Saving Our Apples w/ Speck Shells & Covers

It not uncommon for people to be ‘teched’ up at home and on the go. A smartphone, tablet, and laptop are the essential three items for staying connected and doing what needs to get done. As powerful as these gadgets are, they are also fairly fragile and going case-less, however, is pretty much unthinkable if you have kids or are a bit clumsy. Fortunately, Speck products include a huge selection of covers and shells for most current devices.

After browsing the full collection, I decided to focus on getting our Apple gear protected. Can you see a recurring color scheme here?

Speck SeeThru Satin MacBook Air 13″

Our MacBook Air has pretty much been naked since we got it. We’re pretty careful with our laptop (making sure to put it in a soft sleeve case when traveling, etc.) so no there’s no exterior damage. However, I’m always nervous about scratching the surfaces when putting it down or if I need to slide it over a bit. The SeeThru Satin cover consists of both a top and bottom piece. These snap on easily and stay on if you don’t mess with them. Having the cover on allows me to use the laptop without being overly concerned that something might slightly brush against it. It also adds a nice layer between my skin and the cold aluminum base in the morning!

Fingerprints and smudges do show up on the cover. They’re not real obvious at quick glance but you can see them if you look closely and at certain angles. I like the fact that the cover is translucent so you can see the illuminated apple when in use. So far, we haven’t gotten any cracks or scratches on the cover but, again, we’re careful not to drop the laptop or violently throw it about.

Speck iPhone 4/4S CandyShell

The first day I put the CandyShell on my iPhone 4S, my daughter managed to drop it on the parking concrete. I was driving and handed my phone to her to take an incoming call from my husband. After that was done and we were getting out of the car, that’s when my phone mysteriously fell out of her hand onto the ground. There were a few light scratched on the hard plastic on the back but the rest was fine. Whew! The CandyShell also includes a silicone inner part so the phone was nicely cushioned.

I would not recommend putting this case on and taking it off a lot. The CandyShell fits pretty nice and snug but I can imagine the rubber will loosen over time if it’s stretched often. However, the case does not add a lot of bulk and the slick surface allows for smooth sliding in and out of pockets.

Speck iPad mini HandyShell

The HandyShell is new in the Speck lineup. The cover snaps onto the back of the iPad and has a moveable handle. This handle can be used to hook the tablet on cabinet knobs for easy reference, to make it more comfortable to hold, or to prop it up at different angles and orientations. My daughter also found that she could hold the handle between her feet so both hands were free to type. Silly girl!

The one thing I miss on this cover is a flap to go over the tablet face. It’s not ideal to carry it with us in bags or backpacks unless we also add a screen protector. That’s not a huge issue for us since we generally keep our iPad mini at home because it’s primarily used by my daughter for her schoolwork. That front protection would be nice when Munchkin accidentally leaves the tablet on the floor though. Our dog has no sense of going around things and is bound to step on it one day…

The Speck products we got were good quality and looked nice. Each item came in several colors (except for the HandyShell) so it was nice choosing ones that best suited my preferences. Prices range from $35 to $50 so they are about average for similar cases. However, if your case does meet an accident that renders it useless for another fall, you might be crying. I’d suggest getting the cases when on sale or if you have a discount.

Don’t worry, I saved plenty of good stuff for you! Thanks to Speck, one reader will win a special 3-piece prize pack which will include a cover for your phone, tablet, and laptop (your choice of styles and colors). Enter below 🙂