[bibahbuzemann]

- First off, the SMELL: If your olfactories are in good working order you might want to consider opening this package outside. I got the case new years eve and the first thing I did was to send an email to the supplier, which was promptly answered 01-02 saying "The smell dissipates after a few days".

I'd kinda figured that for myself and put the case open side down on a radiator for a couple of nights, so the smell was already gone when I got their answer. Warning! My radiators only get warm enough that I can still touch them!

- The FITT: This case fits better than the Gecko and lots better than the Navitech. There is no danger of the T1 slipping out. The frame that actually pins down the reader is precisely cut plastic, embossed with a good leather imitation. It's slimmer than the Gecko, Navitech and lighted Sony covers, so it fits in all my jacket inside pockets(and it's light). With the others this is either impossible or a seriously tight fit. There's room for the stylus nonetheless.

Contrary to the other cases this one seems to have been designed with one handed reading in mind. When you fold the cover all the way back it's still one precise unit. With the other cases it always looks and feels kinda stupid(and difficult to hold). The camera's auto focus didn't give me a green light when I got any closer, but I hope this becomes apparent in the pic.

- The MATERIALS: The case is supposed to be leather, but the smell upon opening got me kinda sceptic, so I took it to an expert in town who really knows his business.

First off the man said the case is very well manufactured, BUT, since I was asking his opinion whether it's real leather he pointed out that nowadays the Asians make imitations so well that even experts can't tell just by look and feel. So he took a closer look and determined the inside cover is "split pig's leather" which is apparently so incredibly cheap that not even the Asians would want to imitate it.

I told him what I'd paid for it and that led to his determination that the outside material might be an imitation. The only way to say for sure would be to cut it open, scratch off the fleece and check from underneath. He offered to do it but that’s where I kinda said no thanks.

Incidentally, when I described the intense chemical smell(which was gone by then) the man had to admit that it speaks for real leather. Apparently, cheap asian leather imitations smell more like leather than leather!


Summing up, I really like this case. It looks and feels good. It's great for one handed reading so I even leave it on whilst reading in bed. It's really cheap, which makes me wonder. I hope it'll last long.