Booq stylish encase the iPad Mini and iPhone 5

Our friends over at Booq sent out a couple new items from their lineup to outfit my two must have items on the go, the iPhone 5 and iPad Mini. Both the Booqpad agenda for the iPad Mini and the Fiber snapcase came to me in matching grey color and material so it is a match made in heaven.  These cases come with a fibre material much like that debuted in the Mamba Courier, previously reviewed. The snapcase is compact with thick sides to protect from impact, while the agenda is built to be you compact on the go networking device, so let’s how they fare.

First up we have the Fibre snapcase, similar to many other cases out there, this one goes with a grey soft touch polycarbonate, built with the intent to protect your phone but with fashion taking priority over function. The stand out visual appeal of this case is the fiber inlay, and the textured look is what makes the snapcase stand out. It does grip well and does not slide when held but also does not empty my pocket every time I reached for my phone. The fiber material is what I really liked, it is stylish and matches cases for other products.

Speaking of matching other products, it is time for the Booqpad Mini agenda for iPad and this case is less like your typical case and more of a padfolio as the agenda buttons closed, includes a pen/stylus holder, and notepad. Being a lefty, I was worried that this case was made for the majority, but there is a slot at the top and bottom to hold a notepad no matter what hand you use without resting directly on the iPad Mini. This case does not double as a stand, so do not expect to hold the tablet upright along with lacking a hole for the camera, so when the camera is needed, the mini needs to be removed from the case.

Booq made my week as more cases in their fiber material means time to rewrap my electronics. Whether alone or together the Mini agenda and Fibre snapcase are a sleek and stylish way to make your apple iPhone or ipad stand out from the numerous tablets out there. The notepad was nice but I did not finding myself using it to ofter as it is just as easy to take notes from the iPad, but it did make a nice sketch pad when brainstorming. Both cases are available now in an assortment of colors and priced at less than eighty dollars if you pick both or $39.95 for the Mini agenda and $29.95 for the Fibre snapcase.

Digital Treasures Pocketpro always keeps your laptop on you

It’s time for another laptop case and this one is a new type of product for me as it is not a backpack or messenger bag, but the Pocketpro Padfolio Case from Digital Treasures. I have reviewed a number of their products before but they were all mobile power products, so I am anxious to se how the cases are. The Pocketpro is a large portfolio that was designed to hold and easily carry around the 13.3” Ultrabook, 13’ MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air. This padfolio case is crafted with textured koskin material and stitched to make up an impressive six pockets and that does not even include card slots, dual pen or stylus holder, or notepad slot.

For being a padfolio it is sleek and not much larger than the laptop it holds, so it isn’t hard to take it on the go. The laptop pocket is snug, so my MacBook Pro did not slide around in transit and the strap closure gave me peace of mind that my laptop, pen, stylus, notepad, and iPad Mini were going to stay where left and not going to get left behind. The only issue I had was making sure there was a charger where I was headed or packed in a bag as space is very limited. I also felt that the card slots were added to just have another pocket listed on the fact sheet, because although it did carry my MacBook and iPad Mini, I couldn’t bring myself put anymore personal information into the padfolio. The red accent felt out of place and I thought it took away from the look of the case but the koskin is a nice substitute to leather; but at times, mainly if there is any moisture on my hands, the case gets rather slick.

After using the Pocketpro I found it to be a lot more convenient for daily commuting as I have a charger both at home and in the office. Especially when I was not counting on it to conveniently house my iPad mini with it’s Bamboo stylus, there really was not any need for the notepad, although I did end up using it on conference calls, at those times the Mini was being used for Netflix. The Pocketpro is available now for the price of $49.95 from Digital Treasures and at that price point it is more affordable than most entry to mid range bags and carries just about as much with exceptions to space for your charger or mouse.