Proporta BeachBuoy Waterproof Google Nexus 7 CaseThe Proporta Beachbuoy Waterproof Nexus 7 Case was sent to me for review by the kind folks at Mobile Fun. They offered me my choice of Nexus or iPad Mini cases, and given that I stole the Beloved’s book-style for my own purposes, I let him pick.

He choose this waterproof case because he’s fond of a good bath, and he was hoping he could enjoy his baseball RSS feeds while in the tub. He also found the book-style case a little cumbersome and prefers to read the device ‘naked.’ But when he travels with the tablet, he does want something to protect it in his bag. He was hoping the Beachbuoy case would fit both needs.

The word ‘case’ is really a misnomer here—this is more like a sleeve or pocket. It has a nylon base, with a clear plastic frontpiece which is thick and protective, but does not interfere with the use of the touchscreen. It’s meant to fit other devices, so there is no custom fit with the buttons or ports (this was a bit of an issue while we were using it—we had trouble finding the buttons once the tablet was inside).

The usage is simple—you stick your device inside, envelope-style, then seal it. To ensure maximum water-tightness, there are two levels of protection, which I found quite ingenious. First, you seal a Ziploc-esque strip, then you roll down a flap and slide it between two strips of velcro, which also seal. I did feel the Nexus was well-protected inside this little fortress of casing.

Proporta Beachbuoy Waterproof Nexus 7 CaseAs a simple carrying pouch, it was perhaps overkill and I did worry that the squishy plastic (squishy to allow for touchscreen use even while the Nexus is inside it) would get scratched—it did feel a little delicate. But the Beloved reported no issues when he brought it on a five-hour train ride and used it while en route. Given how infrequently the Nexus leaves the house, I can see this case meeting his needs for a simple transportation aid.

As for the water use, the case did function as advertised, with one caveat—the Beloved had, as I said previously, trouble finding (and using) the buttons once he had the Nexus strapped in. I had to go and rescue him, mid-bath, and turn it on for him with my dry hands. He advises fellow bath lovers to make sure that it’s charged, turned on and in range of a strong Wi-Fi signal before you seal it in for the duration. Once he was settled in and with everything set up to his liking, the case did offer the proposed protections and he was able to use it with no problems.

Overall, the Beloved is happy with his new case and we would definitely order again from the gang at Mobile Fun. They have a ton of options for iPad, Nexus, Kindle and assorted other mobile devices. Check ’em out!

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