Firebox kindly sent us the Veho Pebble Smartskin to review for a while, and we’re really liking its comfort, increased grip and fantastic battery when on extended trips away.
The Veho Pebble Smartskin is made from a soft rubberised skin making the iPad far easier to hold,while still affording protection for the back of the iPad and also a raised lip around the front so if its placed down on a desk the screen is nicely raised away from any surface contact. The Smartskin makes it easier to hold the iPad with much less danger of it slipping out of your hands. The Smartskin comes in half approx one third of the way down, leaving you to slide the iPad into the lower section and clip the top third back on.
The Smartskin is slightly thicker at the bottom than the top, to incorporate the 6000mah battery which is charged by the now standard Micro USB connector on the bottom. There is no USB lead included in the box however, so make sure you have a MicroSD to USB lead handy. It took a good 8 hours to fully charge from empty, but this will easily translate to putting it on charge before you go to bed and it will be ready for the next day. The internal battery will roughly double the life of your iPad.
The thing I really like about the Smartskin is unlike many iPad or iPhone chargers, it has an On/Off button. So many external battery cases simply charge immediately and for some reason I don’t like that. I want to be on control of whether the charging is on or off, and with the small power button on the back of the device you can. The back also has 3 blue led’s to indicate the cases charged status at a glance.
Also included with the Pebble Smartskin is a neoprene soft case which you can slide the iPad into from the top and then fold over the cover to completely protect your iPad. Putting the iPad itself in is very easy, but its slightly more of a struggle to get the iPad in when it’s in the Smartskin case.
If you need an external battery for your iPad I would definitely recommend the Pebble Smartskin over the type that are on the end of a separate lead, and the included neoprene case provides shock and dust protection all included in the price!
The Pebble Smartskin is available from Firebox for £49.99 with Free Delivery.
This post was written by Rob Gordon, an IT geek, gadget lover and blogger. Rob has been using the internets since 1994 when the only streaming video was that coffee pot in Cambridge (rip)….
Follow Rob on Twitter – @robgordon – about.me/robgordonuk
