Portenzo Nexus 7 Case Review

Dilemas....don`t you hate them? When the Nexus 7 first launched I noticed that a handful of users were dropping there beautiful slates of glass and messing them up or putting it out of commision entirely within the first few days. I thought to myself how extremely pissed at myself I would be. Then I wondered, why didn`t they just purchase a case for it? It was very easy to answer that question, then the only case available was the official Asus Nexus 7 case that was a dreadful grey color and seemed to be about as useful as dog crap on a hot summer day. On top of that they were sold out for about three weeks, so it was obvious to me that people wanted to protect there cutting edge Google tablets but just couldn`t find the perfect solution. Now, a month into the launch of the Nexus 7, the official Asus case is no longer sold out, but other more superior options are now avaliable. Lets take a look at the case I decided to purchase.

Back in April 3rd of 2010 I had a similar dilema, what case do I purchase for my then original iPad. I remember reading about this marvelous case called the Dodo Case. It was then referred to as the Rolls Royce of cases. Pretty big statement! I particularly remember being completely intrigued by the notebook look of the case and the simplicity that it invoked. I immediately thought it was going to be a popular case, and it was. In facted it was sold out for what felt like forever. I had no other choice but to pull the trigger on a differenet case. Bringing that experience to my present purchase of the Nexus 7 I instantaneously wanted the Dodo case. After finding out it was actually being produced for the Nexus 7 and Dodo was offering it with a 10% discount code I almost bought it. You might be thinking, almost? Yeah, almost. After putting in several hours of research I decided against the Dodo Case. I wanted to customize my case, and im not just talking about the interior color of the lining, and I knew I wanted to have some kind of stand.

IN COMES PORTENZO

I came across a particular case that I thought was brilliant. A small company located in Missori was building a similar handmade, Bamboo case, as the Dodo Case. The difference? More customization options, and in my honest opinion a superior design. The Portenzo case isn`t held by some reusable sticky magic, Portenzo constructs a Bamboo frame that perfectly fits the Nexus 7. On every corner is a plastic/silicon stopper that holds the tablet in place and allows for no movement. Once I put my Nexus 7 in the case I shook it a few times to see if my tablet would fall out, it didn`t budge. You might think, will those stoppers ever come out? Here is what Portenzo has to say, "No. We get many questions on this because of the problems found with other notebook style cases. We use completely different methods than the other guys. We use high strength industrial glue so you will never have a problem with the corners coming unglued. In fact, our case is designed so that even if a corner pad is loose on one end (or even both ends), it will still perform as originally designed." So I rest assured everything will be fine.

Another part of the design of this case that I like is the method they use to tunnel the sound out threw the bottom of the tablet. A small amount of foam is used to lift the bottom half of the Nexus 7 in order to allow the sound to travel threw the bottom without sounding muffled. I`ve read of other cases who by design cover the speaker and in doing so cause a low muffled audio. Not the problem here, in fact I was surpirsed that something so simple helps so much.

The particular case I ordered has a black cover and red interior, but I also mentioned that I wanted to have a stand. Yet again Portenzo delivers. There is a $9.99 option to add an intellistand to your case. The case has a simple function and design. The back part of the case has magnets, you prop the case up and the magnets connect to the opening flap creating a stand.

INTELLISTAND WORTH EVERY PENNY

The frame itself on the Portenzo case is impressive, everything is smooth as a baby`s bottom. Every corner of this cause almost seems done to perfection and its a good thing because the case comes with a card that identifies who constructed your case. So if it isn`t to your liking you can hunt him down! I found it gratifying to know that this particular gentleman hand crafted my case.

All in all I absolutely love this case and I highly recommend it, 5 out of 5. Extremely high quality, many options to customize it to your liking, and Portenzo`s customer service is top notch. Two thumbs up for Portenzo and there products.