I've had my BoxWave Marquee case for the iPad 1 for a handful of days now and figured it was time for a quick review.
When I was looking for cases, there were a few things that I was looking for while shopping around. I wanted a nice, portfolio looking case in leather or something similar. I didn't want any flashy colors or neoprene or silicon stuff. Most importantly, I didn't want a case where something securing the iPad would have to sit over the glass. It's a slight pet peeve to have something that's supposedly made for a product I'm shopping for have some generic securing system that touched the glass in any way. So, that said, no hoops, straps, elastic, or anything similar.
I found the BoxWave Marquee, and it's quite a nice case. The iPad snaps right into place, with no overhanging straps/flaps/snaps resting on the glass to secure the iPad. The black color is perfect. I ended up with a crocodile type finish that I was initially concerned about. Would it look goofy and ridiculous? Thankfully, no. It adds a nice element to the case that makes it stand out just enough that I couldn't see getting it any other way.
There's a small magnetic clasp that keeps the case closed, and does a fairly decent job. It's not going to hold it closed if it's jostled too much, but it does what it needs to do and will keep the flap in place until you need to open it. Once opened, everything is nice and clean. There's a microfiber-ish material lining the inside, with what appears to be 4 card slots and a kickstand. I'm not one who would ever use the card slots, and would probably prefer they weren't there, but it's hardly anything that I'd think much more of past mentioning them in this review. The kickstand is a little low. When the flap is flipped to the back, the kickstand gives a minor lift that makes for slightly easier typing. It's a nice feature that I may or may not use as time goes on.
The iPad snaps securely into the case without anything hanging over the screen, as mentioned before. There's a nice, solid hold on the iPad, with no shifting, rattling, or any feeling that the iPad may drop out. To test this out, I held it open by the flap and gave it a decent amount of shaking. Thankfully (a pillow underneath may have been a smart move, come to think of it) there wasn't even a hint of wiggle or looseness, even while shaking.
There are openings cut out of the case around the volume/mute switch, and the top and bottom are ports are easily accessed with no obstructions whatsoever.
Overall, this case has been everything I was looking for. Functionally, it does what I was hoping it would do, giving a decent bit of protection to the iPad without having to resort to cheap looking restraining solutions. In form, it's excellent. The stitching around the seams is clean, the leather/faux leather has a nice feel to it, and even the Crocodile pattern has really been surprisingly attractive. It's not going to have the protective qualities of something like an Otterbox, but, for my use at least, it strikes the right balance of form and function that I can happily recommend it to anyone looking for a similar style case. There's a selection of different colors, and of course most of them are standard, smooth style leather (or leather-ish, whatever it happens to be).
Hope this helps some of you looking for a nice portfolio style case. If there's something I missed or you'd like to know more of, hit me up. I'd be happy to help out more.
When I was looking for cases, there were a few things that I was looking for while shopping around. I wanted a nice, portfolio looking case in leather or something similar. I didn't want any flashy colors or neoprene or silicon stuff. Most importantly, I didn't want a case where something securing the iPad would have to sit over the glass. It's a slight pet peeve to have something that's supposedly made for a product I'm shopping for have some generic securing system that touched the glass in any way. So, that said, no hoops, straps, elastic, or anything similar.
I found the BoxWave Marquee, and it's quite a nice case. The iPad snaps right into place, with no overhanging straps/flaps/snaps resting on the glass to secure the iPad. The black color is perfect. I ended up with a crocodile type finish that I was initially concerned about. Would it look goofy and ridiculous? Thankfully, no. It adds a nice element to the case that makes it stand out just enough that I couldn't see getting it any other way.
There's a small magnetic clasp that keeps the case closed, and does a fairly decent job. It's not going to hold it closed if it's jostled too much, but it does what it needs to do and will keep the flap in place until you need to open it. Once opened, everything is nice and clean. There's a microfiber-ish material lining the inside, with what appears to be 4 card slots and a kickstand. I'm not one who would ever use the card slots, and would probably prefer they weren't there, but it's hardly anything that I'd think much more of past mentioning them in this review. The kickstand is a little low. When the flap is flipped to the back, the kickstand gives a minor lift that makes for slightly easier typing. It's a nice feature that I may or may not use as time goes on.
The iPad snaps securely into the case without anything hanging over the screen, as mentioned before. There's a nice, solid hold on the iPad, with no shifting, rattling, or any feeling that the iPad may drop out. To test this out, I held it open by the flap and gave it a decent amount of shaking. Thankfully (a pillow underneath may have been a smart move, come to think of it) there wasn't even a hint of wiggle or looseness, even while shaking.
There are openings cut out of the case around the volume/mute switch, and the top and bottom are ports are easily accessed with no obstructions whatsoever.
Overall, this case has been everything I was looking for. Functionally, it does what I was hoping it would do, giving a decent bit of protection to the iPad without having to resort to cheap looking restraining solutions. In form, it's excellent. The stitching around the seams is clean, the leather/faux leather has a nice feel to it, and even the Crocodile pattern has really been surprisingly attractive. It's not going to have the protective qualities of something like an Otterbox, but, for my use at least, it strikes the right balance of form and function that I can happily recommend it to anyone looking for a similar style case. There's a selection of different colors, and of course most of them are standard, smooth style leather (or leather-ish, whatever it happens to be).
Hope this helps some of you looking for a nice portfolio style case. If there's something I missed or you'd like to know more of, hit me up. I'd be happy to help out more.
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