Kindle Touch lighted cover - my thoughts

[gweminence]

Originally Posted by ThomasC

The hard plastic backplate (albeit leather lined on the outside) is just going to trap a lot of heat (esp, when charging).

I don't find this to be true in the least, under any circumstances.

This hard palstic backplate covers up the rear-mounted speakers and muffles the sound at least 50%.

This doesn't bother me any. I use my kindle for READING. I have other, vastly better devices (like my phone) for listening to things. I have never ONCE used the kindle for audio books, or music...nor will I ever. EDIT: Further testing shows this to be completely untrue as well -- I can hear just fine with the cover on, even with the kindle set upon my desk, out of my hands.

Also, short of using a rubber band, there is no way to firmly close the cover.

This is true, but doesn't bother me any.

The lighter/thinner top cover does not offer very good protection.

Not true. Unless you're going to sit on it, or bounce a ball on it, or do any number of things that you SHOULDN'T be doing with it, the protection afforded is just fine.

The Amazon K3 cover (lighted or unlighted) is a lot better,

I agree with this. This cover doesn't please me as much as my K3 one did, but I find it to be perfectly adequate. Given that there's no better option for a lighted cover...I'm keeping mine.

[Polyphemus]

Originally Posted by vxf

I wish they had a SONY-style cover with light. And I wish SONY borrowed the battery idea from Amazon. It's a world with no perfect solutions

Yes! I really like the Sony lighted cover my wife has for her 350. The ability to flex the light lets her fine tune the lighting of her screen. If only Sony had figured out how to connect the light to the device battery, it would have been a real winner.

I wish the lighted cover for my KK had some type of adjustment. The lighting is perfect if I bend it just so.

I'm on a business trip and won't see my KT and its lighted cover for another week.

At least the KK-3g works in Korea.

[shinew]

Originally Posted by SCION

Here's a good YouTube video of the cover:


Now I'm tempted to get one.

It looks like a decent case, but it's just too overpriced. I'll buy one for $30. IMO no accessory should be priced 60% of the actual unit. It's like selling the Smart Cover for $300(well not quite accurate analogy, but something like that...).

So far I'm quite happy with the Kobo Touch leather case I got for $5 bucks introduced to me by Blossom. As I have no need for built-in light most of the time and it adds almost nothing to the weight. The lighted cover adds ~6oz to the kindle at all time isn't it?

[pidgeon92]

What powers the light?

[ucfgrad93]

Originally Posted by pidgeon92

What powers the light?

The Kindle's internal battery. There are contacts on the back of the Kindle and on the inside the cover.

This is one of the reasons I like the lighted covers by Amazon. There is no separate device to remember and to keep charged.

[gweminence]

Yep, that's the draw to these -- you always have your light with you, and never have to worry about charging it, or having batteries.

[emellaich]

I use TTS frequently and the thought that the cover reduces volume is of great concern.

Those of you with the cover, what do you think about the likelihood of drilling some small holes aver the speakers? Are the speakers anywhere near the path from the contacts and the light?

[gweminence]

Originally Posted by emellaich

I use TTS frequently and the thought that the cover reduces volume is of great concern.

Those of you with the cover, what do you think about the likelihood of drilling some small holes aver the speakers? Are the speakers anywhere near the path from the contacts and the light?

Ok, I just tested this with mine. Honestly, I see no need to drill holes. I turned the volume all the way up, set it on my desk, and I could hear it just fine. (Though why anyone would ever want to, I have no idea -- the voice is so robotic that it shatters my immersion...but, that's subjective, I know). So, my experience seems to empirically debunk the 'holes-are-covered-so-it-must-suck' theory.

[jobzombi]

I looked at the Oberon designs and honestly, I liked theirs but I will be getting this one over any other. I like the idea of the wrap-around for protection, as I tend to shove it in my backpack and sometimes I'll forget what's in there and drop it when I get home. Most cases make the kindle into the PB and J of the sandwich and well, the last time I put such a sandwich in my packback I ended up with goo all over over the inside. I'm just waiting for other retailers to get it, because 3-4 weeks from amazon is way to far. Right now I'm still using the box it came in and added some velcro straps to keep it shut. Even that is pretty good, with the same wraparound design; for a good reason (shipping).

[jobzombi]

Oh and I bought the 3G w/o offers so this is 30% the device price. Well worth making sure it does not get crushed.

[gweminence]

I think that determining a cover's value by how much it costs in relation to the kindle is just silly. It seems to me that one should judge it's value by what it brings to the table for YOU. Does it offer adequate protection? Is the light good enough? Does it do what you want it to do?

If you answer those questions 'yes', then....

IS ALL THAT WORTH 60 bucks TO YOU?

[shinew]

Originally Posted by gweminence

I think that determining a cover's value by how much it costs in relation to the kindle is just silly.

I find it quite the opposite, which is NOT considering the accessory's cost in relation to the product it's accessorizing is just silly. But to each his own I guess...

It seems to me that one should judge it's value by what it brings to the table for YOU.

agreed. And that, as an accessory, in essence cannot be separated from the value of the product it's accessorizing.
To me a light plus a protective case, with added weight does not warrant the 60% of the kindle's price, nor is it worth $60 bucks(I would rather add another $20 bucks for a K4 as backup). On the other hand for half of the price of the case, you can have vastly superior protection that you can sit on or drop, with not a single ounce of weight added , which is not a bad deal actually...

[Rizla]

It's a nice design. I don't go for lighted cases. What do you do when the light breaks? I use a mightybright travelflex. Recommended.

[JoHunt]

Originally Posted by shinew

I find it quite the opposite, which is NOT considering the accessory's cost in relation to the product it's accessorizing is just silly. But to each his own I guess...

To me it's all about aesthetics. I hate corner straps and a clip-on or goose neck light on my Kindle. The Kindle blends perfectly into this particular cover and becomes part of it, so I'm not distracted by extraneous bits and pieces

[pidgeon92]

Originally Posted by Rizla

I use a mightybright travelflex. Recommended.

I have one of these, and I don't care for it. I vastly prefer the light on my K3's lighted cover. If the light quits working on the cover, I still have the mightybright for backup.