wow...not sure I would accept those dings....if you want to seal the wood, tape it off and hit it with two lights coats of satin clear...then 0000 steel wool.
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Portenzo iPad 2 Case: Now a Smart Cover
- Thread starter Jeff5i
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I agree, I don't think I would be happy with those dings. especially the one on the spine. Whether it was the shipping co. or as you say the packaging, - it is still banged up. I think (dread the wait!) I would prefer a replacement. after paying $70+ and waiting so long - I want it to be done right.
also, not sure I like the new on/off mechanism. I think I prefer actually pushing the power button and not the back of case/front of Ipad. Not sure how this is working but I would imagine it will fail at some point after use. (?)
Plus- why are they changing this and not notifying us? We ordered the case a certain way - they can't just change it on us. If anything, - this could be an option when placing the order.
Thanks. Darin suggested I try it with the skin. If it didnt install correctly I can cut the corners off. Someone else did that and it looked good. Basically like the Zagg skin which doesnt cover the corners.
I may contact them about that and see what they say, I know that I wouldn't have to wait since they would send a new case before asking me to return mine in the case of an exchange.
Thanks for the advice, once I have a case that I know I am keeping I will be finishing the wood.
At least I finally have a good case to use in the mean time
I will probably never use it since the whole reason that I was looking for a case with the smart cover functionality was to have it automatically sleep and wake. It does seem like one of those things that will wear over time if used a lot. The smart cover works great.
I just received my case today and overall I am very happy with the feel, quality and improvements in my case. Here is my list:
Pros:
I was pleasantly surprised to find that there have been some changes made in my case that I did not see in previous orders. This may be because I ordered my custom with clear bumpers and my frame was a made fresh with the new changes.
There is no longer a cutout for the sleep/power button, which is great since the auto sleep function takes care of that. They added a feature called "Secret Button" which allows you to press the button but pressing the back of the case and the front of the iPad together, note says that videos are on the website but I can't find them. At first I was not convinced but when I tried it, it actually works and works well enough for me. I don't plan on using the button much anyway and I really like the absence of the cutout, looks much nicer.
The sticker is left unattached to the case leaving the option to use it or not.
The Portenzo micro fiber cleaning cloth is a nice touch and the first thing that I used so my iPad would be clean for it's first matchup with the case.
The extra material for the camera hole is gone since I did not order the hole, this seem to help the iPad sit more level.
The iPad sits slightly below the edge of the wood but causes the bumpers to get more of a "monkey-grip" over the top edge. Not visually noticeable (the monkey-grip that is, the recessed iPad is noticeable) but very secure. The recessed iPad is not what I would have chosen, preferring the more flush design but I will gladly sacrifice this small design issue for the added grip depth of the bumpers. I will have to remove the iPad to clean the edges if debris gets stays on the edges. Also, because of this, the 30-pin port is more difficult to get to, most connectors thicker than the Apple one will have varying degrees of difficulty fitting with the wood in the way (it doesn't appear that the wood can be made thinner without sacrificing strength). The Apple connector still works fine though and one aftermarket one that I tried although my other aftermarket connector does not fit.
Cons:
Packaging. My case sustained some noticeable dings in shipment because the box was crushed and the packaging was not enough to protect it. I can deal with this because the damage is no more than I will probably inflict on the case within the first month anyway.
I am glad that I went with the strap with Magna-Grip because the magnets don't seem to have a strong enough hold with the iPad sitting below the edge of the frame. Maybe previous designs were more flush and made better contact with the magnets. The hold is good enough to keep it from flapping around but not a very secure option by itself.
The wood does seem unfinished with some roughness to it that some fine steel wool would have smoothed out. Nothing major or too distracting, I just would have preferred a more refined finish and a light clear coat. I don't want the frame to be shiny just preserved and protected from oils and moisture. I will probably do what a recent poster did and finish it myself.
Using the strap to stand it up won't work for me, the strap is too short. This is not a design flaw at all but I just wanted to answer that question. I will be looking into the strap mod that was talked about many pages back.
Conclusion:
Overall I am very happy with the case and knowing about the shipping wait going into this helped keep my expectations reasonable. Every email was answered in a acceptable timeframe and my questions resolved completely. This is a great case that I would buy again and encourage others to do so as well. Now to pre-order for my next iPad
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That spine ding looks horrible. Send it. Back or at least they ought to give you a partial(15%) refund!
Insufficient/inappropriate packing is portenzo's bad not yours.
Weird shipping status
Dodo Case is the company located in San Fran. Portenzo is in St. Louis, Missouri.
Cool! I'm also part of the group who happily received a shipping notice on Friday with a 2-day delivery date of 5/24 by 4:30pm. Thing is, my tracking number still says INITIATED. No scan in MO or anything. It's as if a label was prepared but my order is still sitting in Portenzo's office. Or something else is wrong. I shop a lot on the web and have never seen a package site in an INITIATED status this long. No local hub scan, no arrival at a major hub. Hmmm...
Anyone ever had a package miss all its travel progress scans yet it still arrived on it's specified delivery date???
Dodo Case is the company located in San Fran. Portenzo is in St. Louis, Missouri.
Cool! I'm also part of the group who happily received a shipping notice on Friday with a 2-day delivery date of 5/24 by 4:30pm. Thing is, my tracking number still says INITIATED. No scan in MO or anything. It's as if a label was prepared but my order is still sitting in Portenzo's office. Or something else is wrong. I shop a lot on the web and have never seen a package site in an INITIATED status this long. No local hub scan, no arrival at a major hub. Hmmm...
Anyone ever had a package miss all its travel progress scans yet it still arrived on it's specified delivery date???
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Dodo Case is the company located in San Fran. Portenzo is in St. Louis, Missouri.
Cool! I'm also part of the group who happily received a shipping notice on Friday with a 2-day delivery date of 5/24 by 4:30pm. Thing is, my tracking number still says INITIATED. No scan in MO or anything. It's as if a label was prepared but my order is still sitting in Portenzo's office. Or something else is wrong. I shop a lot on the web and have never seen a package site in an INITIATED status this long. No local hub scan, no arrival at a major hub. Hmmm...
Anyone ever had a package miss all its travel progress scans yet it still arrived on it's specified delivery date???
I've never had a package miss a progress scan unless it was USPS or FedEx Smartpost (once it reaches the USPS part). I think they just initiate a tracking number and print out labels and you get notified whenever these labels are printed. Your case is most likely on the shipping table still and probably will go out the next morning. I doubt they actually ship everyday...especially on the weekends.
While I agree that the case needs to be replaced, you have to be joking dude. That case would have been damaged no matter how much protection was given to it from the looks of it. i wonder what the shipping carton looked like.
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He must be a tough little guy or girl. Glad the I-Pad was spared. Also glad to hear that they at least stood behind their quality issue and corrected it.
I don't understand. Did you have an issue that they (Portenzo) would not correct and you felt the need to file a dispute or claim??
Well, I actually turn off the iPad at night to conserve battery. Its actually my wife's and its really not used alot. Usually only in the evenings. I prefer the power button.
Anyone else have thoughts on this switcheroo by Portenzo (if that is the case and this not being an isolated unit). I think I'm going to have to email Darin and request that mine still have the cutout for the power button.
Well, it looks like their CS is improving all the time. I emailed them and they asked for pics and immediately got back to me after seeing the pics. My replacement is on the way and of course I can use this case until I get the new one.
Good to hear. no way you should have been stuck with that damaged case.
I only ordered my case just last week so I'm joining the Portenzo party a bit late. So far Darin has responded favorably and QUICKLY to all of my emails.
I'm annoyed they took out the camera hole completely for those who do not want it without announcing that. It used to be there for every case and they would put in a rubber padding for people who do not want the hole. That made the ipad unleveled so for my case I ordered the hole because I figured if I'm going to have an unleveled ipad I might as well get it.
Now I find out the hole won't be there AND the camera hole isn't really dust proof...
Oh and it's too late to change my order of course because my case shipped yesterday.
I'm annoyed they took out the camera hole completely for those who do not want it without announcing that. It used to be there for every case and they would put in a rubber padding for people who do not want the hole. That made the ipad unleveled so for my case I ordered the hole because I figured if I'm going to have an unleveled ipad I might as well get it.
Now I find out the hole won't be there AND the camera hole isn't really dust proof...
Oh and it's too late to change my order of course because my case shipped yesterday.
Are you for real. If you actually knew what you were talking about, I could understand and possibly agree with you but that is not the case here. From what I saw people have always had the CHOICE of a camera hole. Biggest difference is that it used to be FREE and now it is a $4.95 option or something like that. I would say that the I-Pad sat unlevel because of the wood under the top right corner rather than the grommet. Of course I am only basing that on the fact that recent pics that I have seen with the NEW frame shows the I-Pad sitting level and there is still a grommet in place, but NO WOOD under the I-Pad.
GROW UP!!!!
Did you all read the OP about the power button. It is still functional, you just do not have a hole in the frame. Hopefully they will get the video up that the OP says the instructions spoke of and we can get all this crazy talk behind us.
Did you all read the OP about the power button. It is still functional, you just do not have a hole in the frame. Hopefully they will get the video up that the OP says the instructions spoke of and we can get all this crazy talk behind us.
Yes I read it. And why is this "Crazy" talk? Did you read my post?
I said that I can see how any mechanism could possible begin to fail after repeated use. Why would I want a secondary method to power on/off when the original method is what was intended to be used. The OP says that the way to power on/off is to push the back of the case while pushing the front of the iPad. So I would imagine that this action is somehow depressing the power button down. Plus, this then requires you to perform two actions to power on/off the ipad where as pressing the actual power button requires one.
Although I like the idea of less cutouts and less dust entering the case - I still would prefer using the power button.
I also will wait to see the videos before final judgement but I don't like the fact that they are changing the design without notifying anyone.
Yikes! Hindsight is 20/20 - but I think I would have opened that in front of the FedEx guy. they are the ones who should pay for the damage not Portenzo.
They need a press release on Facebook and to update their site on the case changes. People ordering now will receive a product different to that which is on their site.
Well my case arrived today and I must say it looks great! There are some rougher spots on the finish of some corners on the wood but I plan to seal and use 0000 steel wool to finish it out.
One thing is my 'audio port' doesn't have the foam piece as shown in the pictures on Portenzo's website. I emailed Darin and Liz and asked for them to just send me the foam piece and I will attach it myself.
I also received the new 'stealth power' button and I'm not too pleased. I have tried to activate it just as the instruction insert suggested however no matter how hard I squeeze the iPad the button doesn't activate. I have tried pressing all the way from immediately to the right of the front camera all the way down to the right corner and nothing happened (ipad was sitting on and didn't go to sleep as would normally occur with the power button pressed). I have tried seating the ipad as far down as it would go as well as seating it 'floating' so the screen is level with the top of the wood frame.
Besides the missing foam (easily fixed) and the non functioning secret power button I'm very pleased with the quality! The iPad can either be seated flush with the top of the wood or down into the frame as others have suggested. I opted for the stylus holder and I like the addition.
Sorry for the image quality, only have my iPhone4 here...
Custom Embossing on the cover (Morocco cover material)
Bottom (Dock Connector) Port:
Side (Volume and Mute) Port - Note the uneven sanding on right side, slightly annoying but not a huge issue...
Top (Headphone Jack) Port:
So Called Secret Power Button Instructions (Although I can't replicate the switch activation this way):
The Soundport doesn't have the foam to seal off the bottom of the iPad and force sound out...
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I totally agree that the site needs to be updated so people can actually see what they are getting.