Doug recently pointed out in a news post that his family has moved away from using a home theater setup to watching their own content on their own devices because of their individual tastes. That got me thinking about how much of that goes on in my family. Sure, we have 55″ LCD TV in the living room, where we watch movies, sports events and other TV shows together as a family, but we all watch streaming or stored content on our iPads, too.
When watching a short YouTube video, it’s second nature just to hold the iPad, watch, and then move on to the next activity. But what if you are watching a full length movie? After a while, it’s a bit uncomfortable to hold the iPad, and if you are trying to share the movie with someone, doubly so.
Well, here’s one of the better solutions that I’ve seen; it’s Rolling Avenue’s iCircle, which is basically a hard shell case that offers back and corner protection for the iPad — along with something more.
The hard plastic shell is precision cut to fit either the iPad 2 or the New iPad, and it adds very little bulk or weight to the device, other than a bit of a bulge in the center area where the aluminum circle-ring sits. The shell is sturdy and protective, and it has cutouts so that all buttons, ports and features are available.
The tradeoff for that little bit of extra bulk is that the aluminum circle ring can be rotated and opened as a stand to give stable and solid footing in both the landscape and portrait viewing positions.
Landscape is perfect for movies, games, music videos, presentations, and most other uses. Being able to also use the iPad in portrait orientation makes this the perfect video-conferencing tool, because Facetime or Skype chats can now be hands-free.
I especially like the fact that my Miniot cover works with the iCircle; it also works just fine with a BodyGuardz back skin.
If you use your iPad for movies, presentations, Facetime, Skype, or any other activity that would benefit from handsfree propping in the orientation of your choosing, then the Rolling Avenue iCircle may be your perfect cover!
The iCircle is available from Rolling Avenue and on Amazon
MSRP: $69.99.
What I Like: Allows you to prop the iPad in landscape or portrait orientation for watching movies or Facetime chat; allows the use of Apple’s SmartCover or other aftermarket covers that use the same fastening system; metal ring adds substance and stability without a lot of extra weight
What Needs Improvement: Nothing
