Accessory Advice: Sleeve 360

The iPad's design is a bit slick, and seems a bit fragile so you may want to get a case for it. The Sleeve 360 is looking to be your solution, and offers the most popular style seen at MacWorld which was a hand strap. You can strap your iPad to your hand, and still have the ability to rotate your iPad 360 degrees. The Sleeve 360 is a full fledged case that opens like a book, and you place your iPad inside, and then close the front which covers the bezel, and leaves the screen open. You really have to push the iPad into the case, and it takes awhile to take it back out which is a small problem. Once the iPad is in the case the hand strap is attached to the case rather than the iPad. The case feels like a solid silicon material, and feels great in your hands, and adding the case to the iPad doesn't add that much weight or bulk. With the case on you still have access to the screen unlike say the Apple case. There is a lip around the screen on the bezel which acts as a pseudo buffer from damage. There is a sense of security and protection for your iPad once it's in the case, and the two clips that hold the book-like case closed are very solid. You need to take that into consideration because the Sleeve 360 is meant to be held in all sorts of ways. Now the hand strap is nice and solid on whichever hand you choose, and there is a cushion inside so you're not resting the palm of your hand on plastic. Once strapped in you can spin your iPad really fast 360, and see it's not going anywhere so you can feel good when your just rotating it 90 degrees at time from portrait to landscape and vice versa. The hand strap can also act as a stand when you unlock a piece, and then it can stand in landscape or portrait. You can remove the hand strap all together as well to just have the case, and to allow for the keyboard flaps which are built into the case. The two little flaps create a very solid base for typing, and are at a great angle. Detaching the hand strap is very easy with just a couple clips and shifts, but it never feels like it will become unintentionally detached. Now the keyboard flaps, and stand are understandable and seen on many other cases to allow for movie watching and book reading as well as other hand free uses. The real question is the practicality of the hand strap. It is surprisingly practical as the iPad has a slick back, and you really have to clutch it when not using a case. The iPad sometimes needs to be held with two hands to feel good, and there are times when it slides down your legs when trying to rest it in your lap. The hand strap provides a great way to hold your iPad effortlessly in one hand which makes sense when showing it off or traveling with it a lot, but just in everyday use as well. It's nice to have it so solidly in your hand when just reading a book or using the internet or various apps. When you switch between iPad functionality, and need to change rotation it is effortless with the Sleeve 360, and it can be done with one hand. A downside is that one of your hands is taken away as it's attached to the back of the iPad. The thing is that you can go in and out of the hand strap practically instantaneously when you’re changing tasks on your iPad, and it's just like going from strap to stand, to no strap, and keyboard flaps. The Sleeve 360 really works for any use you can think of, and improves the usability of the iPad in a number of instances. It offers a more secure feel when using the iPad, from the solid feel in your hands to the simple protection a case offers. The Sleeve 360 also comes with a travel case to slide your iPad into. Although with the hand strap attached it is a bit of a tight squeeze. Certain apps that require movement around the bezel are a little tough with the case around the bezel. The Sleeve 360 isn't for everyone, but feels like a really well made Swiss army knife of cases that works well in so many different ways. Its use applies to all kinds of iPad functionalities, and it's extremely well built from the case material to the hand strap itself. The Sleeve 360 truly does enhance the usability of the iPad, and just thinking of all the ways you can use it, you will fall in love when actually using it. Sleeve 360 is now $34.99 with free shipping in honor of the AppAdvice review. Also this is the first production run, and there is a cosmetic problem with the glue they used. It has already been changed for the the sleeve 360 2 which is going into production this month. I found no problem in testing, but you can get a new strap if it does bother you. You can check out all the details on the Sleeve 360 site.

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