For those of you who follow the iPad Fan, you may have seen our reviews of the various iPad and iPhone cases made by Pad and Quill.  Pad and Quill makes handsome book like iPad and iPhone cases.  We are big fans of their cases, so when they told us they had a new case coming out we eagerly agreed to take a first hand look at an early sample.

First, a crash course on what Pad and Quill cases are like if you have not seen one before.  Pad and Quill’s cases literally (pun intended) make your iPad look like a book.  Pad and Quill cases use an attractive baltic birch wood frame that is precisely cut to within 1/20,000 of an inch to perfectly cradle your iPad.  Then the wood frame is leather bound by a real book binder.  The result is an impressive looking iPad case that looks more like a journal or hard cover book.

Pad and Quill cases are fun to use and practical as they provide good 360 degree protection while carrying your iPad.  I recently knocked my iPad 2 off a table while inside the Pad and Quill Octavo case and I am happy to say it survived unharmed.  The Octavo took a little beating, but nothing a little super glue couldn’t fix.

Pad and Quill calls their newest creation the Contega.  There is little on their website to explain the name choice other than a few words about how they were inspired by their Norske heritage, the vikings.  Hmm ok.  In any case, the word Contega (like their recent Octavo case) is fun to say and sounds somewhat masculine to me.

The Contega may be Pad and Quill’s most functional case yet due to the clever way this case has been designed to stand up on a table.  When I recently reviewed the Octavo, one thing I wasn’t crazy about was the way in which you stood the case up on a table.  The Octavo can be stood up on a table by flipping back the cover but it is not very sturdy.  With the Contega, Pad and Quill placed two grooves on the inside front cover of the case allowing the iPad to securely stand up on a table at two different angles.

It is incredibly satisfying to use this case as an iPad stand.  I found the stand quite useful for sitting at a table and checking email, reading the newspaper with the USA Today app, and listening to music using the Pandora app.  Listening to music with the Contega case is a real treat.  I have always enjoyed listening to music with Pad and Quill cases due to their innovative sound channel which redirects audio toward the listener, and now with a case that can be stood up to face the listener it is even better.  The Contega case actually makes your iPad more useful because it is always facing you rather than laying flat on a table.  I also enjoy using the Contega to have my iPad act as a very cool desk clock using the Night Stand app.

Taking a page out of Apple’s playbook the Contega has a magnet in the front cover so when the case is opened it automatically wakes the iPad up, and when the cover is closed it puts the iPad to sleep.  Another cool thing about the Contega is that there is a secret pocket for storing a few papers.  As with previous Pad and Quill cases there are cut outs everywhere you would expect for access to all the iPad buttons and there is a hole in the back cover for the iPad 2 camera.

The wood frame that goes all the way around the iPad can make some of the buttons a little bit difficult to access if you have big fingers, though once you get used to using your finger nails instead of the tip of your finger it is not really a big deal.  Also, you have to open the case to access the buttons.  It is next to impossible to get to the buttons with the cover closed.

The only real downside to the Contega is the weight.  It was kind of shocking to me when I got the Contega because up until this case Pad and Quill had been obsessed with shrinking the size of their cases with every new case being thinner than the last.  The Contega is the heftiest iPad case I have used.  With the iPad 2 inside the Contega, the weight is approximately 2 lbs 6 oz.  Since the iPad 2 weighs about 1.33 lbs, it feels like you are carrying around 2 iPads.  It is heavy.  For those of you in the market for a thin and light case, this is not your case.

On the other hand, if you like the idea of making your iPad look like a book and like the idea of a substantial case that beautifully protects the iPad and provides a wonderful stand, this case is highly recommended.

 

Pros

• Made in the USA
• Great looking case inside and out
• Awesome stand with two angles
• A sound channel that directs audio toward the listener
• Provides good all around protection
• Discreetly hides your iPad when closed
• Stand out design makes people ask “Where did you get that?” when opened

Cons

• You will get a work out carrying this case around
• Accessing the buttons on the iPad can be a little challenging with the cover open, and next to impossible when closed