at the Case Prodigy, and you'll have an opportunity to win either a Case Prodigy or Case Genius Pro courtesy of TUAW and ZooGue. Design The Case Prodigy works with the second through fourth-generation iPads, and is a modernization of ZooGue CEO Tim Angel's original iPad case design. What makes all of the ZooGue cases so useful is their adjustability, and the Case Prodigy is no slouch in that department. Instead of having strips of Velcro in strategic places, the Case Prodigy uses magnets. The magnets provide solid adjustability to six different angles while the case is in landscape orientation. There's also a magnetic closure to keep the case closed while you're bounding around with it. %Gallery-173917% Inside, the case has a well-designed leather-like enclosure to hold your iPad in place. It slides into the enclosure through a Velcro closure (What? No magnet?) that ensures that your iPad is going nowhere once it's in place. There's a microfiber material on the inside cover of the Case Prodigy to clean and protect your iPad display. The exterior is made of a "leatherette" material and I have to say that it looks good. It has a nice, clean appearance. At this time, the case comes in one color, so you'd better like black. Functionality The Case Prodigy works quite well. The magnetic cover closure stays in place and there are magnets in the cover to turn your iPad on and off. But the real innovation here is using magnets in the adjustable "kickstand" that props the case up. The tips of that kickstand have powerful magnets in them that stick in cloth-lined slots on the back of the case. Whether you have the case propped almost vertical or just barely propped up, the magnets hold the iPad securely in place. I was pretty happy with the original Case Genius Pro, but the Case Prodigy really brings ZooGue's cases to a new level. However, if you like the hand strap that was on the original case, well -- you'll have to get the original case. There's no hand strap on the Case Prodigy. Conclusion ZooGue's Tim Angel has done it again, with another highly adjustable, well-built, and cost-effective iPad case. If you're looking for a reasonably-priced iPad case to keep your tablet protected, you can't go wrong with the Case Prodigy. Pros Magnetic kickstand is adjustable and highly stable Magnetic case closure works well to keep the cover closed during transit Reasonably priced Cons None to speak of Who is it for? Anyone who owns a second through fourth-generation iPad who wants a well-made and reasonably priced case with an innovative magnetic stand mechanism Giveaway Thanks to ZooGue, we're giving away one Case Prodigy and one Case Genius Pro! 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 December 25, 2012 11:59PM Eastern Standard Time. You may enter only once. Two winners will be selected. One will receive a ZooGue Case Prodigy iPad case valued at $59.99, while the other receives a ZooGue Case Genius Pro valued at $49.99 Click Here for complete Official Rules. Loading...
ZooGue's Social Case Pro: Colorful, and free for a limited time
Here at TUAW, we do a lot of reviews of iPhone cases, but rarely do we get to tell our readers about a case that is actually free for a short time. That's the case with ZooGue's new Social Case Pro, which will normally sell for US$14.99. The company knows that the iPhone case market is crowded, so to build a market for the Social Case Pro, it's giving 'em away to the first 50,000 customers who order one. The case is made of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), with a ridged grip so it stays in your hand without slipping. There's a rainbow of colors available: Black, light grey, white, navy blue, old spice red, light blue, pink, purple, army green, and lime green. To order one, rush out to the ZooGue website and enter the promo code FreeZooGueAccessory when you check out. You still pay for shipping and handling.
ZooGue cools an iPad by freezing it (video)
Tim Angel and the crew at ZooGue have been working on a followup to their wildly successful iPad case, and they expect to have it out by the end of this summer. The new case apparently features a thinner, completely reworked design with all of the flexibility of the old case and without all of the Velcro. In the meanwhile, they decided to test both the mettle of their existing case and the iPad by freezing one in a block of ice. Yes, that's not recommended by Apple, but the iPad was wrapped in a plastic bag to prevent water damage and had an attached Dock connector cable for power during the freezing process. In case you're wondering how you get an iPad safely out of a block of ice, it turns out that dropping it from eight feet or so onto asphalt works just fine.
iPad cases and stands: The few, the proud, the innovative
The flow of new iPad cases and stands continues unabated here at TUAW Labs, where I'm making room for the next round of goodies by boxing up what I've reviewed over the past few months and shipping it to NYC for the Engadget meetup. In order to get a few more into the box, I'm taking a look at the G-Form Extreme Sleeve 2 (US$69.95), Bracketron iTilt stand ($19.95), and ZooGue Case Genius for iPad 2 ($49.99). The nice thing about these three iPad accessories is that they all have something innovative and unique to make them stand out from the crowd. G-Form Extreme Sleeve 2 The first thing I have to say about the G-Form Extreme Sleeve 2 is that it is, at least to my eyes, butt-ugly. The second thing is that despite the looks, it's probably one of the best protective sleeves that I've seen for the iPad. As you can see from the photo below, the Extreme Sleeve 2 comes in a eye-jarringly bright yellow with a flexible armor that would be more at home on a Navy SEAL than an iPad. Fortunately for those of us with sensitive eyes, G-Form also makes the Extreme Sleeve 2 in a more sedate black. It's the armor that counts here, though, and this would be perfect for carrying an iPad or iPad 2 around to construction sites, campsites, college dorms, kindergartens, or other potential disaster areas where a broken iPad is just a slip away. The Extreme Sleeve 2 uses a material called PORON XRD that stiffens and absorbs energy from impacts to protect your iPad. This material is also water-resistant, and it's surprisingly lightweight. How good is the protection? Well, answer this question -- will your iPad sleeve protect your iPad against the impact of a 12-lb. bowling ball being dropped from a three-foot height? If you're going for sleek style, look elsewhere, but if you want to protect your iPad, the G-Form Extreme Sleeve 2 is probably right for you. Bracketron iTilt I wrote about this product a little over a week ago, but I wanted to bring it up again. Why? Because it's rare to find a product that is both inexpensive and does one job very well. For $20, you're getting a very adjustable and sturdy iPad stand that folds flat for transport. For those of us who like our Smart Covers and don't want to have buy some expensive, fancy case with a folding leg that pops out of the back, this is perfect for using the iPad hands-free. I just wish the iTilt had one feature built into it -- a Google+ "plus" button or a Facebook "Like" button. ZooGue Case Genius for iPad 2 I've been a big fan of ZooGue's iPad cases since Macworld Expo 2011, when the company seemed to be giving them away to everyone in sight. Frankly, they did a good job of marketing the case by doing so, as they made it easy for a lot of the Apple press to get their hands on one of the most versatile iPad cases on the market. The second-generation (perhaps third?) Case Genius is now available for iPad 2, and it still beats most of the competition in terms of being able to do a lot of tasks very well. Want a portfolio case that adjusts to a huge range of angles? It'll do that. Want a case with a hand strap so you can carry the iPad around while you do your rounds in the hospital? Yep, the Case Genius can do it. How about a case that you can strap to the car headrest so the kids can watch a movie while you're driving? Case Genius does it. The Velcro-covered leather case has improved as time has gone by, and the company obviously responds positively to owner comments. The ZooGue Case Genius for iPad 2 definitely wins the prize for "iPad case most likely to be used everywhere in your life." Conclusion I was pleasantly surprised with all three of these iPad accessories, since all of them bring something unique and innovative to the table. The ZooGue Case Genius is priced less than other cases or stands that have much less capability, the Bracketron iTilt takes up very little space when folded and is actually reasonably priced, and the G-Force Extreme Sleeve 2 can literally take a pounding. Stay tuned to TUAW this weekend for several reviews of other innovative accessories for iOS devices.
ZooGue's BinderPad: A unique take on an iPad 2 case
It's the time of year when all the iPad case manufacturers are getting their products ready for the "back to school" rush, so I've been getting plenty of emails and writing a lot of reviews. It was refreshing to see something completely different from ZooGue -- the BinderPad (US$29.99) -- that takes the iPad 2 and puts it into a standard three-ring binder. Design The BinderPad is one of those ideas that you look at and say "Why didn't anyone think of this before?" For students or managers who are carrying around schoolwork or project notebooks anyway, the BinderPad slips into a three-ring binder with your iPad 2 inside. It's made out of a durable cloth in either black or dark grey, and encases the iPad 2 snugly. %Gallery-129886% If you need to take a photo or movie with the iPad 2 camera, just snap the BinderPad out of the binder and hold up your iPad 2. The BinderPad has a hole in the proper location for the rear-facing camera. All of the other ports and switches are easily accessible as well. Functionality What can I say? The BinderPad works as it should. It's easy to put the iPad 2 into the case, and snapping it into a three-ring binder is, well, a snap. In the video that accompanies this post, there's another idea -- you can use the BinderPad as a wall mount for the iPad 2 as well. I was a bit reluctant to put the pricey Vogel's RingO mount up on the glass tile backsplash in my kitchen, but I'd have no qualms at all about installing some inexpensive cup hooks under my cabinets to hang the BinderPad from. Brilliant! Conclusion The BinderPad is the brainchild of young entrepreneur Tim Angel, who also developed the versatile ZooGue Case Genius. That case is now available in an iPad 2 flavor, and I'll be writing a full review of it in the very near future. ZooGue makes innovative products that it sells at reasonable prices, and the BinderPad is yet another example. Whether you want a way to pop an iPad 2 into a binder that you're going to be lugging around anyway or you just need an inexpensive wall mount, the ZooGue's BinderPad is a good way to go.
iPad folio case roundup: Three great ways to protect your iPad
Some pundits were calling Macworld Expo 2011 the "iPad Case Expo" since there were so many vendors on hand with either "me-too" products or totally unique ideas. While I think that label is somewhat unfair, there were a lot of iPad cases on display at Macworld. A number of those designs showed up at my office during the show, so I decided to do a quick overview and comparison post of three of the best for TUAW readers. All three of these are what we refer to as folio cases in that they have a front and back cover, much like a book, and they generally provide a way to prop up the iPad in a number of positions. The latter trait of the iPad folio cases makes them the flexible yoga instructors of the iPad case world. Now, let's take a look at some of these cool cases.
