Hands-On With the Dicota PadCover Case

Hands-On With the Dicota PadCover Case

Hands-On With the Dicota PadCover Case

How do you carry your iPad? Do you have a big bag with a purpose-made pad-pocket? Do you go commando, tossing the iPad into your purse to fend for itself against the keys and cables therein? Or do you, like me until a couple days ago, use a padded envelope that came free with some other parcel in the mail?

I use these Jiffy Bags for all my computer carrying needs, but for the iPad they don't work well. First, the bubbles leave a honeycomb pattern on the screen, which combines with my left-over finger-grease to make a distracting design. Second, it offers no protection to the screen, and sliding in a piece of cardboard is less than ideal.

So I bought a case. The €40 PadCover from Dicota, a German company that usually besmirches its bags with names like the "LadySuccess". Seriously.

The PadCover is a simple envelope-like sleeve, fashioned from a herringbone-patterned wool and acrylic mix. This somewhat conservative design is contrasted by a brightly colored pink or blue nylon lining. Running around and between is gray leather edging.

Why is it better than a shipping envelope? First, one side is reinforced, making it stiff enough to protect the iPad's screen from bumps and sharp knocks. The other side is thick, but soft, so it curves with the iPad's aluminum back.

Getting the iPad in and out is also easy, thanks to an ingenious tab. A thick strip (pink, in my case) is fixed to one interior wall and runs under the iPad, back up the other side and out through a leather-trimmed slot. Pulling on the exposed tab lifts the iPad up so the top third protrudes, ready to be yanked out of the rather tight-fitting case.

Should you prefer to go old-school and tug it out manually, there is a triangular cutout in the leather strip on the top edge which will let you get a grip. It is on the screen-side, so it also exposes the home-button, which seems like a pretty bad idea.

I carry a man-bag at all times, and the PadCover is slipped inside whenever I leave the house. I really like the pull-to-eject tab as it lets me pull the iPad out for use without removing the case first. This makes it a lot more likely I'll grab the iPad to look something up quickly. It also makes it easy to slide back in.

The obvious disadvantage is that the case is always open, will let in dust and won't protect the end of the iPad. For that you'll need a folio-style case, or something with a zipper or flap. The trade-off there is speed of access.

Do I recommend it? Sure. It does one thing, and does it well. If you're looking for a case that will tilt the iPad for typing, or double as a stand, or anything else, then look elsewhere. For a tough, stylish (if you like blue or pink) single-purpose case, at a not-too-expensive price, the PadCover does the job great.

PadCover [Dicota]