Acase Deluxe Leather multi-view Case/Folio with Stand for Apple iPad

"New and Improved" is usually just a marketing slogan. In this case, though, the new product really is an improvement over most of the first wave of iPad cases I've seen. I've been shopping for an iPad case for weeks. The cases I found either had a fatal design flaw, or were insanely expensive, or were out of stock. This case is exactly what I've been looking for. Here's what I like about it:

- The cut of the case is excellent. 100% of the screen is visible and all controls are easily accessible. There are cutouts for the light sensor and speakers. Everything lines up perfectly, unlike some of the first generation cases. You can charge the iPad easily without removing it from the case.

- There's a retaining strap on the open end of the case to keep the iPad from falling out (another problem with some 1st gen cases). I wish it grabbed more of the corner of the iPad, but they made the strap as big as they could without interfering with the on/off switch and screen rotation-lock button.

- The "easel" feature allows you to prop up the iPad in landscape mode at various angles, so you can choose the angle that minimizes screen glare. The easel uses a simple step design that is adjustable over a good range, giving it an advantage over some of the magnetic designs I looked at. The easel flap has a magnet to keep it in place when the pad is closed; I was a bit worried about carrying something with a magnet in my briefcase, but I figured that if it doesn't mess with the iPad, then it shouldn't mess with my laptop (I hope).

- The case folds over and covers and protects the iPad screen in transit. For my purposes, this is better than "skins" that only cover the back of the iPad. This case protects the screen and keeps it from collecting big palm prints in transit.

- The faux leather seems to be decent quality (as faux leather goes), and the stitching looks very even. The case comes with an iPad-sized foam pad inserted for shipping, so that the case arrives in excellent shape, rather than mangled. The case is very lightweight. It feels like it has just enough padding to protect the iPad from desk-height falls. I doubt that it will last as long as an expensive leather case, but it feels like it will last for the life of the iPad.

- The price is amazing. At fourteen dollars, this case is a fraction of the cost of Apple's genuine leather case. You won't confuse this case with real leather -- it's clearly synthetic leather. I was in a meeting with a senior executive recently, and he had the Apple branded case. I have to admit, it was beautiful -- a Porsche compared by my Acase. But for functional protection for my iPad, the Acase works great, and I saved about fifty bucks.