Product Description

With nearly 80 years in the business and hundreds of points of distribution in the U.S., Cole Haan is one of America's premier luxury goods brand. Founded in 1928 as a collaboration between Trafton Cole and Eddie Haan, Cole Haan epitomized artisan quality and impeccable craftsmanship during a time when style was everything. Originally, Cole Haan was a men's footwear label that captured the essence of the 20s spirit with beautifully-designed and well-made shoes for the dapper gentleman. Today, Cole Haan brings that heritage to all of its products, including men's and women's dress and casual footwear, belts, hosiery, handbags, small leather goods, outerwear and sunglasses.

Product Details

• Size: One Size
• Color: Dark Brown
• Brand: Cole Haan
• Released on: 2009-02-23
• Fabric type: leather

Features

• Made exclusively for Kindle 2 by Cole Haan
• Hand-stained, hand woven leather exterior
• Goatsuede interior
• Elastic catch straps for easy viewing of entire screen
• Convenient business card holder

Amazon.com Product Description
Protect your Kindle 2 in luxurious style with this custom cover from Cole Haan. Made in India of hand-stained New Zealand leather, your case will protect your Kindle 2 from scratches, and features a convenient inside pocket perfect for business cards. The woven leather will make your new Kindle 2 your best-dressed gadget.

Customer Reviews

A good match
I vacillated between this and the "pebble grained" Cole Haan cover. I liked the promised softness of the pebble grain and the color, and the fact that it seemed possible to fold the left side under the Kindle for one hand reading and access to the "Previous Page" key on the left side of the device.

What swayed me was the better protection of the woven model - a slightly stiffer construction and the shock absorption provided by the weave; I suspect the softer pebble grain would fold over on itself and expose the screen to scratching (I'm inclined to be casual about these devices and expected I would throw the Kindle in a briefcase or knapsack on my way out the door; the softer, more flexible cover - and the Kindle - would suffer).

The leather of the woven cover is a beautiful color and sumptuous, and I think will probably become "friends" with the Kindle as is ages and the more it's handled. I found the business card slot puzzling and - in my case - useless so I removed it. The left side of the cover sits a little flatter against the Kindle when closed. Business card slot for a bookcover? Besides this curiosity, the cover is well designed, fits and holds the Kindle very nicely; the soft suede will protect the screen. A little expensive but the good design and tactile quality it provides makes the transition between electronic and paper media a little less abrupt.

Addendum 3/24/09
At Ms. Alexander's suggestion, I've been folding the cover back on itself without consequence. The spine doesn't seem to suffer for it and as the leather gets softer with use, it becomes easier - the advantage of the softer "pebble grain" cover with better protection of the Hand-Woven. It allows one-handed reading on the subway and because the previous and next buttons are near one another on the left side of the Kindle, very easy to navigate. This was a good choice for me. Stylish, feels nice in the hand, the leather will get a nice patina as it's used, and is good protection for the Kindle. Still a little expensive, but it does add to the experience. And well, life is short. Treat yourself.

Addendum 9/11/09
I was a little deflated when Cole Haan replaced this cover with a 2nd generation that uses the "Kindle hinge"; it slides into the side of the Kindle and locks - sleek and clean looking and doesn't encroach on the power button the way the corner straps of the 1st generation do (albeit slightly). It seemed a smart and elegant solution to attaching the kindle to a cover (not a small design problem); I was envious and jealous.

Apparently, however, the new hinge cracks the Kindle after some use (at least as reported by users in the forums here) so I am happy I didn't return the original for the new. One of the corner straps is becoming unsewn on my cover, but this is easily repaired I think (I'll take it to a cobbler if it gets worse).

Had I gotten a cover with the new hinge I would have opted for the brown "pebble grain" - the dark brown leather is not available with the new hinge and all that is offered are patent leathers in red, bronze and purple, none of which I find appealing. I'm surprised the dark brown in regular leather is no longer offered. Mine is wearing well, getting a nice dark hue, soft yet with enough structure to protect the Kindle. It's very comfortable to hold in the hand, like a favorite book.

Give it time. It's leather.
I love it. I read the other negative reviews before I ordered it but I decided to give it a try any way. It's very stylish and good quality. At first the leather was a bit hard to fold all the way back but I figured because it's leather it will conform eventually. I was right. After about 3 days it folds back effortlessly, perfectly and feels perfect in my hands. It's leather so of course it will be a bit stiff at first until you break it in. Don't be afraid to fold it back, you won't break it. Even leave it folded back open with your Kindle in it overnight to break it in faster. The power button on top is very slightly covered but not a problem or inconvenience. On the pictures the card pocket looks more bulky than it actually is. It's actually very flat and does not interfere with it closing at all but does seem a little unnecessary in my opinion. Yes it is a little pricey but it's the best looking that I have found so far. I definitely recommend it.

I hope this was helpful for you.

Beautiful but keeps coming apart
This is a beautiful cover for the Kindle2 but the elastic sides that hold the Kindle in place keep coming apart.