My TouchPad Today: CE Compass Leather Case - The Same, but Different?

Back in July I bought a CE Compass case for my TouchPad from Amazon and posted a couple of items about it...

• My TouchPad Today: OTA Update and Other Thoughts
• My TouchPad Today: Drift in CE Compass HP TouchPad Case (Video Mini-Review)

This past week I bought the same case for my wife's TP and had a bit of a surprise -- albeit pleasant -- when it arrived yesterday... It's the same, but different!

Some of the differences apparent at first glance...

• Better quality of materials
• Better cut and fit of case to the device
• Velcro strips added to secure flap that holds the device in the case (Reduces "drift" of device in the case, which was an issue with the prior version of the case.)
• Concealed magnetic closures for case cover restyled and moved away from the edges of the case
• Camera lens cutout (originally a circle) is now the same "swooping" open-sided type as used for the Home button

Overall, the darned thing just looks better now. The original version looked and felt as if it was a generic case that just happened to fit the TP. This new version actually looks like it was designed to fit the TouchPad.

Note: July version had hole punched near bottom right corner

after purchase to allow more light to reach ambient sensor.

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My TouchPad Today: Ambient Light Sensor - Bumpin' Up the Light?

In a post last week I mentioned that the ambient light sensor on my HP TouchPad was covered by a ridge/flap on the CE Compass leather case that I'm using to protect the TP. I was wondering if punching a hole in the area over the sensor might let the it get a better read on the available light and adjust the brightness of my TP screen accordingly.

Alas, the hole punching was not the ultimate fix. The sensor is directly covered by a magnet for the case cover that is embedded in the ridge/flap. Punching the hole off a bit to the side of the magnet may have helped a tad, but the the flap tends to naturally settle itself down so that that the magnet keeps the sensor covered. As a result, the TP adjusts the screen brightness downward, thinking it is in an environment where dimming the display is appropriate.

So, what's a fella to do?

My next thought was... How about improvising and installing something that would boost the ridge/flap a bit to allow in more ambient light, but not so as to interfere with using the TP, nor with the magnetic closure of the case?

The result of all this was (see picture) to glue a couple of "bumpers" -- pieces of rubber sliced from a square pencil eraser -- to the underside of the ridge/flap.

Its too early to tell how well this works.  I will report back on this later in the week.


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My TouchPad Today: Three Quick Thoughts

Three quick thoughts today about my HP TouchPad...

Battery Life -- Satisfied thus far with the battery life on my TP.  I haven't had a day yet where I've run it down to less than a 45% charge remaining.

CE Compass Leather Case -- Case covers the TP's ambient light sensor, causing the display screen to dim. A possible remedy I'm thinking over is to punch a hole in the lip/ridge that covers the sensor.

Screen Protector -- Still awaiting delivery of my anti-glare protector from Amazon.  Glare and reflection from the screen are becoming a major distraction and impediment to my work on the TP.

My TouchPad Today: Drift in CE Compass HP TouchPad Case (Video Mini-Review)

In my post yesterday I mentioned that I had purchased a CE Compass case for my HP TouchPad and found -- somewhat understandably -- that the unit drifted around a bit in it.

It may not seem like a lot, but when reaching for a button, or when trying to make a quick adjustment, that drift is significant.

See my video mini-review about this drift on YouTube.