As contrasted with the full body-covering NuGuard Silicone, Newer Technology’s NuGuard Clear and NuGuard Leather Casings ($25 each) are basically just hard plastic shells that snap onto the backs of iPads, providing some side protection and no front protection whatsoever. NuGuard Clear is transparent and offers more side coverage, with plastic that starts in the corners and generously exposes the iPad’s ports and controls, while NuGuard Leather offers only corner protection, using a thin layer of leather on top of black opaque plastic to protect the iPad’s back.
Both have Newer Technology logos in prominent rear positions. The Clear version is interesting in that it’s the first case we’ve seen with a cut-out in the left side where the iPad’s second Dock Connector was rumored to have been located before being removed in final production versions.
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.
The NuGuard shells are different from one another—the Leather version is essentially the same as any of Macally’s designs, except with a thin layer of black leather added to the center of the shell for class, albeit picking up dust at a greater rate than the plastic rivals. NuGuard Clear has considerably more side protection, but an odd gap in the left hand side where we’d heard that prototype iPads had second Dock Connector ports; the top and bottom are still basically entirely open.
