iPad cases and accessories in Manila

I finally got my iPad 32gb wifi two weeks ago from Deb who brought it home from San Francisco. It wouldn’t have been possible if not for the patience and resourcefulness of Jeanne who bought it for me. She went to Apple’s Union Square store at the exact time a new delivery arrived. Thanks Jeanne and Deb for my iPad!

Being an early adopter means having to be creative with accessories. There weren’t any iPad screen protectors, cases or bags available in Manila yet. It’s a good thing my friend Tisay who’s based in Hong Kong bought me a non-glare, fingerprint proof screen protector and this red semi-hard plastic case in Sham Shui Po. I love this kind of case which is also the type I use on my iPhone. It’s harder than a silicone case and it offers a good non-slip grip while being thin and light. The only thing I didn’t like is the hole in the back for the Apple logo but I can live with that.

plastic protector HK$40

The case is translucent and flexible enough to slip on the iPad.

It has cut outs for all the ports and switches.

For further protection I bought this memory foam 10″ netbook sleeve from cd-r king and it cost only P180. Even with my red plastic case the sleeve was a perfect fit. This sleeve also came in black and blue depending on the availability in the store. My fingers’ indentation on the memory foam disappeared after a few seconds. This is an amazing value for the protection it gives to my iPad. With this sleeve on I can just put my iPad in my shoulder bag or hand carry luggage without worries.

memory foam sleeve from cd-r king P180 or US$4

Other sleeve options available in cd-r king.

There are other 10 inch sleeves available in cd-r king based on their web site but good luck finding them.

I was in Ali Mall in Cubao last week to get my plane ticket from Philippine Airlines. While waiting for my number to be called I walked around the nicely renovated mall to look for possible iPad cases or bags. I found a great bag in an unlikely store, Clipper. Clipper carries all sorts of knick knacks for kids, tweens and teens. It’s a treasure trove of goodies and gifts for this age group.

I bought this black neoprene bag with handles and a pocket for the charger and other stuff.

neoprene case from Clipper P799.75 or US$18

The fit is a bit roomier than the red sleeve from cd-r king.

What’s nice about this bag is you can hide the handles by stuffing them in the pockets in the front and back thus turning it into a sleeve.

The pocket can be accessed from the side zippers or from the velcro top in the middle.

Clipper also had this denier fabric case which is also perfect for the iPad.

fabric case from Clipper P499.75 or US$11

There’s a pocket in the back.

It has a short handle and comes in 4 colors and sells for P499.75.

A few steps from Clipper is Halo Mobile Clothing which sells cases for cellphones, laptops and gadgets.

They had these nice 10″ neoprene sleeves that were a snug fit for my iPad. I had to wiggle my iPad and do some pulling and stretching but it fit well too. I prefer sleeves with zipper with quicker access and storage.

neoprene sleeves from Halo P250 or US$6

They had several cases for 10 inch netbooks too. I didn’t try each one because the sales ladies were already giving me the eye for taking pictures.

red bumpy case P445 or US$10

red bag P795 or US$18

I found this adjustable book rest in National Bookstore in Ali Mall. It’s made of steel and promises to be rust proof and it’s dirt cheap at P83.

adjustable book rest from National Bookstore P83 or US$1.85

Reading a book on my iPad while on the book rest was great.

in portrait mode

in landscape mode

Red isn’t my favorite color but all these accessories looked good in red that’s why I ended up with an all red iPad look. In case you haven’t guessed my favorite color is orange.

I also bought this portable laptop desk at cd-r king for P580. It’s perfect for using with my laptop and iPad. The height and angle of the desk are adjustable.

portable laptop/iPad desk P580 or US$13

I love my iPad! I use it mainly for reading books but surfing and checking email on it is awesome. I don’t regret buying it. I plan to bring it when I travel instead of my heavy macbook pro.