My new iPad last May was soon safely housed inside one of Piel Frama's stylish and high-quality folios. You really cannot fault the products of this Spanish company. In my book they produce the best and most elegant cases for both iPad and iPhone. Now they are first off the mark with a new, thinner folio for the iPad 2. Good news, too, is that it is available within 15 days and the €120 price includes courier delivery anywhere in Europe. Colours include black, tan, red, green, fuchsia (yes please) and orange (aaarghhh).
When you see the pictures or, better still, get to explore one of these Piel Frama beauties you can't help wanting one. As a protector and as a convenient way of carrying around the new iPad they are without equal.
The only snag comes in the weight. At 300g (10.5oz) the new case is exactly half the weight of the device itself (600g – 21oz). Put the two together and you are hefting around just under 2 lb. I haven't yet seen the weight of the new Smart Covers, but they are going to be very light and will add little to the weight of the iPad, perhaps bringing it up to 1.5 lb at most. It's a difficult choice. I've always favoured the heavier, solid products from Piel Frama but at the moment I'm tending towards the minimalist approach of the Smart Cover.