Hands up who got an iPad for Christmas? Well, you lucky scamps are probably wondering what the best case would be to protect that shiny and expensive new toy Santa brought you!
Here are my top three [and a half...]
The Official Case
The Apple Smart Cover was designed to fit perfectly with the iPad 2, its magnets hold it securely onto the front and side of the device, while the microfibre lining protects the screen. It also utilises the iPad 2's sleep/wake function, where the screen is turned off by closing the cover and on by opening it. Another nifty feature of the Smart Cover is that it can be folded into a number of different positions to make a stand for typing or watching films on the device.
The one major drawback of the Smart Cover is that it does nothing to protect the back or corners of the tablet, this is where the Hypershield comes in. Available for £19.95 from www.nefing.co.uk, the Hypershield can be bought in the same colours as the smart cover and clips on around the sides and corners, covering the back and allowing the smart cover to be stuck on too, ensuring that the device is fully covered. At £39 for a polyurethane Smart Cover (£59 for leather) and £19.95 for the Hypershield this may seem like an expensive option, but it is a lot cheaper than repairing a broken iPad and is one of the only case combinations which retains the iPad 2's thin design.
Smart Cover: http://www.apple.com/ipad/smart-cover/
Hypershield: http://www.nefing.co.uk/ipad-accessories/ipad-2-covers/hypershield-back-cover-for-ipad-2-grey-hyper2-grey
The Folio Case:
For those of you who love the look of old notebooks, the Portenzo iPad 2 case may be just what you have been looking for. With a sung frame, hand crafted from wood and a cover constructed using traditional book binding techniques this case really looks the part and always attracts looks when you bring it out in lectures. Portenzo cases are fully customisable with numerous outside, inside and closing elastic colours to choose from, and you can rest assured that every case is hand made. Each case comes with microfibre cleaning cloth and a packing tag, signed by the person who build your case. The Portenzo's front cover folds all the way back to provide a typing stand and had the sleep/wake magnets inside to power on or off the iPad. The Portenzo is only available from www.portenzo.com and including shipping to the UK costs around £60. Well worth it in my opinion.
The Budget Case:
The Goji case for iPad 2 is a cheap and cheerful leather effect case which is available in black, pink or purple. It has all the cut outs for charging and for the cameras and has an elastic strap to keep it closed. At only £20 for Currys or PC World it's hard to go wrong with really and ensures that your new toy is kept safe and sound.