First Look: Capdase Flessi Jacket - Zuede for iPad

Though it doesn’t yet have an official price, Capdase’s new Flessi Jacket – Zuede ($TBD) for iPad is an interesting new play-through design made with vulcanized neoprene on the outside and a soft plastic frame on the side, preserving the shape of the iPad even when one hasn’t been slid in through its open bottom hole. The side and top controls, plus the headphone port and SIM card slot of the iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G, are all exposed, as is the iPad’s screen. Three colors will be available when it debuts in mid-June, all with a slightly fuzzy, padded body.

On May 13, 2010, iLounge published The Complete Guide to iPad Cases and Protection, a multi-page comparison of over 70 different iPad cases and film protectors, sorted by genre. The following details were added to this piece by that comparison article; please click on the link above for additional comparative discussion of similar protective options.

We don’t have pricing for this bad boy yet, but we do know that it will come with a screen protector, and for some odd reason, we like it despite some very obvious issues. Flessi Jacket uses what feels like vulcanized neoprene as a soft, suede-like (“zuede”) base, and has just enough of a hard plastic frame to retain its shape when an iPad’s not inside. As little as we like fully open bottoms, this one sort of works because it’s there for iPad insertion and removal, making accessory connection easier than Capdase’s Soft Jacket, too—the top’s the same. But there’s no button coverage, no video stand, and no other frills; the case will also pick up smudges and dust because of its fuzziness. It’s a lot, lot better than it could have been, regardless.