Amazon 1st Generation Kindle Replacement Book Cover

The Kindle cover is completely, in my opinion, misunderstood by the majority of Kindle owners. Rather than a single star rated piece, I think it is pure genius, and frankly, I use it all the time flawlessly. It is made of leather and has a soft inner gray liner that is easy on the hands. It is very firm and rigid, not at all flimsy. It has a perfect locking system with the gray plastic tab. The corner pieces truly do not hold the device inside, it is the gray plastic middle spine tab that locks without issue on the back of the Kindle. As some have written, you might need to bend the tab on the cover up slightly to get it to engage, but once it clicks into place, it is foolproof. I would have no issues reading the Kindle in the bathtub or on a plane once the tab system is properly engaged; it is a pressure sensitive holding mechanism. Locked properly, pressure from the back cover against the tab and the corner holds the device.

The cover is very firm and substantial in feel, and is clearly meant to be on the Kindle when one reads with it. Every single reviewer I see on youtube and online seems to hold the Kindle in their hands, coverless, and then complains about errantly hitting the Page Forward button. Please, try using the device the way it was intended, in the cover. Once clicked into place, holding the cover, not the Kindle, just exactly as you would a traditional hardcover book will be a complete piece of heaven, and you will see the virtues of the cover in allowing you to very effortlessly click the Page Forward and Back buttons, and use the device as intended. The cpver is actually the "handle", if you will, and allows multiple hand positions, and the cover front becomes quite a nice place to rest your hands as you read. Just like a real book.

The Kindle is not held firmly into the cover on the `thin" end, the outer end of the device, and this allows one to easily pull the device forward and access the wireless button/ on and off without taking the Kindle out of the cover. I will say that, when I hold the Kindle overhead to read while lying totally supine in bed, the Kindle does tend to fall forward slightly in the thin end; perhaps a smidgeon of Velcro here or a magnetized bar would be a help in this one reading position, but all-in-all, sublime.

Don't even understand why some write about the rubber band turning on the scroll wheel--the rubber band can easily be wound around either corner, not the entire Kindle cover, and the problem doesn't occur and the cover stays shut. I believe this is the way the Kindle cover band is intended for use. And also, once the Kindle is in sleep mode (Alt-Aa), then hitting the scroll button does not affect the Kindle, waste power, or do any actions anyhow. Admittedly, I do not wish to overhit the scroll buttonj click wheel because of its potential fragility: for this, a small self-adhesive spot of felt on the inside cover (not on the Kindle) has kept the scroll wheel intact and unclicked even when closed.

A high quality product, and no, I do not work for Amazon. I really feel that this Kindle cover is meant to be integrated with the Kindle--used in unison--to allow you a very full reading experience. Try it. Give it some time. It's easy to hold, and will enhance your Kindle experience.

ADDENDUM: coolreviewer1 says:
Another breakthrough: As you read above, my Kindle, although engaged in the cover as described above with pulled tab, began to fall out more frequently than it did in the past. I needed a solution, and noted that the K sits in the cover, held by the tab, against the leather corners. As I owned the device for just over 2 months, the inner corners stretched slightly and the K would fall out now, esp when I lean it forward to turn wireless on and off.

Solution: I went to art supply store and bought a pack of 3/4 inch round, self adhesive cushions like the type you;d stick on the bottom of a flower vase or something so it would not scratch your tabletop. The one's I purchased were fairly thick--thicker than I thought would work, frankly--and then I scissored them in half (thus, had two half circles) and stuck them on the inside of each of the two inner leather corners. Does that make sense? I stuck them on the inner "wall", if you will, the one by the fold in the overall cover. The Kindle cover is fixed! You cannot see these when the K is in it;s cover, and it again keeps enough pressure that the K stays in the cover well. Frankly, it is a "tighter" feel than even when the cover was new. Key is that the outer (fatter) portion of the Kindle is tapered front to back, and thus what I thought was a relatively thick self-adhesive piece--oh, I don;t know, maybe 1/8-1/4 inches thick, works like a gem. Also, the pads that I bought are actually rubber rat5her than felt, which I think too helps keep steady pressure in the area of need. Give it a whirl.

This is a touch hard to explain in writing, but I hope this helps someone out there in Kindleland.

The Kindle Book Cover IS a flawed product, but it certainly helps for improving the proper use of the Kindle and it keeps the device safe from harm. Many of the problems associated with inadvertently pressing the page keys on the Kindle are resolved when you use the book cover. The cover allows you to grasp the Kindle without touching the buttons. I also like the leather feel of the cover which gives the Kindle a more book like feel...and for $399, you'd expect it to be a leather bound book!!

However, the gripes about the cover being difficult to install on the Kindle and its tendency to slip loose are absolutely correct. First you need to make sure the notch on the cover fits the notch on the back battery cover. It requires a firm push. However, when you check to make certain the notch is affixed properly, the battery cover tends to slip off the back of the Kindle.

Nevertheless, I fixed the slippage problem with a small velcro fastener on the right side of the Kindle. Worked perfectly to keep the device fixed in place. No problems so far with the velcro coming loose and the Kindle sits firmly in the Book Cover.

I've had my Kindle for about a week, and generally I love it. It's not flawless, but it's pretty darn good. The cover, though - is more of a mixed bag.

At first, I thought I'd use the Kindle without the cover, but I realized that it would get damaged too quickly. So I tried the cover - and while it did provide SOME protection, it didn't really work for me. Like so many other people have commented - the little plastic tab that holds the Kindle in place pops out of the socket with the slightest effort, and the two corners holders don't really hold the Kindle in place.

However, after using it for a few days, it was pretty easy to realize where there should have been better hold points, namely the lower right corner and the upper left corner. Securing only these points would allow the user to reach the back switches without dislodging the Kindle from the cover. At first, I thought that using Velcro would solve the problem, but I was reluctant to go that route. I've used both self-adhesive Velcro tape as well as pre-cut squares and dots, and the problem that I have had consistently is that the adhesive doesn't not hold well to fabric surfaces. The Velcro falls off, leaving a nasty, sticky residue. The thought of having to hot glue the Velcro made me a bit queasy.

Additionally, low-profile Velcro (the kind used in consumer applications) doesn't have a lot of locking power over a small area (less than a square inch). It's good for keeping something casually closed, but it doesn't withstand much direct tension - the hooks are too small to deeply grab the loops.

What I did have on hand were a few 3M Dual Lock strips. This works on the same principle as Velcro, but instead of a hook side and a loop side, the two sides are identical: little plastic "mushrooms" in a wavy pattern that interlock - sort of like Legos. And like Legos, the strips need to be peeled away from each other with considerable effort, they are resistant to direct tension. The only think I was worried about was whether the adhesive would hold to the fabric on the inside cover, and it did without any problem. The only problem I forsee is that it will be TOO difficult to get the Kindle loose from the case now!

I put one small piece (1/4 inch by 2/3 inch) on the lower right edge, and a slightly smaller piece in the inside of the upper right hand "cup". The mate to this piece I trimmed to follow the contour of the Kindle. So far, these small strips hold the Kindle so securely, I could wave the encased unit around by the front flap (and I have), and it wouldn't budge.

So - to sum up, the cover works just fine with a few modifications. Frankly, I'd pay more than the price of the replacement cover if there was a version in a better quality leather, both inside and outside, and with a real hinge on the spine so it folds back without crumpling.

I am very tempted to take this case to a local leather goods manufacturer (they manufacture for Cross, among others), and see if they'll do a bespoke case for me in the materials of my choice.

I love my Kindle. But as I am unpacking it and looking at the cover, I immediately thought - This isn't going to work. Two little corner pockets - 1 on top and 1 on bottom - that are very very loose. Then I saw the ridge and thought, well maybe this might work. So, I slid my Kindle in, held the cover at an angle and out fell my Kindle into my lap. The strap will help for storage but over time this will probably stretch to the point. So, conclusion - you need a cover and you need to use this one for now, but when a new one comes out, buy it because it has to be better than this piece of junk.

I love my Kindle and I use it a lot. The cover helps because it keeps me from accidentally hitting the previous page bar. However ... the little nubby thing that's supposed to keep the Kindle in place broke almost immediately. The result is that the Kindle keeps slipping as I read it. I was going to buy another cover, but if it's the same old same old I think I'll pass.

First things first..the cover works flawlessly to hold the Kindle in place. There is a small gray tab on the inside flap which SNAPS onto the groove on the back of the Kindle. You have to insert the Kindle at a slight angle, and then push it to the left with the tiniest of force and it will snap onto and off the Kindle in a split second. You do not need much force to snap the kindle in place as the proper angle will snap it in place instantly. Once the tab is connected to the Kindle, the Kindle will be held in its place no matter how much you try to shake it. it does NOT fall out when PROPERLY placed in the cover.

You might need to lift the tab up slightly if you haven't been able to get it into place as it probabaly came flattened all the way down when it was shipped to you.

The Kindle does not use much power when it is on, and only consumes power when flipping pages. You do NOT need to turn the Kindle off. There is no burn in, and you can leave it on for days without charging it if you are not using it. The adapter plug fits in the Kindle on the bottom so you can leave it on, and have it charged while in the cover.

Before you get frustrated with the Kindle cover, take the battery cover off the Kindle, and learn how to snap it onto the gray tab. Without the kindle inside, you can get a better look at how it works. Once you get it right, you will laugh at how brilliant the cover works and laugh about all the bad things you said about the cover.

The best way to fix the otherwise worthless cover that comes with your Kindle seems to be to cut out the straps that it comes with to hold the Kindle in place, and to put self-stick velcro inside and on the Kindle itself. Once that's done, it's a pretty reasonable cover. It's just that the mounting straps inside don't actually *fit* the kindle. Not the kind of quality you expect as an accessory on such an expensive gadget. I certainly wouldn't buy an extra one, nor recommend that anyone else does.

-Jim

I'm not sure why everyone else hates the cover.

1. The cover holds my Kindle in securely. Even if I hold the left side of it and give it a little shake, my Kindle sats nice and snug in there.

2. The power in wireless switches and plenty easy to get to. I even't had any problem getting to the switches, and I like that they are behind the Kindle, where they can't get turned on or off by accident. I usually tuen on wireless only when I need it and this hasn't been a problem at all.

3. It looks nice. The leather cover with soft inside looks high quality and sleek. I'm not looking for somthing to match my shoes after all, I want something durable and substantial looking. The elastic band hold is closed securely while not standing out too much. The inside cover is soft and the suede is just tactile enough so that it does not slip in my hand while holding it.

4. The cover folds back nicely to access the let hand buttons. For me tjhins is important since I Kindle in the left and drink coffee with my right. I also read while commutting on the train, so I can hold it in one hand while using the other hand to hold on or hold a bag.

5. It had just the right amount of padding to protect the Kindle, while not being bulky.

6. It doesn't cover the bottom, so I can recharge it or download to it whitout taking the cover off or opening it up.

7. It is affordable enough to order a back up.


5 Stars for me :)
Denise

I think someone thought having a "book-like cover" would play in with the theme of the "book-like" Kindle. Unfortunately, this should have opened by flipping over the top, not like a regular book where it renders two fo the most important controls difficult to get to. Also, the on switches for the device and for call are . . . on the back of the kindle and so you have to remove it from its protective case. Not good.

I took the Kindle out of the box last night and placed it in its purpose-designed cover. It fell out. I put it back in -- it fell out again. If there were a third restraint at bottom right, it would work. As it is, the Kindle is not secured by the existing two restraints. The side-effect of this poor design is that it's easy to grab the Kindle as it drops and inadvertently activate the page turner. I kept losing my place. Very annoying. I am looking forward to a third party product to protect my $400 investment.