Review: Basic, But Nice
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 15, 2014
On the whole, I think that MarBlue has made some quite nice cases here. I'm definitely rating them in relation to their price point, of course. In some respects they're not on par with cases that cost twice as much, but then that's only fair.The huge plus to me for these cases is the simplicity of it. I've looked at and tried out the blue and black in this model, and they're nice shades on the outside and the tone of the gray on the inside is a good complement. The straps that go over the Kindle itself are black, which is good because that means they won't be too jarring or eye catching against the color of the Kindles themselves (unless you've put a colorful decal on, I guess!)The double-row of stitching around the outside makes a nice minor decorative touch that isn't too flashy, and there's a tiny logo in the corner that you'd hardly notice at all if you weren't looking for it. The strap that you can use to hold the whole thing shut (or to hold the cover open and flipped all the way around) is always a welcome touch on these types of cases.So, I think the simplicity is the big selling point. It looks nice but it's not trying to make any kind of huge statement that you'll be likely to get sick of, or that could be distracting or irritating to anyone. This'll probably make it a particularly nice choice as a gift, since it may or may not be the design someone would ideally choose, but it's unlikely that someone's going to hate it or anything like that, where fancier and more intricate designs are also much more risky.This is basic, though. There's not a lot of padding. It's bigger than the kindle, so it'll help keeps it's corners from bumping into anything, and generally should help prevent scratches and scuffs. It doesn't have the magnet (that makes the Kindle Paperwhite auto sleep and wake depending on whether the cover is open). The strap design isn't the perfect tailored fit of cases designed purely for Paperwhite either (though this approach means it can fit several Kindle models as needed, and gives it a very good chance of fitting other 6" devices like those from Nook, Kobo, and Sony.)Anyway, it's good for its price point. If you spend more, you'll get more, but I don't think that will shock anyone.