There are about a million case vendors out there ready to hook up your iThing with the utmost in protection and style, but very few differentiate in a cool way. This Kickstarter project, however, has really caught my eye with a minimalist design and smart functionality.
A company called FineGrain has recently posted their Bowden and Sheffield cases to Kickstarter with a goal of raising $20,000 by May 22. They’re nearly halfway there.
The Bowden and Sheffield solve the same problem that the Cygnett iPhone case solved for me. The iPad is beautiful, so putting a full-time case on it detracts from one of the tablet’s best qualities: its design. The Bowden and Sheffield keep your iPad safe in transit, and offer up a stand-type functionality so you can prop it up while you type or what have you, but they aren’t meant to stay on your iPad at all times.
They remind me a bit of the DoDo case, looking kind of like a souped up Moleskine for the iPad. But these are made with as many natural materials as possible, making them just as friendly to the Earth as they will be to your precious tablet.
The Bowden is made of aluminum, with your choice of walnut or cherry hardwood edges. You can also choose between brown or black leather, which is magnetically secured to keep your iPad locked in position.
The Sheffield, on the other hand, is a polycarbonate build, again with your choice of hardwood, and covered with grey wool felt. The Sheffield also has a little surprise up its sleeve in that the back doubles as a dry erase board.
Both cases are lined on the inside with ultra-soft felt flocking that goes above and beyond, in that it cleans your screen each time you slide the tablet in and out of the case.
If this sounds like the case for you, just head on over to FineGrain’s Kickstarter page and make a pledge.
Kickstarter is the world’s largest funding platform for creative projects. Every week, tens of thousands of people pledge millions of dollars to projects from the worlds of music, film, art, technology, design, games, fashion, food, publishing, and other creative fields. Since its launch on April 28th, 2009, more than two million people have pledged more than $300 million to projects by creators who always maintain full ownership and complete creative control of their work.
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