Mobility Digest Reviews: AviiQ Smart Case and Toddy Smart Cloth

If I’ve learned one thing from these review items, it’s that you should expect to spend a ridiculous amount of money if you want to provide any accessory for an Apple product. Up for review today is a case and a cloth, but the term case is very misleading. For $50, you get a cover for the back of your iPad that is designed to work with the official, $40, Apple Smart Cover. And for $10, you get a cleaning cloth that barely rivals a free glasses cloth from Costco. That said, these products aren’t bad – I have no problem using them. Instead, their price tags make them unworthy to be ordered.

AViiQ Smart Case for iPad 2

Vendor: AViiQ

Price: $49.99

Overall Rating: 3/5

Specs/Features:

· Designed to complement the Smart Cover and protect your iPad 2 in style.

· Introducing the long awaited AViiQ Smart Case for iPad 2. Protect your iPad 2 with our case made of rugged plastic encased in a solid aluminum plate anodized to match the colors of the Apple Smart Cover.

· Smart Cover Compatible

· Complimentary Colors to Smart Cover

· Low Profile

· Aluminum Finish

Toddy Smart Cloth

Price: $49.99

Vendor: Toddy Gear

Overall Rating: 3/5

Specs/Features:

· Antimicrobial Coating

· Naturally Hydrophilic

· Dual-sided cleaning

· Distinctive Patterns

· Reusable and Environmentally Friendly

$$$

Before I begin, it’s worth noting that if you’re looking for a typical Mobility Digest review of the case, go here. This review is simply an alternative and second opinion to the original.

To preface this review, it’s important to understand that this case is constructed very well, but that it is in the wrong price bracket. It measures in at just .433” thick, and its slightness is more evident in the pictures below comparing two iPad 2s, one with the case and one without it. But the case doesn’t provide any protection. For at least $90 ($50 for the case, and at least $40 for the Smart Cover), this case is in a league with the Otterbox. While the Otterbox is much larger, it provides a ridiculous amount of protection. This case doesn’t provide any protection to the actual iPad other than scratches. It lacks shock absorbance and padding. And while the protection from scratches is nice, it is actually lacking. I dropped the iPad from less than 3 feet up and the case suddenly has a scratch that is 3 inches long. I suppose it did its job though, because it protected the hardware from scratches.

Yet, the construction of this case is very sturdy. I actually love the fit of this case because it snaps into place very easily, and tightly. The holes are perfectly cut out, with one around the camera, one around the speaker, and another around the volume rocker. But one of my main caveats with this case is the ridiculous “AVIIQ” logo on the case. I understand that it’s free advertising, but either leave the Apple there or put nothing there at all. The 3^rd party logo makes it look cheap.

I honestly feel ripped off. I got this case because I thought it, at least, included a 3^rd party Smart Cover. But alas, a Smart Cover is nowhere to be seen within the packaging because it is designed to “work with” a Smart Cover. I feel misled because they never show a picture of the case by itself, no, they always include it with a Smart Cover. It is literally $50 for a piece of painted metal. Caveats aside, if you’re looking for a slim-fitting case to complement your iPad 2 and Smart Cover, the AViiQ case does a great job.

Next up is the Toddy Smart Cloth. While I suppose $10 is relatively cheap, I wouldn’t say that a $10 app was cheap because there are many free or cheaper apps. That analogy is perfect for this cloth because while it is stylish and does its job, a cloth that I picked up at Costco for free is larger and does the same exact job. Granted, the Costco cloth isn’t stylish, but it hold the same purpose and does the job just as wonderfully. But the bottom line is this: If you need a stylish way to clean your screen, the Toddy Smart Cloth works brilliantly. And there’s not much more to say than that, it’s just a piece of cloth that is supposedly antimicrobial.