Review: Enhances usability
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 1, 2014
Even though this case has a built in keyboard, it's not much larger than a typical leather case. It folds up easily and has a magnetic closure. Despite that, it will not turn off the Kindle the way the cover does on anOrigami Case, which is much smaller. But the case is less bulky than something like an Otter case.The big advantage of course is the keyboard. The keyboard is easy to set up and configure. It's as easy to use as any similar sized Bluetooth keyboard. The case itself has a lid that folds underneath to act as a stand, and the weight of the device itself holds things in place. This works very well on a table, but less so in more impromptu circumstances. Although you might be less likely to want to use a keyboard while this is sitting on your lap or bed, you might still want to use a case as a stand for this purpose. For that, a different case would work better.The case holds the device in a horizontal orientation. For vertical use, the device will sit in the bottom groove easily. It's not shown that way in the documentation but it works well that way with apps that have limited horizontal capability.Charging this is simply a matter of using a USB cable (included) and standard charger (not included.) Aside from that, the only other thing to know is how to turn it on and how to sync it, and the keys are clearly labeled. The instructions themselves are minimal, but the Kindle itself makes it easy to sync a Bluetooth device.I give this high marks as a keyboard, lower marks as a case, but consider it a good case overall. Placing the Kindle into the case is trivial, which is also true with my Origami case, so I expect I will use both depending on the occasion. For reading and media use, I'll leave it off, but when I need to use a keyboard and mouse with my Kindle, this is a practical keyboard solution.If you want a larger keyboard, there are stand alone Bluetooth keyboards that will work just as well. But this has the added convenience of integration with the case. While it's not my favorite case, it's as good as many others I've used.