It is just as important to protect eBook readers with screen and case protection as it is to protect any other hand-held device such as your iPhone. As e-readers such as Amazon's Kindle and the Sony reader have become more popular, a wave of accessories has also ridden on that tide of popularity. Among the more useful of these is a variety of cases and covers to protect both the screen and the case of these eBook readers, although some are more useful than others.

One of the disadvantages of the large screens that are now being used in many devices is that they are very prone to scratching, and this can interfere with the ease of reading them. Since their primary purpose is to be read, then it is little wonder that people are turning to screen protection as an essential, and to case protection as a secondary protection. Generally both will come together, although it is possible to purchase them separately.

Screen Protection

Good screen protection has to do more than just protect the screen from scratches. It must also be as unobtrusive as possible, and not just appear almost invisible but also enhance the properties of the original screen. Take the iPad, for example. This is not a dedicated e-reader, but a multifunctional device also intended for games and watching videos. It therefore has a touchscreen LCD display that is subject to glare: not so good for reading eBooks.

The same could be true of other e-reader screens, so when buying screen protection you should not only be considering protection from scratching, but also anti-glare properties that do not interfere with the clarity required for DVDs and games. That is for the iPad, of course, and you might have different factors to consider for the Nook or the Kindle. For example, as it is described in the article "How To Enhance Your E-Reader With The Best Accessories", the Patagonia Book Case gives perfect protection for Amazon Kindle - this case is an eco-conscious recycled polyester shell, functional and fashionable choice (dbReaders).

There are several good screen protectors available for dedicated e-readers, among them Boxwave's ClearTouch on sale from $10 to $30, but you must beware of the very cheap protectors under $5 that might not offer very much protection - possible against fingerprints, but not much else! Two-piece screen protectors are good, in that one offers good anti-glare properties and will also protect eBook readers from scratches and dust.

Case Protection

Screen protectors protect the screen, but do not protect eBook readers from damage to the case or the electronics should it be dropped or banged. Protective cases are available for most makes of e-reader, some made from aluminum and other from plastic or rubberized compounds. If you work in a harsh environment or where your e-reader can easily be subject to being dropped or hit in some way, the aluminum cover would be best.

The Guardian Case from M-Edge not only offers impact protection, but also waterproofs your Kindle to a depth of 1 meter. It seals off all the buttons, but still allows you to read it and use the functions. This is due for launch very shortly (Spring 2010). The same store offers a number of different cases in leather and neoprene for the Sony eReader, the Nook and also the iPad.

Leather cases offer a good quality feel to your e-reader and are available in a number of colors, and neoprene covers offer the option of bright, funky colors and are also available in 'universal' models that fit most sizes of eBook reader.

E-Reader Sleeves

An alternative to the e-reader covers are sleeves, where the reader slides into the sleeve so that it is fully protected with just one side open. They suffer the disadvantage that the device is taken out of the sleeve when in use, and is therefore no longer protected, but the advantage is that it is offered more protection than a case when not in use.

The penalty for not using some form of case protection is that an accident can result in you losing the entire contents of your e-reader, and unless you have a back-up on your computer then you could lose a significant amount of money. Also, the lack of screen protection could end up with your eBooks being very difficult to read because large numbers of tiny scratches will scatter the light and make the screen appear very dull to the extent that it can become unreadable.

You should protect eBook readers with screen and case protection to maintain their clean crisp appearance. The cases and covers are easily replaced at low cost, but not the original screen and not the e-reader itself - so don't compromise your device and its contents for the sake of a relatively small amount of money.