After using the Octovo Leather Weave cover for several days, here are my thoughts:

PROS:

• It would make an excellent gift. As previously mentioned, it comes in really impressive packaging and would definitely be a quality gift.
• It is a gorgeous cover. It’s made of quality leather, which is woven into a neat design. The brown and black leather goes together extremely well. All around it’s just an elegant cover. I brought it to work and my coworkers oohed and ahhed over it.
• It’s comfortable to hold. The soft leather is comfortable in your hands, and the way it opens book-style (rather than notepad style) allows for a familiar reading position.
• It has a little rubber band holder for the bottom right-hand corner of the Kindle to prevent opening the cover the wrong way and accidentally breaking your device as some others have done with the hook-style covers (click here for more details)

CONS:

• I felt uncomfortable trying to fold it back for one-handed reading. I felt as if I was going to ruin it if I bent it that way. Now, others may argue that covers are meant to be abused and used to their owner’s satisfaction, but I still felt like I would ruin the beauty of the cover if I bent it back that way.
• The price is a bit high. It’s not the highest priced Kindle cover, but it’s certainly not the lowest. However, I will say this is one of those instances where the price reflects the quality.
• I had some trouble at first getting the hooks to line up with my Kindle. It was probably just user error because my husband was able to get them to line up fine after some angling of the Kindle. I was just too timid and afraid to break my device.

Bottom line: If you’re looking for a luxurious cover for yourself or an elegant gift for the Kindle owner in your life, this is an excellent choice.

The Octovo Leather Kindle Cover comes in several styles, including the Leather Weave Cover that I personally used, and the Quilted Leather Cover that I also handled. Both are $74.99 and compatible with the second generation Kindle (6″ screen, available only in white).

I used to keep a lamp next to the bed so I could read at night, which bothered me because it felt like I was wasting electricity just to read in bed, and it made me stay awake longer because it so was bright.  I’d never used a Kindle light before the Solis, but I have to say that this is a perfect accompaniment to any Kindle.

Octovo markets is as a “Kindle 2 light“, but it fits just find on my graphite DX as well.    It worked just fine on my DX, however it could have been a tiny bit brighter. While the very bottom few lines were illuminated, they could have been a bit brighter.  I’m sure on the 6″ Kindle this would be a non issue because the screen’s so much smaller.  It’s still usable on the DX, that’s for sure, and I’m really glad I have this light now.

The Solis comes with 2 AA batteries, which have lasted the entire month without dying.  If I had to guess, I’d say I use the light about half an hour every night during the week.  So that’s roughly 10 hours worth of usage on the same AA batteries.  They’re not rechargeable, but I don’t knock Octovo any points for that.

If you’re looking for a light for your Kindle, or your Kindle DX, the Octovo is a great accessory, and one I’d highly recommend. You can find all of Octovo’s products through Amazon, including the Octovo Solis, which has a 4.5 star rating from Amazon’s customers.

The cover holds the Kindle using the hinge system that the original Amazon Kindle cover used and is made of real leather. There are no pockets for notes or papers like there are with some other cases, but the built-in booklight is sure to please the many people begging Amazon for a backlight.

Since the item is only available for pre-order right now, we haven’t had a chance to review it. However, if it’s made with the same quality as the original Amazon cover and the booklight doesn’t add too much weight to the case, it should be a great choice for your new Kindle.

Amazon offers this cover in seven colors – black, burnt orange, chocolate brown, hot pink, steel blue, apple green, and burgandy red – for $59.99. If you don’t want the built-in booklight or you’re looking for a cheaper option, Amazon offers the same colors in a cover without the booklight for $34.99.

Click here to pre-order the lighted cover for $59.99 or click here to pre-order the non-lighted cover for $34.99. Both will be released on August 27th and are compatible with the latest generation of the 6″ Kindle.

Unlike a lot of other Kindle covers, the Kindle doesn’t get hooked into this case with the little holes on the left side – it slides into the case in the top, and is secured with a small magnetic clip. The clip is really for extra security, since the Kindle fits into the case so perfectly, it’s not sliding around or threatening to fall out. The cover flips open like a reporter’s notepad, flipping the front part over the back like you’re about to jot down some important notes. The inside of the front cover has a business card holder (which could also hold ID, credit cards, and money if you’d like this to double as a Kindle cover and a wallet) and a small folder-like space for paper. I happen to keep a picture of my niece tucked in there, but some folks might want to stash some paper and one of those bookmark pens in there.

The leather covering the Kindle is easy to hold and allows easy access to all the buttons, plug attachments, and headphone jack. It forms a nice frame around the Kindle’s screen, almost as if to block out the distraction of the white body of the Kindle.

One of my favorite features, however, is on the back of the case. It has a pop-out Kindle stand, allowing for easy hands-free reading. I use this constantly – when I’m reading during breakfast, sitting at my desk, etc. I can even see using it for instructional books like cookbooks or craft books, allowing you to see the content and follow the instructions without having to prop the Kindle up on something.

This case is perfect. I have no complaints after several months of use. I’m even reluctant to take it off to review another case, because I’ve gotten so used to it. I recommend it to anyone that is looking for an alternative to the official Amazon case, or is wary of using any case with the prongs that go into the Kindle itself.

It is available for the Kindle 2 at Amazon.com for $46.99 and comes in four colors. Click here to get your Tuff-Luv leather Kindle 2 case!

In a quick glance, it looks like most of the Cole Haan cases are 15% off regular price. Which is pretty awesome, given that they’re on the pricier side of Kindle cases.

We wrote about them about a year ago, when they first came out, and CJ was jealous of how awesome they were. (She still hasn’t picked one up, FYI, so we can’t attest to how truly awesome they may be.)

It’s nice to see, as a DX owner, that there’s cases available for both the 9.7″ Kindle DX as well as the 6″ Kindle. So many times I’m frustrated in seeing that all the good accessories are only available for the 6″ Kindle and not the 9.7″ Kindle DX.

Have you been waiting to get one of these cases for your beloved Kindle, but wanted to wait until they’re on sale? Well, now’s your chance! 15% off won’t last forever.

Click here to view all Cole Haan cases on sale

 

I’ve never really understood why a strap was needed to keep your cover closed when you’re not using the Kindle, but I have a feeling the strap is less of a useful cover feature, and more to keep folks from opening the Kindle backwards and cracking their Kindle screen. After all, if you try to open the cover the wrong way, the strap is on to prevent you, and once you remove the strap, you’ll know which way you should have the Kindle facing.

The covers are $34.99 and available immediately from Amazon in black, red, and pink.

The only floating waterproof case for Kindle

That’s right. They say it floats! Floats and protects your Kindle from the water.

The Guardian isn’t available on MEdge Guardian yet, but likely will be shortly.  It will be available in six colors: Black, Red, Orange, Navy Blue, Light Blue, and Yellow.  It is presently only being marketed for the 6″ Kindle (current version) but a DX version will likely follow.

From MEdge:

Made of molded plastic, the Guardian safeguards the device in all water environments up to 1 meter deep, from the bathtub to the pool to the ocean. The Guardian Case allows for full functionality of Kindle’s navigation buttons and keyboard through flexible sealed button cutouts. Users can even read hands-free in the water, because the Guardian floats upright. The Guardian keeps a secure, watertight seal around Kindle by utilizing a dual-hinge, integrated gasket and four-latch closure system. Three internal buoyancy chambers provide distributed flotation to keep Kindle afloat and upright for in-water reading. An anti-reflective film protects the Guardian’s screen area while allowing for uninhibited reading in sunny environments. Made of a transparent polycarbonate, the Guardian’s hard shell exterior provides impact protection while the custom molded interior and soft mounting pads provide gentle support for the device.

For more about the Guardian, visit MEdge’s website: www.medge.com or view the image below.

MEdge Guardian

From the image, it looks as though the keyboard and next/prev buttons are open, and possibly the space over the screen as well.  If that’s the case, is this really water proof?  Would you try your Kindle to this case?

I thought it might be useful to share the text of that email so that anyone who owns the official Amazon Kindle Cover but didn’t receive the email for some reason has the information.

ATTACHING THE COVER
To install the Kindle, open the cover and lay it on a flat surface. Then insert the bottom attachment hook on the cover into the bottom slot on the left edge of the Kindle. Rotate the Kindle to insert the top attachment hook. Then slide the switch down slightly to lock the cover attachment hooks in place.

Be sure to place the Kindle flat on the cover during installation. Do not tip the Kindle at an angle during installation, as that may cause the cover attachment hooks to bend.

USING THE KINDLE COVER
When using your Kindle with the cover, be careful to open the front cover only. If you open the back cover and pull the cover away from the Kindle, that may cause the attachment hooks to bend and could result in cracking or other damage to the Kindle.

THE AMAZON KINDLE WARRANTY
Your Kindle is covered by a One-Year Limited Warranty you can view here: http://www.amazon.com/kindlewarranty

If the attachment hooks on your cover have become bent, or your Kindle has developed cracking or other damage near the location where the hooks connect to the Kindle, please contact Kindle Support by phone or email regarding warranty replacement.

The email also provides a link to the instructions with illustrations – you can view those by clicking here. The email also provided contact information for Amazon Customer Service as follows:

You can reach us via phone or e-mail through our website by clicking the Contact Us button on our help pages at http://www.amazon.com/kindlesupport or directly by calling one of these numbers:
Inside the United States: 1-866-321-8851, Outside the United States: 1-206-266-0927.

For more information, please see the Warranty Service section of the Kindle Return Policies Help page:

http://www.amazon.com/kindlereturnpolicy

Use promo code “MEDGESHIPD1″ (without the quotes) when checking out, to receive the free upgrade.

According to the e-mail I got, there is no limit on what items qualify, however it only applies to the lower 48 states.

Looking for some accessories for their loved ones’ Kindle? M-EDGE has some great stuff.

This neat little briefcase-like case has a velcro strap that holds your Kindle in place, leaving room in the case for the charger, a cell phone, or some other little item. It’s a hardshell case, so it will protect your Kindle from drops and other shocks. It doesn’t look like it’s intended to be used while you are reading the Kindle, but more as a transportation case.

It’s getting four-and-a-half stars on Amazon as of this writing, and is available in eight different colors. At $16.95, it’s also cheaper than the official Amazon cover for the Kindle.

Check out the different colors and get your own at Amazon.com.