Here we have compiled our list of the 8 best iPad 2 cases to protect your precious Apple tablet. There comes a time in every iPad 2 user’s life when they look down at the tablet cradled in their arms and see that it hasn’t aged gracefully. If they haven’t bothered wrapping it up in a protective case, that is. Those nicks on the back panel which were ‘just there’ when you woke up after last night’s party, the long hours spent scratching your fingernails across the touchscreen trying to get an unconquerable high score on Fruit Ninja and more may be telling on the way you treat your iPad. Hide from the ire of your iPad-toting Apple fan mates, even if they can’t sue you for being less than careful with the device. And check out our list of iPad 2 cases to see which one you’re most likely to find useful.
1. booq Taipan Spacesuit XS: Stringing our candidates in order of the price tags, the $9.95 booq Taipan Spacesuit XS is built from 3mm textured neoprene with a silky shine. It stays shut with the help of a YKK zipper and a jersey trim prevents the zipper and the interior of the sleeve from meeting. If black or silver is not your cup of tea, there’s a delicious berry colored option to wrap up your iPad 2.
2. Cool Bananas BulletProof Slim: If you ever fear the possibility of needing to stop a bullet with your iPad 2, don’t try and get the Cool Bananas BulletProof Slim hardcover case to work its magic. It may have a sturdy exterior, interior mesh pocket and memory foam core. But that doesn’t mean it’ll stick by the name. Tinted in red, green and black, the iPad 2 cases fit snugly over the tablet and ooze a very minimalist design appeal for the €24.95 or $34 price tags.
3. Hub International HandStand 2: One thing iPad users may find hard to perfect is the art of holding the slate by its bezel without being afraid of dropping it. Attempting to offer a more convenient way of hanging onto it, the $49.95 HandStand 2 lets users slip a palm into the handgrip fixed onto the center of the back panel. It rotates 360° with a 36-point indexing mechanism and rests at an incline both vertically and horizontally for desktop use.
4. booq Booqpad agenda: Nappa leather and equal affection for left- and right-handed users, the booq Booqpad agenda’s only agenda is to make sure the time spent on your iPad is a little more meaningful and productive, perhaps. Take your pick from black-gray, coffee-cream, sand-plum or gray-green hues and you’ll still get a 50-sheet A5 notepad churned out from 30% post-consumer materials and printed with soy ink packaged along with it. The asking price is $49.95 and it can be ordered directly from the booq website if it grabs your fancy.
5. Speck HandyShell: Way before digital frames, your grandmother’s photo frames that you were instructed not to touch may have boasted of the same curious technology as the HandyShell. It has a black base set off by a hinged handle for propping up the iPad 2. The red, rotatable, flip-out grip acts as a thumb ring too. And when you don’t want to hang on to the device attached to it, simply leave it standing in portrait or landscape mode on your tabletop. The case can be ordered through the Speck website for $54.95.
6. Targus Versavu: Priced at $59.99 and 6th in our list of the best iPad 2 cases, the Targus Versavu cover and stand is a slick piece of craftsmanship. Part of it clings to the back panel of the iPad and it features a special swivel system which leaves the Apple logo visible even while keeping it protected. Tough on the outside and nothing but an old softie on the inside, the case extends users up to three viewing angles. And the gadget is said to offer full functionality when placed within the Versavu.
7. RAM Handi-Case: If you’re not unreasonably overloaded with extra office work, you may just be able to ditch the briefcase for the Handi-Case which integrates little compartments for all sorts of oddments as well as the second generation iPad, of course. Measuring 12.1” x 9.8” x 1.3”, this ‘handi’ case is bundled in with an iPad cradle, custom RAM pen, two ‘rare earth magnets’ and a detachable clip for $88.52.
8. Logitech Keyboard Case for iPad 2: Tablets are not laptops even if they aspire to offer just as much functionality. While slates play the catching up game with notebooks, the $99.99 Logitech Keyboard Case for iPad 2 is here to make things better for those who can’t get used to virtual keyboards. The accessory can hold the Apple iDevice in portrait or landscape mode. Additionally, it renders the convenience of a physical keypad and also protects the gadget from bumps and shocks.
Our list of the best iPad 2 cases may end right here. But we know how manufacturers seem to be offering so many iPad accessories, there’ll soon be one design per tablet. And then they’ll move on to two. In the mean time, tell us if we’ve missed out on any ‘unmissable-so-as-to-make-it-a-criminal-offense’ case design.