Cocon – Handmade Case for iPad 2
You haven’t seen ‘handmade’ until you’ve
seen the Cocon. Built using traditional bookbinding equipment and techniques,
it comes in a paper-wrapped sleeve, mask-varnished with the maker’s logo,
that’s a thing of beauty in itself. Sliding out the case gives you the same
frisson as unboxing an Apple product: you can feel this is going to be perfect.
Cocon
– Handmade Case for iPad 2
The case is just a few millimetres bigger
than your iPad, and finished in a sturdy English buckram that, besides feeling
unlike any other iPad accessory, seems impervious to scratches, spills or
fingermarks. Like a Moleskine notebook, it’s held shut by a discreet elastic
strap near the right-hand edge. As you slip this off, you find it’s held gently
in place by a small disc-shaped magnet.
This serves a dual (in fact, as we’ll see,
triple) purpose: as you open the case like a book, the magnet releases its
influence on the iPad (second or third generation), waking it from sleep. The
tablet sits within a perfectly routed and finely sanded walnut plywood frame,
with cutouts for all the buttons and ports. Plugging in the Dock connector is
actually easier with the iPad in the case than not, because the cutout guides
the plug into position.
To a greater or lesser degree, every other
case we’ve seen is compromised by the mounting system that keeps the iPad in
place. There are always tabs or straps to be distracted by. Not with the cocon.
All that holds the iPad, completely invisibly, is a set of sticky pads, one at
each corner, inside the back panel of the case.
Made from a proprietary adhesive material –
a silicone gel, we’re guessing – these grip very firmly once the iPad is
pressed into place, more like suction cups than glue. When you do want the iPad
out, a finger slipped underneath through one of the cutouts will praise it up.
The manufacturer warns that it’s not
impossible for the iPad to fall out if the case is tipped upside-down, but we
couldn’t see that happening, and because the walnut frame goes all the way
round, the Cocon offers more protection (though perhaps not impact absorption)
than most other cases once the lid is secured.
You can fold the lid back and lay down the
iPad for typing, with the spine creating a slight but helpful angle. Or you can
use the elastic strap to hold it in a tent shape with the iPad upright for
viewing.
The version we tested, cocon Nº2, has no
camera cutout; Cocon Nº3, which was designed for the new iPad and costs €10
($13) extra, adds this, with the elastic strap covering the hole. Quite lovely.
Price: $100 inc VAT
(sold in Euros at €79)
From shop.cocon-berlin.com
Best bit Superb
handmade finish
Wish list Angles For
High-flyers
Booqpad – Agenda for iPad 2/3
The Booqpad combines two kinds of pad in
one case: your iPad, and, sitting opposite it when the case is opened, an A5
pad of paper. There are also two slots for credit cards or business cards, and
one where you can tuck a larger flat item, as well as a pen holder inside the
spine.
Booqpad
– Agenda for iPad 2/3
By default, the Agenda opens at the right,
like a book, with the iPad on the left. If you prefer, though, you can rotate
the whole thing 180°, slip the notebook in the other end and use it the other
way round. The case is held shut by a tab with a large and reassuringly clicky
press-stud.
Our Booqpad came in the green and grey
option, with a cottony finish that’s actually made from recycled PET. It’s very
crisply put together. The iPad inserts from the spine side, so it can’t fall
out, but to make sure, there’s a tuck-in flap that’s large enough not to need
any extra fixings. Our only concern is that there’s limited corner protection
if you’re unlucky enough to drop the case open-side down.
This isn’t a Smart cover, so your iPad
won’t sleep automatically when the case is closed, although it’ll power-save
after a short time anyway. Like the Pipetto, it oddly lacks a cutout for the
rear camera.
The Booqpad doesn’t fold into a stand, but
simply opening it back on itself forms a wedge shape that holds your iPad
raised a couple of centimetres and at a slight angle, which we found handy for
typing.
Price: $95 inc VAT
From bit.ly/laptopbagsbooq
Info booqeurope.com
Best bit Integrated notepad
Wish list camera
cutout In a word Executive
