G-Form: Extreme Protection

It's always fun to watch videos displaying crazy stunts- whether it's blending your favorite electronics or dropping them from great heights. G-Form has created a few, showing for example, how their protective sleeves have enabled an iPad to be dropped safely from a plane. We weren't quite able to reproduce that stunt, but we did take our iPad and iPad 2 out for a few drops and spills while encased.

The G-Form iPad Extreme Sleeve comes in black and yellow colors- and they each look pretty dangerous. The material behind the magic is Poron XRD, which features 'reactive protection'- a fancy sort of shock absorption from a family of microcellular urethane foams that will soon be popping up all over, including shoe soles and insoles. Our version of the sleeve had only one real design flaw, fairly exposed zipper lining areas, which they have already fixed. As of press time, pre-orders for the upgraded version (Extreme Sleeve 2) were just going live.

The manufacturer recommends against use of a Smart Cover for your iPad if you're also trying to use this case, and we agree- it doesn't fit so well. And they also take pains to note that they are not responsible for any damage caused to your iPad or anything contained in the sleeve- their warranty offers no liability, whether accidental or intentional. Despite this, we did try a couple of directly vertical drops from about five feet, and our iPad sustained no visible (or obvious) damage. It's not the most attractive case perhaps, and doesn't offer much room for accessories- but it is a pretty sturdy and fairly lightweight way to ruggedize your iPad. They also make other gear- even knee and elbow pads. And pricing is fair- the sleeve will run you around $60.