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Saddleback Leather Company Tablet Notepad Holder review

If you’ve been a reader of The Gadgeteer for any length of time, you’ll know that we love leather covers and cases, and one of the most popular and loved maker of leather cases, bags, and covers is the Saddleback Leather Company. We’ve covered many of their products over the years and I’m happy to say that we have one of their newest products to introduce to you today. It’s the Saddleback Leather Company Tablet Notepad Holder, which combines your favorite digital tablet with your favorite analog supplies. Let’s take a closer look.

What is it?

The Saddleback Leather Company Tablet Notepad Holder is a portfolio style holder that has been designed to hold and protect a 12.9 inch sized iPad Pro tablet along with other accessories like the Apple Pencil, notepads, and more.

Design and features


The Tablet Notepad Holder is made of one large piece of full-grain leather on the outside and is available in 4 colors that include standard Tobacco, Dark Coffee Brown, Chestnut, and Black. 

The edges of the leather are sewn with a double row of stitches both to reinforce the seams and to give it a traditional look and feel.

You’ll find no snaps, zippers, or Velcro (ick) being used on this holder. A simple riveted leather tab and loop style fastener keeps the cover securely closed and the only branding you’ll find is the Saddleback Leather logo on the bottom right corner on the outside of the cover.

When you open the cover of the Tablet Notepad Holder, you’ll see a layout of pockets that include 2 pen/pencil slots at the top, a pigskin lining and sleeve for your iPad Pro 12.9, and 3 additional pockets that can hold flat accessories like the iPad keyboard, notepads, and other papers or folders.

I didn’t have a 12.9-inch iPad Pro to test with this holder, but I was happy to find out that my 12-inch MacBook fits in the tablet sleeve perfectly.

The tablet sleeve is about 11.75 x 8.75 inches so it can fit a variety of laptops and tablets.

That little squiggle stamp in the lower right corner of the sleeve is Saddleback Leather Co. founder Dave Munson’s dog Blue wearing a sombrero. You can read all about Dave and Blue’s adventures south of the border here.

With the Tablet Notepad Holder loaded up with gear and the cover secured in place, the holder is not bad as far as bulk. Granted, a full-grain leather case like the ones made by Saddleback Leather Company is never going to be considered lightweight or slim, but I was surprised by how nicely everything works together with this case.

What I like

  • Plenty of pockets to hold flat items and 2 pen slots
  • Holds the 12.9 inch iPad Pro or small laptop
  • Great craftsmanship
  • 100-year warranty

What needs to be improved

  • Pricey
  • Doesn’t hold a device charger

Final thoughts

Whenever I receive an SB product to review, I know that it will have a rugged design and will be made to last for a century. I also know that bags, cases, and holders made by Saddleback Leather Company are not everyone’s cup of tea in both style and price. But for their loyal followers and collectors, the Tablet Notepad Holder will protect their favorite digital and analog gear while making them feel like they just got off a train in Westworld.

Price: $199.00
Where to buy: Saddleback Leather Company
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Saddleback Leather Company.

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Saddleback Leather Company Tablet Notepad Holder review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 15, 2018 at 12:34 pm.

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This leather portfolio accommodates the person who uses paper and an iPad Pro

I’ve seen leather portfolios that hold a pad of paper and have a sleeve for tablets, but those have always been designed for 10″ tablets.  This offering from Leatherology actually holds a 12.9″ iPad Pro.  The portfolio measures  13″ X 10″ X 0.75″ thick and is made of full grain, pebbled Viridian leather that’s been “semi-aniline, drum dyed to offer a little extra color and character”.

It has a zipper closure, with no exterior pockets.  Inside, you’ll find an iPad Pro pocket, three small card pockets, paper pocket, and an expandable pen loop to hold either an Apple Pencil or an ink pen.  It can hold either an A4 or a US letter-sized pad; it comes with a US letter pad.  It’s available in 14 beautiful Signature leather colors for $155 and in five rich Premium colors for $210.  The 12.9 Inch iPad Pro Portfolio is available at Leatherology.

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ZAGG Slim Book Apple 10.5-inch iPad Pro keyboard case review

Have you seen Apple’s latest iPad Pro commercial with the teenage girl bouncing around town with her iPad getting much accomplished, finally asking “what’s a computer???” Apple is trying to convince the world that the iPad Pro can be their everything computing device, competing with the likes of the Surface Pro, Chromebooks, and the MacBook itself. Well, to make this even close to reality the iPad needs a keyboard as a cohort in crime. ZAGG has recently introduced their Slim Book for the Apple 10.5-inch iPad Pro to fill this niche/need, let’s see if it’s up for the task.

The ZAGG Slim Book is a well made, two-piece solution for adding productivity and protection to the 10.5″ iPad Pro. The back panel encases your iPad Pro in rigid plastic, securely protecting your tablet as any case should. The front cover or base of the Slim Book is a well engineered keyboard that magnetically attaches to the iPad Pro/case. Surprisingly the Slim Book does not use the iPad Pro’s smart connector for connectivity. The keyboard communicates with the iPad via Bluetooth. But ZAGG has done a good job making this a non-issue.

Even though the keyboard case more than doubles the weight and adds a good amount of bulk to the sleek & slim iPad Pro, overall the duo work really well together. The Slim Book transforms the iPad Pro into a great touch screen, media consuming, lap-friendly computing device. Instead of minimalistic, flimsy functionality (other keyboards add), the Slim Books adds excellent no-compromise usability and features to the iPad Pro.

Not only does the Slim Book look good but its sturdy overmold engineering absorbs impact and withstands drops up to one meter. The case has a ToughBook vibe with tear-proof, tight weave fabric inlayed in the plastic of the outer casing giving it a professional look and feel. The fabric also gives much better grippability.

A green LED flashes when you press the power button, confirming the keyboard is on. Pairing the iPad Pro to the ZAGG keyboard is as easy as you would expect, simply hold either of the bluetooth buttons until the LED starts flashing blue. From there, all you need to do is pair them within iPad’s bluetooth settings. The process was seamless.

The Slim Book allows for multi-device pairing, enabling two separate devices to be paired simultaneously with toggling back and forth between them at the touch of a button.

The Slim Book’s adjustable hinge cradles the iPad Pro/case combo, providing a secure, solid connection. Along with a magnetic connection between the iPad case and keyboard, there are also two hard points on either end of the interior of the hinge rail for added stability. The connection between the two is extremely solid and takes a good amount of force to separate them.

The Slim Book’s hinge allows for a wide variety of viewing angles. I LOVE how lap-friendly the Slim Book is, transforming using the iPad Pro into a true laptop-like experience. Unlike a wobbly kickstand solution, the hinge hold the tablet solidly in place making for an excellent viewing and typing experience.

Keyboard cover attaches on the left side of the iPad.

The top of the hard case has a push-thru for the power button and cutouts for mic and audio plug. Though you’ll notice the complete lack of speaker holes on the sides. The back of the case has a triangular cutout for the camera and flash.

The right side of the case has a built-in holder for Apple Pencil and push-thrus for the volume buttons.

The Apple Pencil safely and securely clicks into the plastic hard points when you’re not using it.

The base of the case has a small cutout allowing access to the iPad’s lighting port and once again no cutouts or holes for the speakers. Instead of being powered by the iPad’s smart connector, the bluetooth keyboard charges via a built-in microUSB port. This engineering choice allows the two to communicate when not connected.

According to ZAGG, the keyboard’s long-lasting rechargeable battery lets you type up to two years between charges. Which seems like a bit of a stretch but after weeks of use the keyboard still tells me it’s fully charged. You definitely don’t need to charge it nightly.

The iPad case has four forward facing slots, two on the top and two on the bottom for the speaker sound to escape. The slots work well enough at forcing the iPad’s sound forward.

A backlight function button toggles through 4 brightness settings (off, low, medium, and high) and another through seven color choices.

Instead of today’s low profile, short-click chiclets (12″ MacBook on the right), the Slim Book’s keys are very old school, standing comparatively high and have a good amount of movement. The keys move easily with decent key travel making typing fast with a good feel.  The key size is a bit smaller than the typical modern day keyboard but more than usable.

The keyboard gives you a multitude of function buttons allowing for better and more convenient management of the iPad (as compared to digging into the Control Center or settings). These functions help the keyboard/iPad combo feel more MacBook-like. Though initially I’d regularly start to dive into the iPad Pro’s touchscreen controls and have to remind myself the function keys were there.

Here is a comparison shot of the iPad Pro with Apple keyboard, 12″ MacBook, and ZAGG Slim Book. I would guesstimate the Slim Book triples the volume of Apple’s flagship tablet.

The ZAGG Slim Book and 10.5″ iPad Pro weigh in at a hefty 2.5+ pounds…somewhere between a 12″ MacBook and 13″ MacBook Pro. Crazy I know. But I guess it comes down to what you need and/or prefer when it comes to usability and functionality.

Positives

  • Well made from quality materials
  • Excellent design/engineering
  • Provides good protection
  • Adds much functionality
  • Uses Bluetooth connectivity
  • Excellent laptop-like experience

Negatives

  • Adds bulk and weight
  • Uses Bluetooth connectivity

Final thoughts

I like many things about the ZAGG Slim Book and as I said, it surprised me. This well done keyboard/case combination really does transform the iPad Pro into a more serious computing device. The only thing it’s missing is a trackpad but that’s on Apple. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s no MacBook Pro. But for a majority of folks who already have a 10.5″ iPad Pro and want functionality on the fly, the ZAGG Slim Book could be their answer or at least their serious consideration 😉 .

Price: $119.99
Where to buy: ZAGG and Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by ZAGG. Please visit their site for more info.

Logitech Slim Combo 10.5 inch iPad Pro keyboard case review

Both Julie and I have longed for Apple to produce a Surface Pro like product, a hybrid tablet running macOS. Apple argues that the iPad Pro fills that niche and is more than powerful and capable enough to get the job done. And I might agree that the iPad Pro has the horsepower but so far iOS has fallen a bit short for me. With iOS 11 and a portable keyboard, I have renewed hope that I can make the iPad Pro my main productivity travel companion. The Logitech Slim Combo is one of the most feature-rich smart connector enabled keyboards available. For this review, Logitech sent me their 10.5″ version in classical blue to check out.

The Logitech Slim Combo is a well made, plastic two-piece solution for adding productivity and protection to the iPad Pro. The back panel encases your iPad Pro and securely holds it in place with a snap. The front cover or base of the Combo is a nicely engineered keyboard that magnetically attaches to the iPad Pro’s smart connector.

The casing is made from rigid plastic and high-performance technical fabric with PU coating for spill-resistance. The case has cutouts and push-thru buttons taking nothing away from the functionality and features of the iPad Pro.

The back panel is very form fitted and takes a bit of force to get the iPad perfectly seated…but once inside there is little chance of it accidentally falling out.

The Slim Combo has an integrated loop built into the keyboard portion the case to transport the Apple Pen.

The top of the back hard case has a push-thru for the power button and cutouts for both speakers, mic, and audio plug.

The Slim Combo’s keyboard attaches on the left side of the case magnetically to the iPad’s Apple Smart Connector. The magnetic hold is adequate but the keyboard did fall off every now and then.

The base of the case has a large cutout allowing access to the iPad’s lighting port and speakers.

The backlit keyboard has no battery and is powered by your iPad via its smart connector. Connectivity is thru the connector as well, (versus Bluetooth) meaning little to no lag while typing.  According to Logitech, the keyboard uses between 0.4 to 2.3 percent of iPad battery for an hour of typing depending on backlighting brightness. There are three levels of backlighting that automatically turns off 8 seconds after the last keystroke. Interestingly the keyboard’s firmware is automatically updated when connected to the iPad Pro via Smart Connector.

The keyboard has 19 mm key pitch and 1.5 mm key travel. The palm rest is comfortable and enables good hand/finger positioning for typing. The keyboard feels a bit cramped compared to my 12″ MacBook but is more than functional and way better than typing on the iPad’s virtual keyboard. That said, I keep reaching for an imaginary trackpad that would make the setup perfect/ideal.

The bottom of the keyboard is textured as you can see below so that it does not slide around and is easy to hold onto when on the go.

Alright, let’s discuss the elephant in the room. The Logitech Slim Combo is ANYTHING but slim/tiny/petite/etc… It transforms the sleek, tech-sexy 10.5″ iPad Pro into a clunky, though admittedly productive, behemoth. The case alone weighs more than the iPad Pro.

Together they weigh more than the 12″ MacBook.

Specifications:

  • Height x Width x Depth: 10.16 in x 7.24 in x 1.06 in
  • Weight: 1.16 lbs

Logitech engineered a built-in stand into the back of the back cover. In landscape mode, the stand holds iPad Pro at any angle in within 50 degrees range: from 20 to 70 degrees. In portrait mode, the stand holds iPad Pro at 73 degrees. The iPad Pro auto turns on/off when the keyboard is opened or closed.

In true Gadgeteer style, this review was written on the Slim Combo keyboard with no hassle whatsoever. The typing was best on a flat surface because the case was not very lap-friendly at all.

While not as compact, sleek, or pretty as a naked iPad, the Logitech Slim Combo adds excellent protection in addition to significantly increasing productivity. The case is perfectly form fitted for the 10.5″ iPad Pro, completely encasing it. The keyboard is feature rich besting Apple’s keyboard in everything but size and weight. Overall the Logitech Slim Combo is an excellent choice if you want to transform your iPad Pro into more of a hybrid computing device.

Source:  The samples for this review were provided by Logitech. Please visit their site for more information and Best Buy to order.

 

Product Information

Price: $129.99
Manufacturer: Logitech
Retailer: Best Buy
Pros:
  • Perfectly fitted for the 10.5" iPad Pro
  • Excellent protection
  • Backlit keyboard
  • Extra function keys
  • Holds Apple Pencil
Cons:
  • Not lap-friendly
  • Adds significant weight & bulk

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Logitech Slim Combo 10.5 inch iPad Pro keyboard case review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 8, 2017 at 8:45 am.

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iVAPO iPad Pro 10.5 case review

When you spend hundreds of dollars for an iPad Pro, you really don’t want to spend another hundred dollars on a case just to protect it. Today I want to show you the iVAPO case for the 10.5 inch iPad Pro. At only $17.49 from Amazon, it can’t possibly be that good right? Let’s find out.

What is it?

The iVAPO iPad Pro 10.5 case is exactly what you guess it is, a case for the 10.5 inch iPad Pro. No surprises there. But there is a small surprise inside.

Design and features

The iVAPO case is similar to other iPad cases that have a folding cover on one side and an iPad holder on the opposite side.

The iVAPO has a grey denim-like look and feel that provides grip when you’re holding the iPad and helps protect the screen and back of the tablet from scratches and wear.

Although the case looks and feels nice in hand, I did notice a problem with it. The material sheds which leaves a thin layer of dust on the iPad’s display that’s hard to clean off without removing the iPad entirely from the case.

The iPad is easy to insert and remove from this case. There are cutouts for the speakers, lightning connector, and camera, so you can use all the features of the iPad just like you would if it weren’t in the case.

The one way the iVAPO sets itself apart from other iPad Pro cases is the built-in holder for the Apple Pencil. The Pencil stays in the holder even if you turn the case and iPad upside down.

To retrieve the Pencil, you can either hook the tip with your fingernail and pull it out or you can push the Pencil out from behind the case.

The iVAPO case cover is like a lot of iPad case covers in that it can fold out of the way behind the case when you’re using the iPad. It can also fold into a stand to prop up the iPad.

The cover has magnets to activate the auto sleep and wake feature. Unfortunately, I found that the cover would not always seat properly over the iPad’s display to engage that feature.

Final thoughts

It’s tough to complain about a case that is priced at less than $20, but there are a few issues that annoyed me about it that are worth repeating. The case material leaves a layer of dust on the iPad and the cover doesn’t always turn the iPad’s display off when the cover is closed.

Other than those issues, there’s not a lot more to say about the iVAPO iPad Pro 10.5 case. It does what it’s been designed to do, which is protect the iPad Pro and hold an Apple Pencil. If you’re on a budget after spending all your money on the iPad Pro and the Pencil, the iVAPO won’t overburden your wallet and is worth a look if you can get past the issues.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by iVAPO. Please visit Amazon for more info and to order.

 

Product Information

Price: $17.49
Manufacturer: iVAPO
Retailer: Amazon
Pros:
  • Affordable
  • Built-in Pencil holder
Cons:
  • Cover doesn't always activate the auto sleep feature
  • Material leaves dust on the iPad's display
  • Bulky

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iVAPO iPad Pro 10.5 case review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 6, 2017 at 6:09 pm.

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