Kindle bags its first accessories, from WaterField

While executives can blow-hard the success of their goods 'til blue in the face, one of the best measurements of market acceptance is the appearance of the third party accessory. Here's the first we've seen: Kindle Cases from WaterField. Starting February 12th you'll have your choice of a $27 slip case, $39 sleeve case, and $49 travel case offering varying degrees of protection unmatched by any dust jacket. Then again, a book doesn't require much protection does it?

[Bad Beaver @ Feb 7th 2008 5:44AM]

Gawd, I'd gladly pay $100 to hide that thing away! If I had one. Besides, every gadget selling more than 5000 units spawns its own cottage industry these days, don't wet yourself.

[nak @ Feb 7th 2008 6:02AM]

Ya know, my friend had a Toshiba Libetto back in the day, and to keep people from stealing it where ever he went, he put it in a Bible cover. You know, one of those black leathery things with a gold leaf cross on the front and a zipper around the "pages".

That proved amazingly effective. He left it at a coffee shop once and didn't figure it out until the next morning. Of course, there it was, right where he left it.

[Tom Oliveri @ Feb 7th 2008 6:40AM]

is this whole kindle thing a joke or is this a real product?

i cant imagine buying one..

[nak @ Feb 7th 2008 6:43AM]

It's the new Segway!

[ark_v2 @ Feb 7th 2008 3:04PM]

And I can't imagine you buying a book, either.

[Peregrino @ Feb 7th 2008 6:59AM]

Hey! The protection a book needs depends on the book itself ;)

[euclid @ Feb 7th 2008 7:14AM]

funny now the protection is nicer than the product itself.

[Justin Long @ Feb 7th 2008 9:39AM]

I own a kindle. I love my kindle. I have an SD card with hundreds of books and PDFs on it. I take it with me on every trip and never have to worry about having reading material with me. I devour books and the Kindle is the best thing I have ever encountered. I would probably buy a better cover for it tho... Don't want it messed up.

[Azayzel @ Feb 7th 2008 9:47AM]

Too bad your Kindle looks like a POS. Amazon had so much time to re-design their device following the initial leaked images, but they did nothing. I own two Sony PRS-500's and they do all I need them to for eBook purposes until a larger, colored device comes out. I won't even contemplate a Kindle due to it's ugly physical design. Back to the drawing board for you Amazon, at least your buyers can rest comforted that not too many people will make fun of them for their geeky device with this new wave of cover (which, by the way, Sony got right out of the gate. No need for an after-market cover here).

[Hax Or @ Feb 7th 2008 10:28AM]

I would get a Kindle for me and my wife if they were reasonably priced.

I'm thinking $150... you know the price for a Nintendo DS.

Anything more than that is ridiculous.

[Gideon @ Feb 7th 2008 11:19AM]

I'm not saying the Kindle is an attractive device, it's not... but it's also not nearly as UNATTRACTIVE in person as it seems in pictures.

I'm not sure how that works, exactly.. but when I opened it up it wasn't the ugly as sin product I was expecting.

The product is great, however... second best gadget I've ever owned (right after the iphone).

These cases, however, are crap. You can't actually USE the device in these things, if I wanted something to just slip it into I have a number of other options.

[JuggleNuts @ Feb 7th 2008 11:40AM]

"...if I wanted something to just slip it into I have a number of other options."

hehehehe - damn you dirty mind!

[Tod @ Feb 7th 2008 11:58AM]

I love my Kindle. Amazon states on the promo page that the Kindle is intended to not stand out, but deliver the content. It does just that. It looks better in reality than any picture or video. So far 3 friends of mine have Kindles now due to seeing my Kindle, and several more will get one as a gift from their spouse. I have over 200 books on my Kindle now. Most were free off the web, thus I feel my Kindle has more than paid for itself. I love the fact that I can get the book right away, versus going to a bookstore, being disappointed in inventory there and have to order it and wait up to a week to get the book. This is saving me gas and time. I have bought content for the Kindle directly from Amazon as well as directly from Baen books, and they have over 100 free books on their website, designed to entice you into reading more from the Authors they have. It worked since I have also spent more than 60 dollars there buying books. I actually like the Kindle cover, and I like the fact that I can now read a book easily while walking and running on a treadmill. I happen to have an Iphone as well as a Kindle and to be honest I think the Kindle is a better product. It is simple to use, and simple to enjoy.

[kyle @ Feb 7th 2008 12:02PM]

Own and really enjoy my kindle. The cover it comes with is great when you're reading, but I'm not sure how well it will protect it. On rainy days I put the Kindle in a ziploc bag when I ride my bike to work. No worries.

Why do people have to rant about the kindle? I really don't get it. Didn't your mother say, "if you have nothing nice to say don't say anything."

Rant all you want, but the reading experience is excellent on the Kindle (what its designed for). I'd happily buy it again.

[Christopher M. @ Feb 7th 2008 12:48PM]

If you don't one, seriously, you wouldn't understand. Move along, you're just making noise.

[Christopher M. @ Feb 7th 2008 1:11PM]

"a book doesn't require much protection does it?" Oh god, just shut up. And fix your "amazaon" tag.

[Jonathan @ Feb 7th 2008 8:20PM]

I don't own a Kindle (yet at least), but I have a lot of gear from Waterfield Designs and it's all first-rate. I'm sure these cases are too. The Kindle is still too expensive for me right now, but by next xmas they should be much less....

[erasure25 @ Feb 11th 2008 2:26AM]

Atually, Water Field makes really sweet bags. I have one for my PSP and had one for my Nintendo DS and HP Laptop, before I sold them.