Saturday 25 December 2010

Reading Light - kindle accessory, reading light


I've seen LED booklights before, but avoided them because they weren't that bright or took odd, expensive batteries. The Mighty Bright is mighty good. It takes simple AAA batteries (2) and has a sturdy clip. The battery pack sits on the back of the clip so it doesn't "bulge" inside the cover of the book. The "neck" of the light is slim and flexible. It stays in place no matter what position you put it in.



In spite of what some have said, the light is very bright and usable even on the low setting. This light is also good for jobs around the house where you need a light in a dark place while you use your hands for tools. It costs a bit more than other booklights I've seen, but like the Kindle, it's worth it.



Edit: I have posted a couple of pictures of the light attached to the Kindle in the Kindle main page photo gallery. Mighty Bright XtraFlex2 Clip-On Light (Black, Kindle Version)

One of the downsides, such as it is, about the Kindle: Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device and any other device using the revolutionary eInk display is that, just like a paper page, you need external light to read it. By far I think that a non-lighted display is a great thing as it seems far less tiring to my eyes, but it also means that one must have decent lighting in order to read the screen comfortably. This is even more important since, for some, the contrast of black text on a gray background is hard to get used to.



That's where having an accessory like the Mighty Bright XtraFlex2 Light becomes really important. The light is by far the best reading light I personally have seen, with it's long flexible neck which makes finding just the right position a breeze. The wide mouth clip is strong but not overly tight, making it easy enough for me with my limited strength and manual dexterity able to open it, but also leaving more than strong enough to attach firmly to any surface. In my case, I place my Kindle in the Kindle Reader Stand, so I attach the Mighty Bright to the back of the stand.



I love that the lights are LED. A previous reading light I've owned had a small traditional light, and it got hot very quickly. Being disabled and therefore normally using the light on a bed, trying to stand it next to my book (as it had no clip on mechanism) always left me worried about it falling over and burning me, or my inadvertently touching the exposed bulb. Not a problem with the Mighty Bright LEDs, which always stay cool to the touch. Also the ability to use either one or both of the twin LEDs is very useful, as one can (presumably) cut down on battery drainage when the brighter setting is unnecessary.



As for glare on the Kindle screen, a problem other reviewers have mentioned, it is a minor annoyance, but I found the simplest solution is to position the light so that it extends around or just below the Kindle's upper corners to rest off to the side of the screen, with the light itself angled more directly toward the Kindle itself, or perhaps aimed toward a point just to the side of the screen. That seems to keep enough light on the screen to read while keeping the reflection of the bulb off the screen itself. But I am lying down on my bed with the Kindle in its stand beside me more on eye level. Your experiences may vary as you will likely be viewing from a different position.



I can't speak to battery life as of yet as this is an early, first impressions review, after having owned and used the light for a few hours as I write this. But the Mighty Bright looks and feels solid and well made, and with that and its usefulness to me in helping me to further enjoy my Kindle experience, I'd say it's well worth the somewhat high price of $17.99.



Even if this isn't a product you will use every day, for anyone who wants to have the full range of "must have" accessories, you should put the Mighty Bright at the top of your list.



- Gregory Bernard Banks, author, reader, reviewer

I read a fair amount in situations where I do not want a "room light" to be on. This might be because I am laying in bed while my partner is sound asleep, or sometimes it's just nice to curl up in a room without all the lights blaring (and wasting electricity). It's nice to have a candle or two burning, curled up snugly, with just the booklight to light my reading. My eyesight is very important to me, so I want to make sure in these situations that I have as little eyestrain as possible.



That's where the Mighty Bright LED Book Light comes in. It has a pair of LED lights and you can set it to have one or both of them on. The light is VERY bright and is perfect for nighttime reading. The clip part of it is nice and strong, but there's padding on the inside of both halves of the clip so it's gentle on whatever you clip it to.



I'm very impressed with the neck area. It is thin, very flexible, and holds its position at exactly the twist and angle you put it at. You can pretty much angle it any way you imagine. This means you can line it up perfectly to be out of your field of vision. For the Kindle, you can aim it so there's no glare at all from the screen.



I was a little nervous at first about clipping it onto the Kindle itself, but I found if you clip it the top over where the "scroll bar" is that it pressed evenly on the plastic case without getting in the way of any of the buttons.



The LED lights themselves are pretty much infinitely good, and it takes THREE AAA batteries (not two as some other reviews state). They last about 40 hours, which is quite a fair amount for a battery powered flashlight.



I've tried a bunch of lights in the past, and this is really an impressive improvement over previous versions. Because they're LEDs, they don't get hot! Always an important thing for something you're holding near your face and hands.



Highly recommended! - Reading Light - Book Light - Kindle Accessory - Kindle'


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