Previously available only on Korean import, this quirky but clever iPad sleeve can now be purchased in this country. The Taylor Smart Stand Sleeve for iPad is a refreshing take on a generally dry product category.

It's a smart, robust and partially stiffened sleeve, turned out in dark grey corduroy-type material in the case of our review sample but available in brighter leathers online. (Like most sleeves, of course, it has the drawback of offering no iPad functionality when the tablet is inside the sleeve, and no protection when it's outside.)

But the Taylor Smart Stand Sleeve for iPad is also a stand: a stitched triangular groove on each side of the sturdy material lets you fold the sleeve into two neat tetrahedral structures: a shallow one for typing and a more vertical one for viewing videos and the like. In both cases, you lean the iPad against one side, and it's supported at the bottom by a leather-covered rubber lip, attractively disguised as a branding tag. This, combined with the friction of the sleeve material, meant we had no worries about the iPad falling off its support.

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The design is cunningly conceived, but one thing we would point out is that the angular difference between the options is less than with most iPad stands.