iPad 2 case review: Booqpad Agenda

Booqpad Agenda for iPad 2

I recently got sent a couple of cases in the post that upon first look I just didn’t understand. The reason I didn’t understand is that they were an iPad 2 case with the addition of notepad and personally I just didn’t get why you would want a notepad when you had an iPad.

Well, keep reading to see my thoughts on the case and the interesting combination of old meets new…

As I say the Booqpad Agenda is a case for your iPad 2 that contains a notepad for traditional note taking and whilst this may seem pointless I can actually see merit in having both available to you.

Imagine you are looking at an app and you need to make notes, so you have to flip across to another app make the note then flip back to continue reading. Having a notepad takes that extra step out and you can effectively work twice as fast. Add to that an app like Evernote and those notes that you have made on the iPad can easily and quickly be added to your iPad in digital form. Not only that but Evernote has OCR (optical character recognition) which can scan those hand written notes for text.

It seems crazy but this really is where ‘old meets new’, yes you will get some strange looks for using a notepad when you have an iPad right there but if you are in the market for a folio case then this could be for you.

There are also those of us that don’t get on with using a stylus to make notes but like to quickly jot stuff down, again this is where this case will come to the rescue.

As mentioned the case itself is a ‘folio’ style case and it comes in a variety of colours and materials. I received two, one in a coffee coloured genuine ‘Nappa leather’ exterior with a cream interior and the other in a white leatherette exterior with a berry interior (this version has been discontinued).

Both look and feel great although I would say that the white one will become very grubby very quickly with use and is possibly why it has been discontinued. The quality of the materials really does show and you can tell they are premium.

It has just enough padding to nicely protect your iPad but without adding too much bulk (clearly this is a folio case with a notepad inside so there is going to be some bulk to it).

It has a place to keep your pen, papers and/or business cards in various areas.

There is another feature to this case that may make it appeal to a number of users, in fact approx 10% of you. This case can be used by left or right handed users. Meaning that the pad can be on either side and the iPad can be slotted into place either way round. This is a bit of an unsung feature and although I am not a leftie, my brother is and this certainly made him look twice.

Something that doesn’t work for me is the fact that you can’t really use this to watch films or have any kind of angle for typing. It would have been great if they could have some how included a kick stand on the back so that it could have a slight angle for typing or note taking. I have also been struggling with turning off my iPad 2. If I were an iPad 1 user then it would be no issue, but I have become accustomed to just closing my case and hey presto my Ipad switches off. As this case doesn’t have any ‘smart cover’ abilities I often found that I had inadvertently left my iPad on.

The BooqPad retails for approx $149.95 (for the Nappa leather version) and you can also purchase paper refills for approx $15 for a 3-pack of 150 sheets (prices may vary). Both the case and the refills are available in various designs and colours. The notepad area looks like a pretty standard size that could be filled with a standard notepad if you prefer.

Available now from Yoobee, Harvey Norman, SouthTec Nelson and more.