So Poetic followed through and delivered my Explorer case inside of a month after funding ended - nice to have a positive story to tell about crowd-funding. Can't say enough good things about a company that listened to its customers requesting a good case for a product so many other companies opted to overlook, and followed through.
A few pics, and then a few thoughts:
Of course, this is one of the few days when I didn't bring my Slate to the office...
I went into this wanting base my expectations on the quality I've seen from numerous other Poetic products I've had in the past, which would be pretty high expectations, but did my best to temper them. I'll have to follow back up later when I can actually set and use the Slate in it, but for now it seems that restraint was not needed in the slightest. This thing looks amazing, and feels
so much nicer than I would have imagined.
This case isn't for everyone, and if you never envision wanting to carry your slate without using the keyboard with it, it definitely isn't for you.
I usually use it with the keyboard, but wanted a better, safer means to tote it when using it for media consumption (flights, etc) or casual use. For that purpose, this isn't the cheapest option out there, but at first glance on paper definitely appeared to be the best.
Production quality does not (at least yet) evidence any of the frequent shortcomings one fears with initial production runs. All seams are clean, smooth, and precise. Very clean where the different materials join as well.
It is
not a lightweight case, weighing in at 1.25 lbs. That said, a big point of this is protection, and a much lighter case would have a harder time serving that function. I hope to never find out how well it will actually protect mine but am cautiously optimistic as the build seems very durable and shock absorbent.
I can't get over how good it feels to hold. The textured grip feels great and like I would almost have to make a special effort to have it slip out. That perception of friction might change when I add the tablet's weight, but that's the initial perception.
The 'stock' marketing photo gives it almost a glossy look to the exterior. The actual production unit is very much a matte finish, which I greatly prefer.
I'll follow up later when I get some hands-on with my tablet actually in use with it. Still a little anxious over how it will feel to use the Slate with the integrated screen protector, and how easy it is to seat/remove the Pen (as well as how securely it is held). As grippy as the coating is, I'm pretty confident it'll live up to the 'infinitely adjustable landscape mode' but will provide feedback on that as well.
Looks like they've put it up on
Amazon at $39.95 shipped, for those that are interested.
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