Review: Very nice case overall with only a few misses
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 24, 2012
Overall, this is a fine case for the 8.9 inch Fire HD. The overall quality is quite nice - I have other Marware products for my Kindle Touch, and it's good to see that they are continuing to maintain a strong focus on product quality. All the materials feel nice; the stitching is tight and even; there's ample cushioning for tablet protection while maintaining a slim profile; and the elastic strap holds the cover closed in a secure fashion.I also like how Marware packages their products with a minimum of packaging waste but still ensures the product can travel through the mail without being dinged up. The package is also easy to open - no fuss, no muss.I initially had some difficulty getting the Fire into the case. The Fire is held in place using a plastic cradle, but it seemed to be too small. I had to (gasp!) resort to reading the user guide that came with it, and found out I needed to position it in a certain way and then snap it in. When it is properly inserted you'll hear and feel a clear "snap" at each of the four corners of the tablet. When properly installed the case holds the tablet very securely. I shook it vigorously (over a thick cushion in case it failed) and the Fire stayed put.My main quibble is with the rotation feature. I was really looking forward to this since some apps only run in portrait mode; others only in landscape. While the rotation feature works, it is very stiff - you really have to twist hard to get it to rotate. It's a two-handed operation: one hand to rotate the tablet; the other to hold the case while you're turning.The bottom of the cradle has a tab that fits into a slot on the base of the cover to prop up the tablet. This works in both landscape and portrait modes. There are three tabs so you can adjust the angle.There are cut outs for the power and HDMI ports. I had no problems accessing any of the ports, power button or volume controls while it was in the cover.Since I often end up having to charge the Fire while it is in use, I rotated the screen so the power plug is at the top. That allows me to keep the tablet propped up on my desk in landscape mode for video watching, but still use the power cord.It also offers an auto on/off ability - the Fire turns off when you close the cover, and wakes up when you open the cover. It's a nice feature and it works well.It has a slot on the cover so you can fit your hand into it for ease of holding it. That has value, but what I would have preferred to have instead (or in addition to) is a pocket on either the inside or the outside to hold items such as a cleaning cloth. This is not a huge problem, but I'll certainly miss that since the case for my original Fire has a outside pouch that is great for holding a cleaning cloth and a small stylus.I'm going to give this 5 stars, but 4.5 is more accurate given the reluctance of the rotation feature. But, since it does everything else very well, looks good, and feels nice, it's closer to a 5 rating than a 4.