When I came home from work today my new, hot pink Reader cover was waiting on the front steps. It comes packaged in the dreaded blister-pack, which shouldn't surprise me. It also comes with a number of "pass it on" cards and a lifetime warranty card.

The cover itself is made of decent quality leather (I'd say shoe-grade), with a very soft matching suede interior. The rear has three pockets, one large (for a passport, boarding pass or small papers), one very small (for a memory card) and one medium with a vinyl window (for a business card). The thickness of the back cover makes the magnets I can feel under there hardly work at all. The front magnets work well, as long as I don't fold the cover all the way back, at least not yet. The cover made a distinct crunching sound the first few times I attempted to fold the cover all the way back, but now that sound has subsided and I suspect that over time the crease will soften and the cover will both open and close more easily.

With the back pockets full the Reader doesn't sit flat in the case, so I doubt I'll use the pockets everyday. I will probably take advantage at the airport, though, when ID and boarding pass have to be accessible all the time.

Overall I'm pretty happy with my purchase. It's thicker with a softer interior, and I feel like it'll be a teensy bit more protective of the device. Also, it's way cuter than the stock case. :p

Nice write-up, kezza, thanks for sharing it. :yes:

I agree. Very nice! Almost makes me want to go out and get one.

Love the cover. I'm sort of leaning toward getting a new Sony. Must. Resist.

Aren't you affraid that this metal flower-thingy on a string might damage your screen?

I've been meaning to chip in to this site w/ my own cover opinions. I've got the black leather cover, because I thought the stock tan was ugly. I like it; it's got a nice leather feel, and looks good. However, it does not fit as snugly as the stock cover, so the Reader is kind of "swimming" inside the cover. I don't have an easy way to attach a photo, but the problem is the "binding" edge, where the gray plastic Reader-holder is, seems to be about 50% wider than on the stock cover. Maybe that's to leave room for stuff in the back pocket? Anyway, I'm very glad I got it.

BTW, though, if you order from sonystyle.com, do NOT choose the cheapest shipping. It's USPS, and it took about twice as long to arrive as they claimed it would. The sonystyle.com web site said it was at the Post Office, and the Post Office said it wasn't. It did eventually arrive. I put in an email to Sony's "support", though, which never did arrive. My help ticket was immediately marked "solved", and I got an automated email telling me how to check the status on the web site. Thanks, but I knew that! I wrote back to them asking for more help, and never got a reply at all! Weak. Really weak. I love the Reader; Sony, not so much.

I bought a Silver 505 with a pink cover for my wife (and bought a 505 for myself while I was at it). And Although I prefer the tan stock cover (easier to manipulate) I think that my wife is going to love it. Especially as it will complement her Pink passport cover and travel documents wallet.

Aren't you affraid that this metal flower-thingy on a string might damage your screen?

Nah. It hangs down from the wrist strap loop, so it never comes in contact with the screen.

I don't have an easy way to attach a photo, but the problem is the "binding" edge, where the gray plastic Reader-holder is, seems to be about 50% wider than on the stock cover. Maybe that's to leave room for stuff in the back pocket?

Yeah, I noticed that, too. Also, the plastic holder is attached at an angle on mine, what I can only assume was a manufacturing error. (It passed QC, though.) It doesn't seem to have any effect on the functionality of the cover, so I'm just going to ignore it.

BTW, though, if you order from sonystyle.com, do NOT choose the cheapest shipping. It's USPS, and it took about twice as long to arrive as they claimed it would.

When I ordered mine Sony was doing free "standard" shipping (either FedEx or USPS). I opted for the FedEx and it took about a week to get to me.

Here are some images of the black version. I agree with Kezza that the leather is heavier and stiffer than the standard pleather version. Notice the ugly creases on the spine that are a result of forcing it to flex. It still latches with the magnets OK though.


PCH

At least it better than that click it in and off kiltered one from the 06 model!

Never could find one that was correct!

Here are some images of the black version. I agree with Kezza that the leather is heavier and stiffer than the standard pleather version. Notice the ugly creases on the spine that are a result of forcing it to flex. It still latches with the magnets OK though.


PCH

Thanks for the pictures. I like the way it looks and I think I'll spring for one of those.

Love the cover. I'm sort of leaning toward getting a new Sony. Must. Resist.
You could always sell the iphone and get the reader. The reader even works with no signal available.

I bought my black leather cover yesterday at Borders. It makes the reader feel more like a book. I don't care if it is stiff if you fold it back since I don't fold back the covers of regular books I read either. I also bought one of those book covers/cases that Borders sells for trade paperbacks (and bibles). That way I have space for the adapter (whenever it arrives), my clip-on light, and the cord when I travel. The light is a Mighty Bright and works well.

So far using my husband's PC for the Sony Connect software and using the Mac for everything else seems to be working quite well.

So I've noticed that every time I make a purchase at borders I get a 20% off one item coupon valid starting a week from that date. The coupon doesn't specifically exclude accessories, so it should work for the deluxe leather case, but it doesn't, BUT the sales staff manually entered in a 20% discount for me so I ended up paying 31.99 + tax. I think this is better than you can find online.