Want to make your iPad look like a book?  Pad and Quill has got you covered.  Pad and Quill, makers of fine book like iPad cases have a new case available called “The College Edition”.  Aimed at college students, this is Pad and Quill’s most budget friendly and stylish iPad case yet.

The basic design of The College Edition case is virtually identical to Pad and Quill’s Octavo case which we recently reviewed.  This is a good thing since the Octavo is Pad and Quill’s slimmest, easiest to carry case.  The dimensions of the Octavo and The College Edition are nearly identical.  What has changed is the exterior design and some of the functionality.

The most noticeable change is that The College Edition uses a cloth book cover instead of the leather bound cover found on the Octavo.  This gives The College Edition a distinctively more casual, softer look. The new design adds a level of style and personality (not previously found in Pad and Quill cases) that should appeal more to fashion conscious iPad users. There are three color choices available: Evening Blue / Slate Gray, Burgundy Wine / Harvest Wheat, and Forest Green / Khaki Tan.  My review sample was the green / tan combo which looks classy and scholarly.  It wouldn’t be out of place in the library of any Ivy League university.  The cover feels high quality and the only drawback I can see about the cloth cover is it may show dirt more over time.

The College Edition also features what Pad and Quill is calling a “newly upgraded baltic birch frame”.  At first glance it appears very similar to the excellent precision cut frame on my Octavo case but upon further inspection there are some subtle differences.  The College Edition’s frame appears to be more tailored to the iPad 2 and more highly polished.  As with all Pad and Quill cases, the fit and finish are top notch.   The iPad 2 is well protected inside The College Edition case and the fit is snug so there is never a worry about it unintentionally coming out of the case.

The other changes between The Octavo and The College Edition are the fact that The College Edition does not have a cut out for the iPad2 camera or a magnet in the front cover to wake the iPad up from sleep mode.  The lack of the camera hole in The College Edition did not really bother me since I rarely use the camera on my iPad2 and I’ve always found it a bit awkward to take a photo with the iPad2 in Pad and Quill’s cases since the front book cover can get in the way of the camera lens.  Also, the camera hole on the back of The Octavo case (while functional) kind of kills the book illusion for me a bit.  That being said, the lack of the magnet in the front cover to wake the iPad from sleep is a bit of a disappointment.  I really love this feature on The Octavo and can’t imagine it would have cost much to add it to The College Edition.

For anyone looking to get a book like case for the iPad, the Pad and Quill cases are always recommended and this one is no exception.   Though Pad and Quill removed a couple features (likely to hit a price point), they did not skimp on the quality.  The College Edition is currently available for $49.98 from Pad and Quill’s web site and is a fine introduction into the Pad and Quill’s case line.  While there are less expensive iPad cases, this case is a true value considering you are getting a hand crafted iPad case that will make you stand out in a crowd. We think The College Edition is Pad and Quill’s most stylish case yet, and the decision to change the exterior design has us wondering what’s next for Pad and Quill.

Pros

• Quality materials, craftsmanship
• Made in the USA
• Stylish colors, design
• Does not look like an iPad case
• Innovative sound channel deflects audio towards the listener

Cons

• No camera hole
• No magnet in front cover

Win one of 5 College Edition cases!

We are happy to announce that the great folks at Pad & Quill are giving away 5 College Edition cases to readers of The iPad Fan!

Update: the giveaway contest ended and we have our winners.
Thank you all for participating, here’s the list of happy winners:
Awhare
Sachrb
Eduardo Molina
Line_Andresen
Doyletracy

Winners were drawn using random.org and have received an email.