Take Your Kindle to the Beach With Impunity

I'm still tentative about the value of my Kindle. Maybe I'm just a bit old school. As our Editor Emeritus, Chris Anderson, wrote in Free: “For all their cost disadvantages, dead trees smeared into sheets still have excellent battery life, screen resolution, and portability, to say nothing about looking lovely on shelves.” They also work really well at the beach and poolside. Two places that are very hostile to electronics.

I had bought my Kindle largely in anticipation of a canceled European vacation. (#!@$ you Icelandic volcano.) I wanted to bring a few books for me and the kids. I thought a Kindle would mean less packing.

I chose the Kindle over the iPad as a book reader. I find all of the connectivity on the iPad to be distracting when I just want to sit down and read a book. The iPad works great in the dark, but I don't read in the dark. The iPad is tough to use in the sunlight. I like reading at the beach and poolside. However, I have not been willing to bring the Kindle to the pool or the beach.

The folks at KlearKase were nice enough to send me a KlearKase for my Kindle 2 after seeing GeekDad Brad's post about the M-Edge iPad cases.

They claim: "It is a completely sealed, transparent, high-tech protective layer that enables you to safely use your Kindle in any environment where it may get scratched, wet, dirty, or dropped." I'm not so trusting, so I ran some tests.

Without the Kindle inside, I submerged the KlearKase in my kids' sandbox then rinsed the sand off. I figured that would approximate abuse at the beach. I got few drops of water inside the top seam. Maybe, I did something wrong.

The KlearKase has a few pieces and I'm not sure that I assembled it correctly. Being a typical geek, I had torn apart the case before reading the instructions. So I missed the warning that the side clips are each unique to its location on the case.

I was willing to place the blame on me and give it a second test. This time, I paid closer attention to the assembly process.

The second time I assembled it correctly and the KlearKase kept the sand and water completely out. My Kindle was safe from the elements. I wouldn't recommend dropping it in the pool. The manufacturer points out that it is not waterproof.

Once assembled, there is little reason to take the Kindle out of the Klearkase. It does not add much bulk or weight. You can access all of the controls. There is a rubber plug at the top to access the on/off switch, with soft plastic layers over the page paddles and keyboard.

Being cheap, I thought I would compare the KlearKase to a less expensive choice: a plastic bag. I chose a Glad gallon zipper bag. As you can see from my picture, it is not an elegant solution. In fact, it looks cheap and goofy. Especially compared to the KlearKase.

I turned the Kindle on and off by hitting the edge of the switch through the bag. It damaged the bag and left a small hole. The plastic bag was a bit slippery while the KlearKase felt solid. The bag offers none of the KlearKase's shock protection.

The KlearKase looks like a good choice for wrapping a protective layer around your Kindle. You can purchase the KlearKase for Kindle 2 from Amazon for $39.99.