Quote:
Originally Posted by Timboli
You must use them a funny way then. I always search high and low for a decent cover, which must be strong and padded. The weight they add is less than a standard hard cover all told. The world is full of cracked screens for ereaders, phones and tablets, because people don't think wisely. You can avoid most damage with a decent cover and intelligent use, but some protection can only be gained by being inside a metal brief case ... unless a vehicle runs over it.
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Maybe we mean different things when we say cover. I am talking about a flap that covers the screen. May or may not include a piece that covers or protects the back of the device.
Speaking strictly about the front flap over the screen:
- doesn't protect against dropped impact; you need something on the corners of the device for that
- doesn't protect against torsion; most covers aren't stiff enough and even if they were since they only attach on one edge they couldn't stop the device from being torqued anyway
- doesn't protect against bending; see above
- doesn't protect against scratches; because three sides are open, stuff can easily get in between the cover and the display and scratch it anyway. Even worse, it can get trapped between the cover and display and grind deeper scratches than you might otherwise have gotten
The only situation where it is kind of helpful is if you bend it back around when reading and it protects the back of the device from the surface you lay it on.
And I don't understand your bit about "thinking wisely" and "intelligent use". To me, it's just a matter of risks and tradeoffs. I believe that a cover by itself (ie: not a full case) offers close to no help for preventing cracked or scratched screens whereas it is heavy, gets in the way of reading, and is yet another @!$^%&# magnet in my bag cause my electronics to all go off and on at weird times. Besides which, reader technology is still changing fast enough that I likely want to upgrade in two or three years and the likelihood that my screen is damaged in that time is even smaller. It's no big deal if I get a scratch or crack; readers are typically very affordable.
And this is coming from someone who daily carries his naked readers in a bag.