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How to keep your iPad free of bodily fluids

The AirStrap Med iPad case not only keeps bodily fluids at bay, but can be controlled while wearing latex or nitrile gloves.

Elizabeth Armstrong Moore
Elizabeth Armstrong Moore is based in Portland, Oregon, and has written for Wired, The Christian Science Monitor, and public radio. Her semi-obscure hobbies include climbing, billiards, board games that take up a lot of space, and piano.
Elizabeth Armstrong Moore
The AirStrap Med iPad case was developed by and for physicians and nurses across the U.S. Griffin

I like to think I'm no germaphobe, but when I was recently handed an iPad whose screen was littered with smudgy fingerprints, a little voice inside my head stopped talking and started choking. I couldn't help but imagine what pathogens were thriving on that surface.

Enter the AirStrap Med, an iPad case designed by and for health care workers but well-suited to the germ-wary as well.

The $89.99 case, released this month by Griffin, is made of a two-piece polycarbonate and silicone frame that snaps around the iPad (also compatible with iPad 2) in such a way as to seal it against moisture and "fluid intrusion" on all sides.

The case also covers the multi-touch display with a touch-through screen protector shield that resists...wait for it...fingerprints and scratches. What's more, it works when the user is wearing latex or nitrile gloves.

The back includes a clip for a stylus as well as a detachable hand and shoulder strap to allow for one-handed use. The folks at Griffin really did think of it all; these clips and straps are easy to remove for those who want to clean the case and iPad regularly.

Whether health care workers become early adopters or users to all remains to be seen, but I know I'd like to get my (grubby) hands on one.