Since the price reduction last week to $189, I can tell from the increased number of buyers of my book Free Kindle Books and How to Find Them, this reduction in price has had the desired effect of a surge in new Kindle owners. Maybe you, while reading this blog on the free two week trial, are a new Kindle owner – welcome!
With my new Kindle, there are several things I need to do to get it “up to speed” similar to the one it replaced. There’s a lot of things I don’t need to do in order to add more bling to my Kindle, but I am going to treat this post like I never had a Kindle before and have this post be along the lines of “what would I do to accessorize a new Kindle?” Long-time Kindle owners may something along the lines of “duh, I already know this stuff” which may be true in all respects. On the other hand, they might be surprised.
Cover
If I were a new Kindle owner, I would want a leather cover to hold my new eBook reader. Why? It makes it seem more like a book, and provides a little bit of protection from a fall / drop, carrying around in my laptop bag, etc.
There are all sorts of covers out there – leather, soft-skin, plastic, waterproof, oversize, you name it. I’ve been very happy with the standard Amazon-branded cover as it is (a) leather, (b) very sturdy, and (c) fits in my hands like an oversized paperback or an undersized hardback. In other words, it is just right. To see all of the covers available, Click Here . The kind I have is not made anymore, but it was the standard Amazon leather cover that sells for about $35.
Extra Power Cord
You can’t have enough chargers, and a replacement or second power charger for the Kindle doesn’t cost too much. The nice thing, to me, about the Kindle charger is the SB portion separates from the wall charger, and you can then use the wall charger feature with the USB slot to power other USB devices like my kids’ Nintendo DS or iPod. I keep this one in my computer bag in case the battery needs a boost while I am out of town or away from home (sadly, the laptop goes most places I go). I just have an extra wall charger (click here to see), but you can also get one for your car’s cigarette adapter (click here to see) for less than two bucks.
Screen Protector and / or Skin
The last thing you want to have happen, among other things, is have your screen scratched. You can get a pack of two screen protectors from Amazon (click here to see) for about $7, I’ve seen a pack of three at a Radio Shack for $14.99, or you can get one from Decal Girl (http://www.decalgirl.com).
Decal Girl has skins – Amazon does, too, but Decal Girl has hundreds to choose from – things that cover your Kindle and have holes so the buttons aren’t covered up. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as some look good and some, well, leave a lot to be desired. On my Kindle that died, I had one that made my Kindle look like an American flag, and there was no mistaking it was mine vs. everyone else’s that has the same cover and the same white outline for the unit. It looked a lot like this one.
Reading Light
Many people like to read at night, or maybe you need one for the plane or commute to / from work. I have a Mighty Bright light (click here to see), with no pun intended is pretty bright. It has two LED lights, and you can have one, both, or none on depending upon your need. I don’t use mine very much as my wife has basically taken mine from me and uses it all the time.
Other Items
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of other things you can purchase to add more bling to your Kindle. All things are not for all people and the things I use for my Kindle may not work for you and vice versa. If I had a bare minimum or two things I absolutely had to have for my new Kindle, it would be the leather cover and screen protector. Your results may vary.
Hope that helps!
Michael
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