[weatherman]

A couple weeks ago I got the M-Edge Prodigy cover, which I compared to the Amazon Cover that I had purchased with my K2. Well apparently I did such a good job reviewing the M-Edge, the company wanted me to review their latest case, the M-Edge Go! Jacket.

The Go is a more direct competitor to the Amazon Cover in every way. It is exactly the same price ($30) and it has essentially the same design. Where the Go Jacket differs from the Amazon case most is (as expected) in the quality.

As with the Prodigy case, the Go Jacket is made of a fine quality leather and stitched with a white thread for a lovely, clean design. Where the Amazon Cover feels somewhat plasticky, the leather on the Go feels like.. well, leather. There is almost no padding under the leather on the Go, but the leather itself feels slightly thicker, and the cover overall feels slightly more rigid than the Amazon Cover. The Go also has the leather-covered elastic straps to hold the Kindle close to the back of the cover, unlike the Amazon Cover that allows the Kindle to flop around a bit.

One major difference that will appeal to many Kindle users is that the The M-Edge Go is available in purple, fuchsia, mocha, black and red leather. Those who find the Amazon case too bland will welcome the other colors - if my wife had a Kindle, I would certainly be getting her the red case. For me, the smooth mocha is a nice manly sort of case, reminiscent of a cigar case or fine leather-bound book.

The size of the Go is ever so slightly larger than the Amazon Cover – maybe ¼” wider, but exactly the same length. In practice this difference is certainly not noticeable. The thickness and the weight of the two is the same, or so close I can’t tell the difference by hand.

In comparing the Amazon Cover to the M-Edge Go, it’s pretty clear that for the money the M-Edge is the much better choice. The quality is just that much better, and though it is a little lightly larger, it does not feel larger. Hands down, this case is the winner in that fight.

When comparing it to the Prodigy though, that’s where things get more interesting. The Go is lighter, thinner, smaller and cheaper than the prodigy, but for the 50% premium in price Prodigy has a number of improvements; first, there is more padding underneath the leather, which gives it a softer, more luxurious feel. The Prodigy has the belt-like strap closure, which means it will not pop open if you just throw it in a bag – and that’s essential for me. The Prodigy has the pockets for business cards and, more importantly, the slot for the M-Edge light ($15 extra), which is very handy especially when reading in bed.

When trying to figure out which one is the ideal case for which use, it’s hard to say. On the one hand, the Prodigy is a much better case to travel with because it offers more protection, while the Go Jacket seems to be the perfect case for home use - ironic, given its name. But the Prodigy’s bulk and heft make it more difficult to travel with, and the lack of the reading light slot in the Go means that it is not quite as good as the Prodigy for reading in bed – which is something that most people do at home (at least most of the time).

So the decision between the Prodigy and Go really comes down to what features you need in a case. Ultimately while I appreciate the smaller, svelte profile of the Go, I prefer the lux feel and added protection that the extra padding provide, and the closure strap is a must-have for me to feel safe just throwing it in my bag when I commute. So the winner, for me at least, is the Prodigy.