eReader covers

[yourlibrarian]

My SO recently got a Sony Daily Edition and has started looking for a cover for it. So far the ones we've seen in stores -- whether for the Sony or not -- have seemed ludicrously expensive for what they are. I ran into the same issue when I got the iTouch as a reader.

I was wondering if anyone had some other solutions or had seen places online or elsewhere that had covers for $10 or less.

Comments

[cyprinella]

Have you checked Etsy? I'm not sure if the prices are necessarily going to be any better, but there's more variety in bags and things.

[yourlibrarian]

Good idea. Yeah, pricewise probably not better but certainly unique.

[elf]

Nobody has (full retail) covers for $10 or less; cheapest ebook covers I've seen, for very basic ones, start at about $15. They are ludicrously expensive (I agree) because they're customized accessories, and they won't work for next year's model. Oh, and because publishers, and therefore ereader manufacturers, have the delusion that their target market is "people who buy a couple-dozen new hardcovers every year" and have no qualms about dropping $35-50 on a bookcover, rather than "people who want to read dozens of books a month and are happy to acquire them from gutenberg & feedbooks."

Etsy may have other options, but given that those are handmade, odds are they cost more, not less, than mass-produced ones. Make-your-own instructions are here & there on the web; can't say if there are any specifically Sony Daily versions, but craftsy people could adapt one of the other systems. (Lots and lots of Kindle instructions; they'd need the measurements changed.)

One of the nifty methods is "find a hardcover book that's the right size, chop out the pages, line the inside with felt/pseudo-leather, and velcro the e-reader in place." Or using an organizer as ebook reader case.

[yourlibrarian]

Hmm! That idea of repurposing the organizer is a good one. Although given the costs of new organizers I don't know that it would be a savings but it did make me think that an inexpensive cosmetics bag might be just the thing. We've long used one as a camera case.

[elf]

I don't know if the Sony Daily will fit in a DVD case; if it will, that's also a possibility. (Confuse *everyone* who sees it. But I suspect it's too wide.)

DIY Kindle Cover at Instructables has details for converting a hardcover into an ebook reader cover; seems fairly universal. And 10 Kindle cases you can build for free, which, while a slight exaggeration, does have a lot of nifty ideas to consider.

[yourlibrarian]

It's 8 x 5, so yeah, too big overall.

[tameiki]

Personally, I've never seen any decent covers for $10 or less. I've always loved M-Edge's covers even though they're a bit pricey (around $40). They're very good quality, has pockets for extra SD memory cards and just a really good all around cover. Can't wait for them to come out with one to fit my PRS 650 :)

[yourlibrarian]

Looks like all of those were marked out of stock and several didn't have prices listed. I guess they've either been doing very well or very poorly.

[tameiki]

If you go to this link, you'll see a few more available although the color choices are a bit slim :)

I have one of these for my PRS 600 and PRS 700 and they're just incredible. ^^

[zvi]

I know someone who knitted a sock for her Kindle. That might be doable, if you knit or crochet, and aren't fussed about having to take the reader out to actually read.

[yourlibrarian]

I know people have made them for readers and tablets but unfortunately I don't knit or crochet. But yes, the cover would be mostly for carrying around and to avoid damage.

[amalthia]

I took the path of least resistance and just bought the cover from Sony. Though it was quite annoying to have to pay so much for what should have come with the device. Though to be fair the first Sony I bought was 350 dollars...

The newer ones are cheaper (probably to have any hope to competing with the Kindle/Nook) but they also come with basically nothing.

I did look around for cheaper covers and I couldn't find anything. You may want to ask the Mobile Read forum, some people have bought a 650 and cover and sometimes people do sell their covers for a much smaller price than what you'd find online or at the store. It's a long shot but truly if you can't afford to buy one and can't make one, getting one second hand seems like a good bet. (Not sure if amazon.com is selling second hand covers yet)

[yourlibrarian]

Hmm, that's a good point about second hand covers through Amazon (or even Ebay). I wasn't sure there would be much as I thought the DE was relatively new but you never can tell.

[amalthia]

Good luck on your hunt. :)