Ok got my Speck from Gleemobile.com this morning where I got an exceptional price by the way!
Its a really good alternative to the Belkin, however I still think the Belkin comes out slightly ahead.
Here's why
The Speck weighs in is a little bit heavier than the Belkin, I don't have a scale that measures down to the grams but I would say because of the additional real estate the Speck has and the small metal conductive part it makes the case at least in my opinion feel a little bit heavier and more substantive. This is not a bad thing, just an observation.
It is translucent but not at all like some of the cheesy smokey ones I have seen. The Speck is almost sold as seen in the pictures and has a very nice grip to it. There will be no handing problems here, good firm rubbery kind of grip. I don't know what they call that coating but it is great for cases.
There is a small conductive part on the outside for the smart cover, first time I tried it, the cover flopped right down, second time it held, but I think I will reserve judgment on that right now. Seems like a good idea.
The Speck is also thicker, which may afford a little more protection that the Belkin in the long run.
I am really from the school that believes these protective cases are for just that purpose, protecting the back of the ipad from scratches, period end of story. You want something that will protect it from a drop, get a different case, these shells are not the ones you want.
These are for casual use around the house or office, lightweight, sturdy and minimally invasive to the overall ipad experience.
The Speck is also very much a full coverage case like the Belkin model that provides coverage.
I have to hand it to Belkin, they know how to make a minimalist case for this Ipad 2. It really is though the thing is not even there!
All of the borders and places the unit snaps into place are all perfectly level with the ipad screen so one does not feel as though there is a case attached. Seamless is the word I'm looking for.
All points, edges on the Belkin are finished, and polished smooth, no rough spots at all, no catches or places were your finger might feel a sharp edge. And this is especially evident when one has the smart cover off. No sharp plastic edges at all, you'd never know the case was on there, its as though you were using a naked Ipad.
The Speck on the other hand has a small border around the rim of the Ipad, clearly visible, which is not a problem at all, just an observation.
After snapping mine into place I continued to see a sliver of the rim around the screen, but that just may be the way this case works or may very well have to do with the Wrapsol skin on the back of my Ipad.
With the Apple smart cover on the Speck the Ipad is perfectly and easily accessible and the case is an extremely good companion for the this cover.
There is a nice little lip as the OP mentioned to open the from front cover, Belkin opted out of doing this.
That little additional break in the case structure however at least on mine is not as finished or polished off, and is a little on the sharp side. One knows this can be easily fixed but, this should have been done during the manufacturing process.
Surprisingly, I found many of the edges going around the border a little unfinished on the Speck. They just seemed a little rough and sharpish, and one can fix this, no problem. You really only notice this when one has the Smart cover off.
The left hand side where the smart cover attaches with the magnets to the body of the Ipad has plenty of protection and has extremely good good coverage on the back leading up to where the cover attaches. I do think there is a difference though when the cover is removed, the edges of the Speck are a little more intrusive.
Here is where the real difference in the cases comes. If you have both or are planning on getting both, try handling them without the cover on you Ipad. See what difference you feel in the overall experience handling your Ipad.
The Speck reminds you constantly that there is a case on the unit and you never know the Belkin is there. To me that's a great thing, I don't want to feel the weight or feel a slight jab or prick from a rough side of a case and I don't have that with the Belkin.
Now of course these are my personal preferences, and I only call it as I see it. I like both cases very much.
I do totally disagree with the OP that the Belkin is a trash piece of plastic, or whatever he said/ Respectively, I think in contrast to the Speck, the Belkin offers a minimalist design with a great deal of protection, but its every bit as sturdy and durable as the Speck, no doubt about it.
I see them both as long lasting good durable protective cases that probably can't be improved on all that much! In other words these are keepers, no one is going to come along and make something better than either one of these so don't worry about that. Speck should consider finishing off their cases a little better, that might make the experience of handling it a whole lot better.
Again, they are both excellent cases, both well designed and manufactured, and both will no doubt do very well in the market.
If you get either one, you'll be happy and so will the back of your Ipad!
