By Cynthia Karena
Targus tablet cases
A friend of mine bought a small laptop case for her tablet because it looks beautiful. But it only provides minimal protection for her expensive piece of equipment.
Most of it is leather but there is stretch fabric around the sides, which for me renders the whole thing useless. Style is a wonderful thing, but it shouldn't come at the expense of function.
The Targus VersaVu.
While I love Apple's snug silicone cases, tablets need extra protection from everyday life and general clumsiness. Targus makes a line of robust, shock-absorbing tablet cases. Its standout claim is the United States military-grade drop protection, which means cases pass a 1.2-metre drop test.
I tested the 9.7 inch Targus VersaVu Signature 360 Rotating Case and Targus 3D Protection models with a china saucer wrapped in a plastic bag. I threw them around on the back deck and dropped them from about a two-metre height with no breakage. Admittedly, my saucer doesn't have electronics embedded, but a noteworthy drop survive nonetheless.
The Targus 3D Protection.
The Targus VersaVu is $80 for the 9.7 inch and $90 for the 12.9 inch. There's access to controls, ports, and camera lenses. It rotates for switching between portrait and landscape viewing. But the hole at the back so people can see the Apple logo is annoying and unnecessary.
With its exo-skeleton look, the grey Targus 3D Protection looks like it should be on the set of The Matrix or Star Trek. At $55 for the 9.7 inch case, or $80 for the 12.9 inch, it has reinforced corners but the hard plastic exterior makes it less comfortable to hold than the VersaVu.
Both have screen covers that stay firmly in place, which is important so the device doesn't wake up and drain the battery.