I've reviewed CaseCrowns products in the past, and to be completely honest with you, its a love or hate situation with all of their cases. I loved the Chameleon Glider for the iPhone 4. I wasnt a huge fan of the Royal Standby. Now, CaseCrown have come back with yet another offering for the iPad 2, the Lux Glider. Very much like the other glider cases for the iPhone 4, this case features a very smooth and simple slide on design, a nice matte texture on the outside, a protective velvety inside to prevent scratches and scuffs, and proper openings for all of your ports and functions. So, what do I think of CaseCrowns latest offering? Read on for the full review of the Lux Glider for the iPad 2 to find out!
If you read my previous review of the other CaseCrown Glider for the iPhone 4, then you may have recalled that I was not a huge fan of both the packaging and the accessories that came with the Glider, and that still holds true today. While I like the simplicity that CaseCrown offers, its simply too simple (I apologize for the overuse of the word simple and its common brothers), it only includes the case itself. No screen shields, no cloths, just the case itself, pretty bone dry. Now, I see why CaseCrown does not include any other accessories, and thats because of the fact that the Lux simply does not work with any type of screen shield, and thats because of the extremely tight fit around the edge, which took a few moments to install.
Now, before I complain anymore about the packaging and moaning on about the incompatibly, lets take a look at the actual case, shall we. Besides the lack of accessories, I like the Lux Glider a lot. Much like the Incase Slider, it features the same two part design, the top part being larger and the bottom part being smaller. It features a matte feel all around the case and besides the fact that it attracts smudges and fingerprints by the dozen, feels absolutely fantastic in the hand. Also, it doesnt add a lot of overall bulk to the body of the iPad or around the sides & corners. Durability is also quite good and repels scratches and scuffs very well over the past couple of weeks that I have used it. I still have yet to drop it though.
There are a variety of different cutouts and access points, some large, some not so large. Starting at the top you will find that the case has four individual cutouts for the sleep/wake button, the camera, the headphone jack, and a middle cutout (cant exactly remember what that is at the moment). Lets make it simple, instead of going in depth about each individual cutout, Ill simply say wether or not it works or it doesnt (or sum it up in a short sentence). The sleep/wake button is tactile and very easy to access, and the camera cutout does not obstruct photography in any way. You may also want to take note of the slightly large, white CaseCrown logo present on the back.
The headphone cutout is rather small and wont fit a lot of beefier jacks (the Apple buds pose a rather tight fit). On the rights side of the case there is an opening for the volume rockers and the silent switch, that, for the most part, were easy to access, although people with sausage size fingers may have trouble with. The bottom of the case has a perfect cutout for the speaker that does not interfere with sound at all. The dock connector is wide open (when I mean wide open, its cut open at the top, as you can see in the pictures), and seems to be wide enough to fit with almost all types of third party chargers.
I havent really found a lot of issues with the CaseCrown Lux for the iPad 2. While I will never be a huge fan of the packaging and the accessories that caseCrown includes, the actual case itself has avery little flaws besides attracting a lot of smudges. Is simple, protective, and looks very sleek on the iPad 2. You can pick up the Lux Glider for the iPad 2 over at CaseCrowns website for $27. Follow the link for more info.
Rating: 4/5
CaseCrown Lux Glider for iPad 2 (Product Link)