I wandered by the Target electronics section this weekend to see if they had sold out of the Kindle 2 and announced the Kindle 3. Yes to the former, no to the latter. But they did have three new e-Book device accessories - a charger kit for the Kindle, and two e-Book lights. One was the Belkin eBook Light, but I had never seen or heard of the other one, which was labeled eBook-Lite, with no clear branding. None of these items was clearly visible - they were all were locked in the case underneath the Sony Reader display.
I thought about buying both, but my pockets aren't that deep :) So I picked up the mysterious eBook-Lite, since it was $19.99 (vs. $24.99 for the Belkin), only required 2 AAA batteries, and felt quite light in the clear packaging. And although it is pictured on a Kindle, I couldn't tell from the picture whether it would fit other devices. Here is the picture from the back of the packaging, which also didn't give much of a view of the clip:
So I bought it anyway :) And was pleasantly surprised. It is quite similar to the Kandle, but with a different clip mechanism. Here it is on my Nook:
It's made of a matte, rubberized plastic that feels soft in the hand, the color is a slightly off-white like the Kindle. There are two settings: Low and Hi - there isn't much difference between them, but I prefer the low setting. The clip on the back is entirely adjustable, so it can fit a super-slim device like the Kindle 3, or a thicker device like the Nook, and it potentially goes even wider. And the inner wall of the clip is lined with foam cushioning to prevent scratching.
And best of all, it fits my Bookeen Cybook Opus perfectly, and adds almost no weight.
The clip is as wide as the light, so it grabs onto the device firmly, and doesn't wiggle. Because there are 3 LEDs, it is quite bright, but the light is even across the whole screen, from top to bottom. Because you can adjust the angle of the light, you can avoid hotspots pretty easily. There is just the slightest hotspot at the very top, usually in the title bar, not over actual text. It is a bit overpowering in a dark room, so I may add a piece of Scotch tape over the LED section.
It comes with 2 AAA batteries and a velvet pouch for travel. The manufacturerer is Capstone Industries, which sells a variety of paper book lights, but I couldn't find the eBook-Lite on their website.
EDIT 9/2: Capstone added the eBook-Lite to their website:
eBook-Lite
and pictured on a Sony reader here
And they also emailed me that they are releasing a black version in October or November, presumably to match the graphite Kindles, or maybe the black Sony Readers.
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11 comments:
I'd be interested to know whether you stick with it, or whether it would end up lying around in a drawer somewhere... ;)
Still using it daily, so far. It lives on my nightstand. Although it is almost exclusively used with my Opus, because together they are a lighter weight for long reading in bed. (And my Nook is being replaced because of cracked buttons).
And I contacted the company through their website and they mentioned they are coming out with a black version in the fall, to match the new Kindle.
I returned the m-Edge light I was using, since I haven't touched it since i got the eBook-Lite because of the hot spot it always had.
Are you using it with Nook now?
I'm having problems with light reflecting from my Mighty-Brite 2 onto the shiny white bezel (and the screen). It's OK when I have the silicone frame on it, but I was trying to read last night with the Nook in the M-Edge Go Jacket (no skin on my Nook).
I don't have this problem with my booklight on Kindle or Cybook Opus.
Marti-
I just sold my Nook. By the time B&N replaced my broken one, I had been reading with OPus again and prefer the lighter weight.
But when I did have the Nook, the eBook-Lite cast way less glare than the M-Edge did. I was debating buying a matte DecalGirl skin for the Nook because of the shiny bezel.
Bree, just saw your answer to my question. Thanks.
I bought a matte decalgirl skin for my nook and messed it up by cutting off the strip in the middle (which I dont' like). Then I noticed that the side strips are wider below where that strip had been, so I cut some more off the edges and made it look really bad.
Have since thrown out the skin and bought a black Kroo silicone skin to cover the bezel. Had to stretch the silicone to make it cover the bezel, but now I'm satisfied with it, and it fits into an M-Edge Go Jacket (with corners). Haven't read on it since then yet, because I'm reading my non-library books on Kindle3.
My only complaint now about the Nook is the weight, but it's OK for reading at home with a stand or peeramid pillow. The weight seems like a brick compared to the K3, but I still have my cybook opus as well.
I got a Kindle yesterday as a gift and immediately went out in search of a light and a case. I saw the Capstone light last night at Target but passed on it until I could read reviews and see if it was available in black. Today I went back to do some other shopping and found the same light in different packaging in the regular book section. It was black and was still made by Capstone but instead says that it is by Pathway Lights, made by Capstone Industries.
It seems that the only difference is the lack of a bag for the light, something that didn't matter to me. Best of all was the $9.99 price tag, $10 less than the one that was offered in the electronics section.
Geoff-
Well that's interesting - thanks for sharing! Capstone mentioned they'd be making a black version, but the half price difference is fabulous. I've never used the carrying bag as mine lives on the Opus or the nightstand.
I may take a look at the black one - I noticed that they moved the Kindle section away from electronics and into the book section at 2 of the 3 Targets I frequent, so maybe that is why they switched the location of the light, too.
Hello and thanks so much for this topic! I have been searching for a good light for some time and never really finding the answers to my questions - until now! I am new to the eReader world and have a Kobo. Although not as flashy and inclusive of the extras as Kindle and Nook, it serves my purposes and I love it. This light seems to be just what I'm looking for as Kobo has few accessories and most of the other lights list Kindle, Nook, or Sony as their compatible devices. As the last post is now a few months old, I was wondering how this eBook light is still holding up. I have a silicone case on my Kobo and plan to purchase a cover for it soon as I frequently travel to dirt based race tracks so all the coverage and protection is a must. Any slippage or other "annoyances" that you have found with this eBook light after having used if for some time?
Please and Thank You!
Paula - Nope, I'm still happily using it on my Cybook Opus for one handed night reading. It clips on nicely, and since the clips is totally adjustable, I was able to use it with cases.
Target carries it now in two colors - black and white. It's only $10 now, and I usually find it in the regular books section, on the bottom of an end cap.
Well, I took the adventure to my Target store and am now sad to report that although they have the light, it is now $20. I'm going to continue my investigation for a cheaper version but thought the news was worthy of a quick post.
Well, my search for a good ebook light continues. I went to my local Target and they seemed to think I'm crazy and had no clue what I was asking for, initially. Then they found a light - very similar to the one shown but had a price tag of $20. I asked about any additional lights in the book area and again I received the glazed over "DUH" look so I'm going to try another Target store and see how successful I am there. I have looked online and, unfortunately, Capstone lists Target and The Container Store as they only local stores so no online purchases permitted. The search continues... :)
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