The move from paper books to eReader devices might have been inevitable, but that doesn’t always make it easy. In a lot of ways, we’ve been fairly lucky. eInk displays make the pages read like paper, current technologies allow us to hold something the size of a book in our hands as we read, in a lot of ways it isn’t that much of a difference to read a book now than it ever was once you get used to the little things.
The one bit that I found the most difficult to deal with, at first, was the feel. There’s just something about holding that brand new hardcover straight from the store or an old favorite pulled off the shelf for the twentieth time. It’s got a pleasant, almost nostalgic feeling to it that the Kindle can’t really match unassisted. My way around this was to take advantage of the cover options.
There’s a company I found a while back called Oberon Design that is in the business of making, among other things, eReader covers. They’ve got them for all the varied Kindle versions, as well as a couple other devices, but I personally went with the Kindle 2 cover since that’s where they had the most designs to choose from so far. It’s hand-tooled leather, feels good in your hands, and brings back some of the sensations that are lost in the move to synthetic media. Can’t say it hurts to know that I can drop the thing in a parking lot(and I have) without damaging my favorite toy either. The $75 price tag whether you’re going for a Kindle, nook, or Sony PRS cover is definitely a little steep, but it seems more than worth the money for the improved experience and security that the cover brings.
Yes! I was hoping to see an Oberon Design plug in here eventually. Great company and fine quality, handmade products.
The price tag is minimal when one considers the lasting quality of one of their leather Kindle 2 covers (which I currently have on my Kindle 2!).