PRS-650 Cases

[redbees]

Pinecone, that case (seems to, from the photos) look good, and it isn't ruinously expensive.

It is hard to tell from the Amazon photos, but it looks as though a small piece of leather and a snap hold the reader in at the top. Is that right? Also, is it possible to fold the cover all the way open (touching the back) if you want to hold the reader in one hand?

In your last paragraph you say, "Only thing is, with the case being new, it seems to not want to be fully seated to the right." Do you mean that when you stand the reader up on a table, the left side of reader wants to close up? If that is the case, maybe that will be remedied with use. (I hope.) Or, did you mean that you can't bend the cover all the way back (like I want to do)?

Thanks for the info.

Oh, and @SeaBookGuy, love your red Sky Dragon!

[Pno]

I got the Noreve case (in black) for my PRS650. Yes it is pretty expensive, but I am really happy with it. It looks very good and feels very secure (only top and bottom are exposed to allow pluging in headphones, SD cards and so on). Reading with the case on is comfortable, both when you hold the case half open with both hands (like a real book) but also when you flip the cover all the way around to the back and hold it with just one hand. The case will of course add some weight to the reader, but it will not appear heavy compared to a real paperback book (it will probably be about the same).

I havent really found a use for the small pockets on the inside of the case, maybe someday I will use it for paper notes or so. Anyway they are not a problem either.

http://www.noreve.com/product_info.php?products_id=2445

[mcrmama]

I ordered one in ocean blue. I am expecting a shipping notice any day now. I am tired of waiting, lol. I keep thinking maybe I should have gotten black. Hopefully this week. I ordered Jan 19th.

Originally Posted by Pno

I got the Noreve case (in black) for my PRS650. Yes it is pretty expensive, but I am really happy with it. It looks very good and feels very secure (only top and bottom are exposed to allow pluging in headphones, SD cards and so on). Reading with the case on is comfortable, both when you hold the case half open with both hands (like a real book) but also when you flip the cover all the way around to the back and hold it with just one hand. The case will of course add some weight to the reader, but it will not appear heavy compared to a real paperback book (it will probably be about the same).

I havent really found a use for the small pockets on the inside of the case, maybe someday I will use it for paper notes or so. Anyway they are not a problem either.

http://www.noreve.com/product_info.php?products_id=2445

[Pno]

Well, if you wanted it fast you probably should have ordered black. I ordered the Jan 24th and got it with in a week .

But really for that price I think you should absolutely get it in what ever color you prefer. It seems pretty durable and will probably last for years. So what's a few weeks of extra waiting time?

[mcrmama]

Yes, that was my thought when I ordered that if I was going to spend the money I would get a colour I love. Hopefully it will ship soon. I am now at the end of the 20-25 business days they originally said. Should be any day now.

[Halk]

I've got (although the device has retired) a Noreve case for my Cowon X5L and I was very happy with it over the years. I would have bought a case from them for my 650 however they don't have the leg support at the back of the case which I have on the I-nique, I wouldn't go without that now.

[Pinecone]

Originally Posted by redbees

Pinecone, that case (seems to, from the photos) look good, and it isn't ruinously expensive.

It is hard to tell from the Amazon photos, but it looks as though a small piece of leather and a snap hold the reader in at the top. Is that right? Also, is it possible to fold the cover all the way open (touching the back) if you want to hold the reader in one hand?

In your last paragraph you say, "Only thing is, with the case being new, it seems to not want to be fully seated to the right." Do you mean that when you stand the reader up on a table, the left side of reader wants to close up? If that is the case, maybe that will be remedied with use. (I hope.) Or, did you mean that you can't bend the cover all the way back (like I want to do)?

No, the reader slides in from the left side into a pocket that has holes cut out for the connections, switches and screen. So due to the stiffness of the leather, the reader doesn't want to stay fully inserted. But only by a small amount.

The cover does fold all the way back for one handed reading. And you can fold the snap flap and snap the cover in the fully opened position.

After having it for over a week, I like it more and more.

But with the way the cover works, when you have it on the "stand" the cover has to stick out to the left, so it takes up more room than expected.

The other version, that has the cover flip down, doesn't look like it has this issue. And it has the ability to stand at multiple angles. The one I have has one angle. But so far, that single angle has worked for me.

[Buffa]

@Pinecone, thanks for the recommendation.
After a lot of searching I also found the igadgitz models on Amazon. I decided to give the other model (with the vertical flip) a try. Reason: I like the idea of the multiple viewing angles; I do not know if I'll really use it, but I have a though of using the e-reader for viewing sheet music (or at least chords) while playing my keyboard. Being able to adjust the viewing angle might prove useful. Or more likely, the whole idea will probably prove silly...
Now waiting for both the case and the prs-650 to arrive and see how they work together - will update once I have my opinion set.

Also wanted to comment, that the situation where we all have to go hunting for a decent case for our new device is quite strange. We picked one of the best (if not the best) devices, carrying the most expensive price tag you can find. Why do I now have to settle for an inadequate sleeve solution from Sony, or hard to find 3rd-party solutions, or be confused with old prs-600 cases? Sony should understand that for some consumers (me included), such a situation brings the odd feeling of questioning if we made the right choice: if the device is so unpopular that almost nobody (including Sony) would bother making cases for it - is it really a good choice? Yes, yes - I still think it is. But I didn't buy the PRS-650 just to find that I'm swimming upstream, while it's so obvious that riding the Kindle/Nook wagon would have yielded a much easier journey (and no "out of stock" message for their e-reader showing for a full month...)
I rest my (yet to be delivered) case.

[innowen]

When I first got my 650, I went ahead and crocheted a "kozy" for it using blue thread and a half-double crochet stitch. It worked great and was slim, however, I found that I wanted something that would allow me to use the reader in bed without having to hold it.

Thanks to this thread, I ordered: http://www.amazon.com/igadgitz-Genui...8253639&sr=8-2

Which is perfect for my needs. The leather is great (smells so good), securely holds the unit in place, and has many positions to slide the stand into. I'm able to let it sit on my chest when i'm laying in bed which allows my hands to stay warm under the cover. Now all I need for Sony to come out with is a page turner remote clicker, so i can stay cozy under the covers and NEVER have to get cold hands when turning pages.

A secondary bonus I discovered is that when the case sits up on a table, it sort of becomes a "low-budget" e-picture frame (as much as a $229 eBook reader can be cheep).

The downfall is that the SD card pocket on the case is almost unusable when you have the case open. If you don't put the stand out and just hold the book in your hands, I'd be afraid that the card would slide out. As I don't own a card, this hasn't become an issue yet.

Anyone else have any input on this case?
/innowen

[KiwiKen]

@Pinecone

I also bought one of the igadgitz models for my new 350. Here in NZ the Sony covers are very expensive (NZ$60/US$45/GBP27) and offer little real protection. I imported the igadgitz side folding model from Amazon UK for just over half that price. It was delivered inside 10 days.

Very happy with it, as it offers good protection and the 350 is very secure.

[ArmadilloPilot]

Here was my solution to having 650 case. After buying the PRS-650 a month ago, my wife kept telling me I needed some way to protect the reader. We found this Case Logic model that has really worked well for me. The case was designed for the older Pocket (PRS-300) Edition, but the 650 sits in there securely and protected. Actually , the 650 is .2 inches wider and taller on each side than what the case is designed for. Nevertheless, it works fine for me. One thing I like is that it sits on my knee, in the car, for easy reading and the material surface keeps it from slipping off. I don't always use the upper left hand restraining strap to keep the on/off switch available. Also the bottom is exposed for connecting the USB cable. Of course it is easy to zip close and keep everything protected and tight.

[carpetmojo]

Originally Posted by mediax

Same here - the light's excellent, but the Sony case is not nice at all.
It's crossed my mind to see if a bookbinder would produce some kind of slip-cover, but procrastination won out over curiosity.

What's wrong with the Sony case + light? The only mod I found necessary was an elastic band (or velcro strip) to keep the "book" closed when travelling etc.. - which I do with real books anyway.
It's very sturdy, and has had a few "adventures" so far, & the PRS is unscathed (cue fingers xing, wood touching) but I have thought of putting a stiffer sheet of plastic inside for added screen protection, an easy mod (slit the inner & insert, or glue/etc..) - prompted purely by me running over my Fuji camera with the Volvo - long story ! The Fuji lost...........

Actually it's a good base for all sorts of DIY mod's should you feel them necessary - pockets etc.. - and I looked at quite a few and couldn't better it.
And of course, the light is very well concieved and done, better than any solution I've seen/heard of yet.

You could dismount the assembly and re-affix in one of yo own design/making - but it does seem rather making work for yoself that could be spent reading !

In the dark with the light on.............

[ Oh, in the UK, a tip I've given before, Poundland sell a neoprene "pocket" case for iPads etc, cassy black, OK red, that fits a 650 perfectly folded over, ideal if you prefer using the reader nude ! ]

(The reader, not you.)

{ On the other hand........................... }

[Buffa]

Like I posted a few days ago, I decided to purchase the igadgitz vertical flip case (on Amazon - link).

After 3 days of using the PRS-650 together with this case, I can say I am very happy with the purchase of both - but it's the case that we're discussing, so here goes (and I guess I'll be posting a similar review also on Amazon):

PROS:
- Price is good.
- Good quality.
- Overall good protection (see few exceptions below). In particular the front panel, that covers the screen, looks solid enough to protect from impact while being soft enough in the inside to avoid scratching the screen.
- Front cover flips backwards completely, allowing single-hand holding.
- The viewing stand is a nice touch. I haven't used it much yet (remember I have the case only for 3 days), but I tried it and it is job well done: the stand is effective while in action, and attaches back to the cover when not in use so it's never in your way.
- Snug fit: the PRS-650 slides into the case for a perfect, snug fit. It hence retains much of the elegance of the PRS-650.
- Elegant enough: I don't know if I can say this case delivers a bold message of luxury, but it's surely elegant enough. Nothing looks like bad quality, nice seams follow the contour of the device, with a nice curve around the Home button.
- Functionality: all PRS-650 physical controls and jacks are fully accessible. See one minor exception below.

CONS:
- Protection exceptions: while generally the device is quite protected as I mentioned above, the protection is not 100% in all directions. I would say it's 80-90% protected... The weak link is probably and only the top left and right corners of the device. The right corner is exposed to allow access to the stylus, and the left corner is exposed to allow easier grabbing of the device while pulling it out of the case. Because of the snug fit (mostly an advantage, mind you), there is not enough extra leather protruding over those corners, so in case the device decides to fall directly on one of those two corners, it will be hit. Now, if I really worried about this happening, I would have covered those two corners with something, like an extra piece of black leather. I don't plan to take the device out of the case, and I could easily do that. But - I'm really not worried, and in general plan on not throwing the PRS on the floor too often. And if it does hit the floor, I believe it won't die because of impact, it's not a sensitive area of the PRS.
- Functionality exceptions: again - overall great functionality and accessibility, but: the page-turning buttons are a bit too close to the inner edge of the cover, making my finger touch the case before it gets to touch the button. Well: (a) I got used to it and after a short while I didn't care. (b) after two more hours I got used to flipping pages with the touch-screen gesture. This is without doubt what Sony had in mind as the main page-flipping function (given the location of the tactile buttons.) In the end I just hold the PRS (in its case, always) in one hand, and without adding my other hand just flip pages with my thumb. Perfect!
- No integral light. I don't see this exactly as a con, as it allows the case to be low-profile. When I want to use light I just add a little LED light that I had anyways for my paper books.

BOTTOM LINE:
I love this case, it's exactly what I needed.
Would definitely buy it again.

[mcrmama]

Just thought I would update. I contacted Noreve and my case is expected to ship March 12th. I ordered it January 19th so it will have been well over the 20-25 days quoted. They did apologize for the delay and said they had more orders than they anticpated. Mao if all goes well, it should ship at the end of next week.

[Desvelada71]

I bought a black Navitech cover for my PRS 650. The leather cover was nice but it did not fit very snugly. I had to put some thick little tape cushion in the bottom and on the back of my device to make sure it would fit and would not come out of the sleeve.
I've had it for a couple of months and I really like it. I bought it from Amazon for $20 including S & H. It shipped from England. I've looked for color covers but can't find any at a low price like the Navitech.