Made from a mix of contrast-stitched faux black leather and soft gray microsuede lining, Elan Sleeve ($50) initially looks pretty simple — a sleeve that holds the iPad inside — but winds up including a top-mounted pull tab that can easily eject the device from its sheathe, a nice feature borrowed from Apple’s long-discontinued iPod Leather Cases. The exterior material looks a lot like the floater leather found in Vaja’s considerably more expensive Retro Slim Case but feels a little sticky, different from Griffin’s otherwise similar Elan Passport case.
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 typically steer clear of recommending sleeves for iPods and iPhones, but iPad users may find that they make more sense. The concept is to totally envelop the iPad inside protective material, using a flap or zipper to open and release the device when it’s needed. In almost every one of these cases, the designs speak for themselves—you either like how they look, or don’t—so we’re sorting them by price and focusing our brief notes on fit and scope of protection, with bare opinions otherwise.
Does Elan Sleeve fit? Yes. Is everything protected? No, the top edge is largely exposed. Weeks after we received it, this case still has an oddly sticky texture.
Our Rating
Company and Price
Company: Griffin Technology
Website: GriffinTechnology.com
Model: Elan Sleeve
Price: $50
Compatible: iPad (2010)
