I am not defending Enki--I posted the link to the review of the Enki product that showed it did not live up to the hype. However, I am not enamored of Belkin. I may give the SE a look. There also is one on Amazon that is getting high marks and is about $15. Smart Cover Partner Snap On Slim-Fit. I want a clear, not opaque back, so the engraving shows.
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Enki Gear Genius Case
- Thread starter jedolley
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How did all the hype over the Enki case start? Other alternatives were coming out, and its not like they have come out with other iPad cases that people have loved. I would never pre-order something like this without seeing reviews from users. The pictures on their site and fb page do not look like the product was anything special.
Only thing I do not like about the Switcheasy is how much space is left where the hinge goes. Way too much of the back is exposed. If it did not have this it might be the best case. Belkin nailed this part. I do like how the speaker is covered. iLounge shows good pictures of this. Also, the clear looks like regular plastic, and could show scratches more, but I have never seen the case, so I can't say that this is the case.
thanks for the review.
i have 1 questions for you.
can you tell me in your opinion was this a good buy?
regardless of the waiting game.... price... and what others are saying.
thanks
I thought about this too, but I think I know why some of these cases are cut wider, or at least the SE case.
When you fold back the smart cover you will notice that the cut out allows the hinge to sit flat on the back of the iPad and the cut out does not interfere. However, because the way the hinge is designed the smart cover can still fold back on both the Belkin and SE case. The only difference I can tell that the cut-out affects is the angle of the landscape mode. The belkin appears to sit a bit more upright, than the SE case when using the smart cover, but its so insignificant it's hard to notice.
IMO both are good cases.
If you want grip and the most protection go Belkin.
If you want clear shell or more color options take a look at Switcheasy.
I have not yet received mine (due to arrive Wednesday), so I cannot say at this time. Waiting game was immaterial to me. It was a pre-order, so I knew it would take some time. I liked that it was made in Detroit.
Sounds like some roughness to the edges--I will lightly sand any rough spots. No cutout for mic is not good. Means that for better voice quality--recording notes or face time--the case comes off. I don't use the mic very often, so not quite as important to me as some others. The Genius case is going to be used primarily at home. I have a Waterfield Designs Smart Case for carrying the iPad in my briefcase, a Waterfield Designs iPad Wallet for when I want to take Apple's BT keyboard along for the ride, and a custom Treegloo on the way as well.
Just recieved my Enki pre-order pack today (I'm in Maryland), with my clear genius case.
With the sleeve, and screen protector that came with it, I think $30 was a good deal.
The genius case fits perfect, and great with the smart cover. I haav no complaints at this point, but I'm not ocd like some folks on here, and the week extra wait didn't really bother me too much.
I'm finally satisfied with my protection, and the sleeve is a nice touch, especially being that I have two kids, so my electronics can never have enough protection haha.
With the sleeve, and screen protector that came with it, I think $30 was a good deal.
The genius case fits perfect, and great with the smart cover. I haav no complaints at this point, but I'm not ocd like some folks on here, and the week extra wait didn't really bother me too much.
I'm finally satisfied with my protection, and the sleeve is a nice touch, especially being that I have two kids, so my electronics can never have enough protection haha.
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I see your point. But since the hinge attaches to the actual iPad, and then folds over on the Belkin, the hinge has no reason to sit flat on the back, as the smart cover can only go so far to be flat against the Belkin. If the hinge laid flat on the back, then the smart cover would have to bend a little get back up over the shell.
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Received my Genius Case today - 1 day ahead of expected arrival date. (That was nice.) Overall, if my choices were 'satisfied' or 'not satisfied', then I would have to choose 'not satisfied'. On a scale of 1-5, I'd give it a 2.5. Disclaimer - I'll let you know now that I typically have high expectations, and I'm sure I've been a pain in the ass to many customer service reps. (I'm working on it.)
The case itself seems 'raw'. It's as if they sent me a prototype. Definitely not finished with smooth, rounded edges, which is what I expected. We all know about the case not having a cut out for the mic - disappointed about that. At the same time, I've never seen/handled any other case, so I have no point of comparison. I just know that this case is probably not the benchmark.
As for the sleeve, it's pretty basic/cheap - not nearly as much padding as my incase sleeve for my laptop. Then again, it was free so I'm trying to tone down my sense of entitlement.
Haven't messed with the screen protector yet.
I'll find out what my options are regarding a return/refund. If it's a pain in the butt - which is what I expect - I'm going to do my best to accept what I've got and just move on. It's not really worth getting all stressed out about.
Bottom line - It's ok. If I hadn't gotten a free sleeve with it, I probably would be raising hell. I didn't let the delayed shipping/bad customer service issues get to me. Taking it all into account, I'm sure there are better cases out there from companies with better customer service. Hope this helps some undecided folks out there.
The case itself seems 'raw'. It's as if they sent me a prototype. Definitely not finished with smooth, rounded edges, which is what I expected. We all know about the case not having a cut out for the mic - disappointed about that. At the same time, I've never seen/handled any other case, so I have no point of comparison. I just know that this case is probably not the benchmark.
As for the sleeve, it's pretty basic/cheap - not nearly as much padding as my incase sleeve for my laptop. Then again, it was free so I'm trying to tone down my sense of entitlement.
Haven't messed with the screen protector yet.
I'll find out what my options are regarding a return/refund. If it's a pain in the butt - which is what I expect - I'm going to do my best to accept what I've got and just move on. It's not really worth getting all stressed out about.
Bottom line - It's ok. If I hadn't gotten a free sleeve with it, I probably would be raising hell. I didn't let the delayed shipping/bad customer service issues get to me. Taking it all into account, I'm sure there are better cases out there from companies with better customer service. Hope this helps some undecided folks out there.
I really think some of the "reviews" from people that have received the case have been too kind. Even if we ignore all the other flaws, the no mic cutout is an automatic deal breaker. I don't even use the mic much if at all, but a case should have ALL the appropriate cut-outs and hopefully aligned correctly. Some of you may compromising for this case because you may not use the mic, but if a really great app or game comes out that utilizes the mic feature, you are going to either get a new case, or mod the one you got. With all the options out there, you are doing yourself a disservice by sticking with the Enki case due to this flaw. I would be contact Enki for a refund or at least get some sort of guaranty that when they correct this mistake they will exchange it.
Don't compromise! We want to encourage/force companies to make quality products!
Don't compromise! We want to encourage/force companies to make quality products!
For $30 it was a decent deal... It came with a squishy sleeve and a screen protector, which I managed apply with minimal bubbles. But the case itself is shoddy... The moulding is uneven around the corners, and the edges are sharp in some areas... I haven't tried sanding it yet. Oh yeah, I had to saw around the mic using a kitchen knife. That was fun...
It's funny that their information slip is more professional-looking than their case.
It's funny that their information slip is more professional-looking than their case.
I won't receive mine until tomorrow, but...
..what's the real issue with the Enki Case? I'm dissapointed to hear about the mic hole being covered. However, other than that and a few complaints of rough edges, what's wrong with it? Now I'm expecting to open a box containing a warped peice of trash.
Is it really that bad?
..what's the real issue with the Enki Case? I'm dissapointed to hear about the mic hole being covered. However, other than that and a few complaints of rough edges, what's wrong with it? Now I'm expecting to open a box containing a warped peice of trash.
Is it really that bad?
IMO the missing mic cutout or any missing cutout for that matter should be enough to be a deal breaker. I don't have the case, and from what I have read it's not defective or anything. Most complaints have been rough edges and other minor quality issues (not counting the mic cutout which I view a major issue).
With that said, these things combined make it a very unattractive option especially when trying to compete with other smart cover shell alternatives (i.e. Joy, Belkin, XGear, Switcheasy, Speck, etc.). IMO, with the reported issues and the missing cutout, this case is worse than the generic cases you can get off ebay for 50-75% cheaper.
There are better options, don't settle for this junk.
you answered your own question.
why would you want a case that has the mic covered over?
exactly. how they produced it without the cutout is embarrassing. i still would like to know how all the hype got started with this case and why people pre-ordered from a company that had no other history of a solid iPad case.
I ordered from them because it was the only Speck-like hard case on the market that was smart cover compatible. The pictures of it looked good, and the company seemed legit. They even included a sleeve and screen protector for free. All seemed well... Until I got the wrong tracking # and the case itself. I had to produce a cut out with a knife, too. Definitely NOOBS.
the pictures they posted seemed all over the place to me. if you look at some of the smoke pictures the top did not have full coverage, then the clear one did... and they never posted full pictures from all angles. i just won't spend the money on something like that until i either see it in person or see some reviews online.
I just received my case yesterday and am going to send it back due to the edge being very sharp and when using facetime the person says I sound too far away - due to the mic hole being covered up.
From the Order receipt that I received from Google Checkout there's an option to click under "Problems with this order?" From there I selected "Request Return and Refund" and filled out the message box. I hope to hear back from them soon....
Ya. I've done that, but don't expect a reply. In my email to them I wrote that if I don't hear back from them [within 3 business days], I would send back everything I received, and include my Google Checkout order confirmation page. Hope that it's enough to get my money back.
Yeah, I even e-mailed them from their website's contact form early last week to cancel, never heard back, and found out that during last two days of that week they weren't taking cancellations anymore. If the customer service sucked but the product was good, fine. But if both suck, they deserve whatever reaming people are sending their way.
I wouldn't return without hearing from Enki
I too got the Genius case and also am very disappointed for the same reasons most here are. I too sent a return request via Google Checkout several days ago and have heard nothing.
My concern with just sending it back without Enki's aknowledgment is that I'll have no cover and no refund.
If I don't hear anything by EOD tomorrow I'm disputing with AMEX. They at least answer the phone and understand the importance of customer service.
-Andrew
I too got the Genius case and also am very disappointed for the same reasons most here are. I too sent a return request via Google Checkout several days ago and have heard nothing.
My concern with just sending it back without Enki's aknowledgment is that I'll have no cover and no refund.
If I don't hear anything by EOD tomorrow I'm disputing with AMEX. They at least answer the phone and understand the importance of customer service.
-Andrew
I sent a note via google checkout AND on the contact button from their website yesterday - just received return instructions 5 mins ago.
geez, this is really a shame. I'm sorry you all are so disappointed tith this thing.
You guys should consider the Speck or Belkin cases as alternatives to this one, they both are excellent cases and widely available, but I have feeling you all know that anyway!
You can get the Speck for a reasonable price $29.99 less 10% + free shipping if you go to this site make a comment down toward the end of the page and you'll get a coupon by email. Worked for me.
http://www.squidoo.com/ipad2casesinstock
You guys should consider the Speck or Belkin cases as alternatives to this one, they both are excellent cases and widely available, but I have feeling you all know that anyway!
You can get the Speck for a reasonable price $29.99 less 10% + free shipping if you go to this site make a comment down toward the end of the page and you'll get a coupon by email. Worked for me.
http://www.squidoo.com/ipad2casesinstock
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