ZooGue's BinderPad: A unique take on an iPad 2 case

It's the time of year when all the iPad case manufacturers are getting their products ready for the "back to school" rush, so I've been getting plenty of emails and writing a lot of reviews. It was refreshing to see something completely different from ZooGue -- the BinderPad (US$29.99) -- that takes the iPad 2 and puts it into a standard three-ring binder.

Design

The BinderPad is one of those ideas that you look at and say "Why didn't anyone think of this before?" For students or managers who are carrying around schoolwork or project notebooks anyway, the BinderPad slips into a three-ring binder with your iPad 2 inside. It's made out of a durable cloth in either black or dark grey, and encases the iPad 2 snugly.

If you need to take a photo or movie with the iPad 2 camera, just snap the BinderPad out of the binder and hold up your iPad 2. The BinderPad has a hole in the proper location for the rear-facing camera. All of the other ports and switches are easily accessible as well.

Functionality

What can I say? The BinderPad works as it should. It's easy to put the iPad 2 into the case, and snapping it into a three-ring binder is, well, a snap. In the video that accompanies this post, there's another idea -- you can use the BinderPad as a wall mount for the iPad 2 as well. I was a bit reluctant to put the pricey Vogel's RingO mount up on the glass tile backsplash in my kitchen, but I'd have no qualms at all about installing some inexpensive cup hooks under my cabinets to hang the BinderPad from. Brilliant!

Conclusion

The BinderPad is the brainchild of young entrepreneur Tim Angel, who also developed the versatile ZooGue Case Genius. That case is now available in an iPad 2 flavor, and I'll be writing a full review of it in the very near future.

ZooGue makes innovative products that it sells at reasonable prices, and the BinderPad is yet another example. Whether you want a way to pop an iPad 2 into a binder that you're going to be lugging around anyway or you just need an inexpensive wall mount, the ZooGue's BinderPad is a good way to go.