Angry Alex Bashes iPad Air Folios, Shells, and Keyboard Cases

This week has been long and tiresome for me, so I’m angrier than usual. Plus the tablet accessories manufacturers didn’t do a thing to make my mood improve, it looks like the cases this week are getting uglier by the day. And it’s not just the looks that I have problems with, some of the new cases just don’t live up to expectations of a modern tablet accessory: poor construction, lack of features, and so on. So let’s see the losers of the week, and maybe we can spot some winners, however, I seriously doubt that.

The iPad Air is still the main victim of all manufacturers, and The Joy Factory have really gone out of their way to tarnish the great looks of the Apple tablet with their aXtion Bold. Well, yeah, the case is protective as hell, but surely they could’ve come up with a much nicer way to present it…

Superior impact protection, but appallingly bad design

Keyboard tablet cases seem to be a big thing this week, there were at least three I’ve stumbled upon. The Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover is actually not too shabby offering pretty slim and lightweight body on top of a spacious battery. However, in my opinion it doesn’t offer a safe and comfy way to grip the tablet, maybe a rubbery exterior or at least a strap could’ve solved that.

Slim and lightweight design with great battery life, but no real way to grip the case

Maroo have launched an upgrade to their popular Leather folio line to accommodate the iPad Air. However, they somehow managed to forget the auto sleep/wake function. The case offers everything the predecessors did: the stand, the hand strap, the elastic strap lock, but magnets have been left out. What’s wrong, people?

A pretty functional tablet folio case, but the auto sleep/wake function has been left out

Apparently, there is a winner this week, and it’s the iPad Air compatible Thin Folio from xTremeMac. The case delivers silent looks without anything unnecessary, and sports secure construction, a stylus holder, card slot, and integrated stand functionality. Naturally, the makers didn’t forget to put in the magnets for the auto sleep/wake feature.

Functional case with sturdy protective capabilities and minimalist, business looks

Google has begun rolling out the Android KitKat upgrade for the delighted owners of Nexus 7s and 10s. Microsoft is rumored to be contemplating making a smartphone out of its Surface tablet. There are also unconfirmed reports that the Google Glass will be getting an update by the end of the year even though it’s not yet clear when the general public will be able to lay their hands on the device. And finally, one of the biggest techy news of the week is the release of the BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) has finally been released on both iOS and Android platforms, let’s not deny the dying man his last wish.

BBM has finally made it to Android and iOS platforms

I’m happy to announce that some celebrities do take care of their tablets and choose to protect, rather than expose them to dangerous environments. Both Hugh Jackman and Eva Longoria have selected some kind of a tablet folio case to cover up their precious devices. The folios they are using to keep their tablets safe can be anything, including the quite popular LionCase Ultra Slim and Yoobao Executive Leather Folio.

Hugh Jackman and Eva Longoria know how to treat their tablets