Review: Interesting design, but probably not the best choice
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 01 22, 2014
First off, I already own the Amazon leather cover for my Paperwhite (1st gen) and have been using it for a long time now. It's a very good cover in general: lightweight, not bulky, has autowake and sleep, port and button accessible. I didn't have any big complaints with it.This cover is made by Moshi which generally makes very good products. It fits the Paperwhite very well, and in fact is a bit easier to remove. It's also convertible into a stand and is slightly lighter. This cover isn't made of the leather (actually bonded leather) material the Amazon one is, instead having a surface similar to denim. It does appear to have good scratch and moderate impact protection, since it covers all sides of the device when closed. It also allows access to the charge port/button when closed, and has a magnetic closure flap.I think it's likely most buyers will be comparing this vs. the Amazon cover as these are both considered 'higher end' as far as covers go. There's a lot of cheaper alternatives at any rate. Here's the general lineup:Pros for Moshi cover:Slightly lighter weight.Allows the Paperwhite to stand up.Cheaper than the Amazon cover. As of this writing, by about $14.Easier to remove.Surface is tougher, cosmetically.Cons:Autosleep does not work well.Surface does not feel as nice and is not as attractive.Harder to open and thicker when folded back.Some notes: though the Moshi cover is a bit lighter, you probably won't be able to tell unless you weigh them (I had to). Both covers do a good job of staying in place and keeping the cover closed while traveling.Looking at the pros vs. cons, you might think this is a pretty good cover and deserved more than the 3 stars I gave it. However, I feel the rating is actually a bit generous. Here's why:1. The ability to stand up the Paperwhite is, in my opinion, almost useless. This isn't a Kindle Fire- you're not going to be sitting back watching movies or writing emails with it. All the Paperwhite is really good for is reading, and it's light enough to easily hold for hours at a time. The e-ink screen is also unaffected by viewing angle. As such, even if you're reading while eating at a table, most likely you'd rather just let it lie flat.2. Protection of any sort for this device is a bit redundant. The only thing you should really care about is cosmetic damage; as for seriously damaging its functionality you might as well have the device bare. The Paperwhite, as with older gen. Kindle devices, is incredibly tough on its own.3. Taken in line with #2, the main value of a cover is what convenience it provides. Autowake/sleep is far and away the best feature of any cover in my opinion. It saves you from having to fumble for that tiny power switch every time you turn it on and off. The Moshi cover does actually autowake the device (which is not advertised) but it almost always fails to put it back to sleep.4. Since you're going to be holding the Paperwhite in hand most of the time when using it, the extra thickness when open is a nuisance. The Moshi cover simply does not feel as good in this position, and that's the predominant way this device is used.And yes, it also just doesn't look that nice. In fact when I got this cover, at first glance I thought it was a piece of protective cardboard. I was a bit surprised when I found that this was in fact the cover itself.This means the only really major point in the Moshi Cirrus's favor is the lower cost. I do consider that a pretty important factor in these things: personally, I don't like spending a huge percentage of the device's cost on something to protect the device- especially when it comes to something as tough as a Kindle. However, just for functionality's sake I'd still recommend the Amazon cover over this one.