Well, the New Year is here, but ugly tablet cases keep on popping up from every manufacturer. While some of the cases I’ve seen are pretty good at protecting the tablet, their looks could’ve and should’ve been taken care of more thoroughly. Check out the tablet cases I’ve found last week and decide for yourselves…

Look at the TOPOPA5-B from Macally, it’s a decent rugged tablet cases with all-round protection for the tablet, but boring design. Even though the case comes with integrated stand function and the rubbery material ensures extra grip on the device, the maker could’ve used a more attractive color scheme to make the case look better.

Great impact protection and integrated stand functionality, but boring design and looks

There was another rugged tablet case I’ve come across last week – the Field Case from Magpul. Once again it sports pretty tough impact protection for the tablet, but fails to deliver an attractive exterior. I can’t really understand how hard it is for the manufacturer to come up with at least a two-toned exterior to bring a little color to the case.

Ordinary, one-toned design, but with great all-round protective capabilities

The Bolster from iLuv looks like a pretty decent folio tablet case made of durable material. The slim and lightweight construction is a definite plus, but it may lack in the protection it delivers due to somewhat weak sides and corners. However, the case does come with an integrated stand feature.

Good-looking folio with integrated stand, but pretty weak corner and side protection

The case I liked the most last week is the iPad Air version of the popular Concerti line from Moshi. It comes with pretty durable and water-repellent exterior as well as microfiber interior lining for scratch protection. there’s also a rotating swivel for easy switching between portrait and landscape orientations. The auto sleep/wake function and a stylus holder are great bonuses. And of course there’s the hand strap feature that we learned to love in previous Concerti models.

Decent impact protection is combined with multi-functional features in this tablet folio case

It looks like Samsung wants to control every aspect of our lives. Besides the PCs, smartphones, tablets, and electronics, the Korean giant is now coming out with Smart Home platform, a solution which allows us to control everything in our homes from light switches to the fridge, straight on our mobile devices. Well, CES is right around the corner and I’m anxious to see if my Android phone will be able to flush the toilet in the very near future. Checking if you’ve turned off the iron or the stove on your mobile will be pretty useful features indeed.

Samsung to unveil the Smart Home platform at the coming Consumer Electronics Show

And here’s something hilarious for my faithful readers: a BBC news presenter, Simon McCoy, went live with a pack of photocopier paper instead of an iPad. Well, it’s an honest mistake and definitely a sure way to protect your tablet from damage, but come on! The network has addressed the issue saying that “In the rush of live news, he didn’t have an opportunity to swap the items, so simply went with it.” The news room need to seriously rethink the brand of coffee they are serving their employees.

Simon McCoy presenting live with a pack of paper in his hands instead of an iPad