When I purchased my Kindle 2 last February, one of the first cases I had the chance to check out was the M-Edge jacket.  M-Edge was kind enough to send along two styles for me to look at: the Prodigy and the Platform jackets.  The two are pretty much identical,except that the prodigy opens horizontally, and the Platform opens vertically.  So, we can take a look at the two cases from M-Edge together.

Let me start by talking about how much I enjoyed the look and feel of these cases.  These are clearly not just your standard faux leather cases.  These offer an extremely nice, pebbled texture, which just sinks into your hands.  In a word, they felt fantastic.

Both cases are jacket style cases, which means they will cover the entire front and back of your Kindle 2, with one hinged side (that would be the left on the Prodigy and the top on the Platform).  That means you will need to hold the case open while you are reading, giving it a more book-like feel, which I always appreciated.  The one problem I had with this arose on the Platform case, where the hinge blocked the power switch and headphone jack.

Speaking of the hinge, the hinge edge was very poorly designed, in my opinion.  They are just enormous, and flop off of the edge of the Kindle 2.  It significantly and unnecessarily added to the size of the case.  I can only presume that the purpose of this large hinge area was to accommodate the M-Edge e-luminator booklight, but such an accommodation was really unnecessary.   I would have preferred that the case had been more compact and form fitting, which would have offered better protection, especially on the hinge edge,

The cover is held shut with a leather strap.  To be honest, I thought this was a nice idea, which was just poorly executed.  To begin with, the strap really adds a touch of class.  I thought it was reminiscent of an old fashioned diary that girls (primarily) used to use.  Rather than snapping shut, the tab slides into a snug pocket, which holds the case securely shut.

The size is much larger than you would expect so you can use it to hold the case open  (the Platform case can be held open and freestanding), but it still does not need to be this big.  Also, the tab inexplicably hangs off the back of the case.

This means that extra long tab hangs down right in front of your buttons.  This was just annoying.  There was really no good reason that the tab could not have hung off the top of the case, where it could more easily be tucked safely out of the way,

Inside, these cases are all about protecting your device from bumps, scrapes,and even the occasional drops.  The front and back panels are made from stiff boards, which ensure the case holds its shape, shielding your Kindle 2 from damage.  To soften the blow, a layer of gray microfiber caresses your Kindle, creating a layer of cushion to soften any blow.

Let’s wrap this one up by taking a look at how these cases are going to hold onto your Kindle 2.  Because the last thing you want is your expensive device slip-sliding around…and onto the ground.  The Platform case features four leather straps.  Two are made from stiffer leather, the other two are elastic.  These will fit around the four corners, holding your Kindle 2 snugly in place.

The Prodigy jacket is an entirely different story.  look on that inside edge, and you will find two hooks.  These slide into two specially designed holes on the side of the Kindle 2, holding the Kindle securely in place in the case.  I loved this, and I have been shocked to find that this is pretty much the only non-Amazon branded case, which makes use of this special feature.

In the end, I was really impressed by the overall design and construction of the M-Edge cases.  Unfortunately, there were a few design flaws, such as the large hinge edge and the leather tab, which really got in the way of my enjoyment of this case.  Hopefully, the folks at M-Edge will continue to work with this one, because I really wanted to love it.  With a few tweaks, this near miss could easily have been a home run.

What I Liked:

• Great textured exterior
• Solid construction
• Secures your Kindle 2 extremely well

What Needs Improvement:

• Large leather tab gets in the way
• Large hinge edge is too big for the device

Where To Buy: M-Edge

Price:

• Synthetic Leather ($29.95)
• Genuine Leather ($44.99)

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