A Better Kindle 2 Moleskine Case (Version 1.0)

by C.K. Sample III on 4/15/2009 · 10 comments

Here’s a slideshow of what I put together last night in about an hour:

Here’s a link to the entire set on Flickr. Basically, I’d seen this Kindle 2 Moleskine Case, which basically just ripped out a chunk of the pages of a Moleskine and replaced them with the Kindle 2, relying on the elastic band to “secure” the Kindle in place.

After looking at the $30 case that Amazon offers for the Kindle 2 (Amazon Kindle 2 Leather Cover), I noticed they have two hooks that slide and lock the Kindle 2 in place on that case. I took an old Moleskine and ripped out all of its pages, leaving the card envelope and dividers in place, and then ripped the slight bit of paper that went along the binding out. Then I took a $1.99 unused aluminum paint can that I’d bought from Home Depot a while back, cut out a nice rectangular piece of thin aluminum, cut, bent and shaped two little properly-measured hooks along one side of the aluminum rectangle, then folded this into a smaller rectangle. I took this completed piece and carefully taped it inside the Moleskine cover with multiple pieces of packing tape (I was out of duct tape). I then lined up the Moleskine and slid / clicked it into place. It works, although I did the entire case in about an hour of tinkering last night, and as a result, I got some slight scratches and abrasions around the two little slits. The design could definitely be improved upon with some more time spent on it, so I’ll most likely do another one of these down the road. Stay tuned.

The case definitely adds some weight to the device, and I’m one of those crazy people that doesn’t much care for cases, so I don’t know if I’ll actually be using it (Also, I don’t know why I keep making cases for things when I don’t use them. I just get the idea and I have to try it).

Also, make sure you check out my Kindle 2 first impressions and unboxing feature on Obsessable and today’s Daily Obsession, wherein I take a look at the audio book, text-to-speech, and MP3 playback features of the Kindle 2 in two videos. My full review of the Kindle 2 should be ready for Obsessable later this week.

Tagged as: amazon kindle 2, better kindle 2 moleskine case, kindle 2, kindle 2 hacks, moleskine, moleskine case

1 Erik Swedlund 4/15/2009 at 12:21 pm: How well do your improvised hooks hold? On the Amazon case, the upper hook is on a spring, so it locks in place but can be slid down to release. I suppose with your Moleskine elastic band it stays secure while folded, and gravity handles the job when you're holding it open and upright.
2 facebook-528162027 4/16/2009 at 8:06 am: Once they are clicked in place they hold pretty well, although that tends to take a few attempts. The top one is the one that really fits nicely, whereas the bottom one really only stays if the top one is nicely secure. This was the first prototype of this. I'm going to actually try to machine a more accurate piece from some pre picked and bent metal, later when I have more time to tinker with it.
3 C.K. Sample III 4/15/2009 at 7:05 am: The Kindle is pretty cool. Like I say in my post, I’ll have a full review up on Obsessable later this week. I already posted a first impressions / hands-on feature last week:
http://www.obsessable.com/feature/amazon-kindle-2-unboxing-and-first-impressions/

I’m surprised by how nice the note-taking features of the device are. I still love my Moleskine sketchbooks, but this might be replacing my Moleskine notebook. ;-)

This comment was originally posted on http://www.moleskinerie.com/)“>moleskinerie
4 supereco 4/15/2009 at 11:52 am: RT @cksample: Check it: A Better Kindle 2 Moleskine Case (Version 1.0) http://tinyurl.com/crr3ks where techie meets crafty

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5 Giovanni Crescente 4/17/2009 at 8:49 am: per i patiti della carta e dell’e-carta

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6 Mirabelle 4/20/2009 at 9:40 pm: I love Moleskines and I love my Kindle. Never the twain shall meet. The Kindle needs to be treated like a baby. It is very fragile. I don’t see how the Moleskine cover could possibly provide the kind of protection the Kindle needs.

This comment was originally posted on http://www.moleskinerie.com/)“>moleskinerie
7 Mike Perry 4/21/2009 at 5:10 pm: Cheap covers have another advantage. They make something pricey look inconsequential. I do the same with laptops. When possible, I carry them around in battered, uncomputerish bags. What thief is going to steal a bag that probably has only a sack lunch and a few library books? I’ve heard of people with expensive bikes giving them a cheap coat of paint for the same reason.

The idea works with umbrellas too. In college, I had one so useless looking, it was never swiped. Once I misplaced it and didn’t find it until I returned to the same classroom two days later. It was still there and the professor remarked that he’d have taken it himself if it hadn’t looked so battered.

This comment was originally posted on http://www.teleread.org/blog/)“>TeleRead
8 cksample 4/27/2009 at 12:44 pm: this hack ( http://bit.ly/UXikw ) + my Kindle Moleskine case ( http://bit.ly/m6kyV )= text-to-SHOUT for the #kindle

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