Normally, I find that Apple's Smart Cover provides all of the protection that I need for my iPad. It protects the glass on the front of the iPad, and I don't much care if the back of my iPad gets any scratches (although so far, it hasn't). When I'm carrying my iPad to and from work, court, a meeting, etc. I put the iPad with Smart Cover inside of my briefcase or a bag such as the Tom Bihn Ristretto. But sometimes you need more protection for your iPad. For example, my family took a trip to San Francisco earlier this month, and I knew that I would be carrying my iPad and a ton of other items in a backpack. The Smart Cover alone wasn't going to be enough protection from other items in the backpack. Just before my trip, G-Form sent me a free review unit of their $60 iPad Extreme Sleeve, so I decided to try out the product on my trip. It worked really well, with one exception noted below.
The G-Form iPad Extreme Sleeve comes in either black or yellow. It is easy to use. Just slip your iPad into the case and zip it up.
The case doesn't take up very much extra space over the iPad itself. It is about 9" by 11" and about an inch thick. The case is soft inside and contains PORON foam with a flexible, rubber-feeling exterior and a unique design with shapes and ridges on the outside. The aim is to provide protection from even extreme impacts to the case so that the iPad remains protected even if the case itself is hit really hard.
And I do mean really hard. G-Form has posted videos to YouTube showing the case with an iPad inside being dropped from an airplane 500 feet in the air and with a bowling ball dropped on it. Obviously, I did not even attempt to try these tests myself, but they are impressive. I can say, however, that after a week of having lots of other objects in my backpack bumping into the G-Form case, my iPad 2 held up great, without a scratch.
The only issue that I had with the G-Form iPad Extreme Sleeve is that I wanted to put my iPad 2 in it with the Smart Cover on. It fit, but was very tight and a little difficult to get in and out. My iPad 2 without the case also fit, but it seemed a little loose inside. G-Form advertises that the original case will work with both the iPad and iPad 2, but I see that the company has just released the iPad Extreme Sleeve 2, which appears to be essentially the same as the unit that I tested except that it is $10 more and has a slightly larger interior to better accommodate the iPad 2 with a Smart Cover.
I also see on the G-Form website that there will soon be a similar product called the Extreme Portfolio. It opens like a folder and has even more space inside to hold documents in addition to the iPad. Here is a YouTube video showing the Extreme Portfolio with an iPad inside being dropped 60 feet onto pavement without any damage at all. Amazing.
If you want to put your iPad in a full body case, I'm sure that you are doing it because you want to provide maximum protection in case you drop the iPad or something bumps into it. The G-Form Extreme Sleeve that I reviewed — and I'm sure the same is true for the new products that they are about to release — provides you with incredible protection in a product that is not very bulky and is easy to use. If you have an iPad 2, you'll probably want to get the new version and not the one that I used.
Click here to get the G-Form iPad Extreme Sleeve from Amazon in Black ($59.99)
Click here to get the G-Form iPad Extreme Sleeve from Amazon in Yellow ($59.99)
Click here to pre-order either the G-Form iPad Extreme Sleeve 2 ($69.95) or the G-Form Extreme Portfolio ($79.95).
