We are a very geeky household, with gadgets for both the adults and children. With a two year old and a four year old to contend with, it makes sense to try and keep our gadgets from harm by using protective cases. I’ve been using iPhones, iPads and kindles for years now, so here are my (budget friendly!) recommendations for keeping those precious gadgets safe.
For Kids
Georgie has her very own iPod Touch which we bought years ago when James sold an old iPhone. Despite being nearly four years old now it still runs some games (Sago Mini get a shout out for making their toddler & pre-school games backward compatible with older models!) and is capable of playing videos. Georgie loves it’s small size and the fact it is her very own gadget.
We keep Georgie’s iPod Touch safe and sound in a silicone Minnie Mouse case, which has quite a large amount of back and side protection. There is a cut out for the camera, and you can press the on/off button and volume buttons through the case. I picked this up from Amazon for less than £5.
For the girls’ iPad Mini, a hand-me-down from their Daddy, they use a Speck iGuy case. We LOVE this case as you can stand it up on his feet, it has survived a lot of bouncing around and dropping, and the girls can carry it around by the arms. We were actually sent this over two years ago for review – it has been in use since then, and still going strong.
There are cut outs for all of the ports and buttons, and gaps in the case by the screen to let sound in & out to the speaker and microphone. You can pick this model & colour up for £9.99 at Amazon right now, and they are available for all models of iPad, in several colours.
For Grown Ups
I have three portable gadgets that I take almost everywhere with me; an iPad Mini, a Kindle Paperwhite, and my iPhone 5S (soon to be iPhone 6S!). I have tried loads of different cases for these, and am extremely happy with what I use right now. I don’t like to have the bezel on my devices covered, so all of these cases are snug fitting, clipping onto the device.
For my iPad Mini I like to be able to stand it up in landscape at a variety of angles, and also have it on my desk or lap at a low angle (but not flat) to type. My new ESR folio smart stand cover lets me use my iPad in a good selection of positions, with protecting it really well with well padded casing and tough plastic around the back of the case. The case stays shut with magnets, and my iPad auto-wakes on opening.
I love the fun dog design and there are loads of different illustrations and patterns etc available on this case too – it took me a while to settle on this design. There are smooth cut outs for all of the buttons, ports and speakers. At less than £10 this is a great bargain, and the best iPad Mini case I’ve ever had.
For my Kindle Paperwhite I use an affordable Inateck ultra slim case. It clips snuggly onto my Kindle frame, and the cover does a great job of protecting my kindle in my bag. It has magnet closure which wakes up my Kindle when I open it up, and it folds all the way back on itself which is comfortable to hold. I’ve had several of these cases and they do hold up well under my high level of use. This time around I treated myself to the leather look, but I’ve had both styles of case and been happy with both.
Lastly, my iPhone 5S case is a premium custom case from Ideal Cases. James got it as a freebie for voting for them in the Virgin Business Pitch to Rich campaign, and gave it to me. It has one of my starfish photos from Sea Life Birmingham on the back, and fits perfectly onto my iPhone 5S, protecting the back and sides. The edges around the bevel are slightly higher than the screen, so when it is face down the screen isn’t touching the surface it is sitting on.
Although I would recommend this particular style and model of phone case, I don’t recommend the iPad Mini case James got from them as the edges all snapped off, the clip and cover was annoying, and the rubberised plastic became discoloured quite quickly. They actually discontinued that model soon after James bought it, and have released a new smart cover since then, so hopefully it is much improved!
So there you have it; my recommendations to protect your gadgets. What do you use – and what should I use for my iPhone 6S when I get it?
