I don’t want to take a break when reading, so I bought a bedside lamp from Lowes for $9. After 4 booklights I realized that it was the easier option. I use the ebook light kind of like the flipbook light and attach it to my ebook cover when traveling. It doesn’t really light the whole screen though, so I wiggle it as I read. (I have a 6inch EZ Reader.)

If anyone has a better light for it please reply.

p.s. you’ll notice this is 99 cents.

B&N sells a similar one for $8.

This type of light really works well for me, because, as you can see, if you clipped it to the back of the book, it angles around and shines downward on the page.

If you clip it to a piece of cardboard, and lay it on your chest as you are reading in bed, that angle, is just the perfect upwards angle, now casting the light just where you would hold the book above your body.

of course, a backlight would be much, much better…but I must admit not having the backlight did not prevent me from buying the book reader, even though I primarily read at night, and in bed.

Does ebook reader the discussion begin and end with backlights?

Yes.

Get a small piece of tough cardboard and clip the light to that. What I do, is just use the jacket protector that came with my ebook device.

(it uses 1 AA battery, and I use rechargeable batters, so no ongoing expense

I read in bed, I would ideally like to read on my side, but what I do is just read on my back. I position the lamp clipped on the protective jacket such that its turned around and casting the light back away from my body towards where I will hold the ebook device.

I then just position the ebook device so that its the best visible.

Its not too bad, not idea, but OK

I bought (7 yrs. ago) a RCA ebook, Model REB1100, and just loved it -

Now, it seems to be obsolete – how can I put this gem back on the cutting edge -

thnx,
e

For example, we use the ETI-2 (eBook Technologies) backlit ebook readers for the newspaper carriers who use our software. Instead of delivering papers using paper route lists with the dome light on, they have a backlit eBook device mounted to the windshield. It is immensely safer to use while driving.

In demonstrating the necessity of backlighting, these pictures say it all:
eBook Devices used for night time newspaper delivery
In addition, I have yet to see an E-Ink device that is as rugged as the ETI-2.

Lastly, since the E-Ink is monochrome only, and many commercial uses of eBook technology require color, E-Ink will not supplant color eBooks.

eBook devices are gaining popularity in commercial applications. Aside from our software for the newspaper industry, these devices are also in use in the military and in other government applications. Most commercial users will not justify the price difference between the ETI-2 and E-Ink devices.

E-Ink, while promising, will be unsuitable for commercial use until:

1) Its price comes down
2) There is a backlight or integrated frontlight option
3) There is a color option

This is good news for the consumer users who prefer back lighting. You’ll continue to have devices to choose from for some time to come.

Rob Hudson
rob@mydistrict.net
MyDistrict.Net – Newspaper Circulation Software

I now own the Sony reader and after using it for a couple of books I won’t ever use it again. It does not have a back light, it does not have a built in dictionary and the font sizes are very limited!

One of the major advantages to using a reader is to be able to read in bed without disturbing your partner and without cables, replacing light bulbs, batteries etc….

I would love for one to come out with the features of the original Ebook.

One of the things we have been discussing from the beginning at NAEBllc was whether we should incorporate a reading light since we had determined we wanted to use an e-ink display. The main concern was power consumption and whether it was worth the trade off.

If, as I have read, e-ink has about the same resolution & contrast ratio as paper, it can be treated like paper & paper books do not come with or need backlighting. An advantage of e-ink is claimed to be its very low power consumption (battery life is measured in thousands of page turns). If a light was incorporated that avantage goes out the window.So no if e-ink lives up to its claims I would not need a back light om an e-enk e-book reader.

I’m going to admit that this comment confuses me a little. All that means is that you can read it anywhere you can read a paperback…which is to say not in low light or no light areas, as many people are saying they use their ereaders. So in that case, they would need a back light, to take advantage of an ereader in the same manner they do now.

What I hear people saying–or what I myself am saying–is that the advantage of having a backlight is one we wouldn’t want to trade away for an ereader that looks like a paperback on screen, because it takes away one of the advantages of the ereader. And my Ebookwise has a 10 hour battery life, which I’ve so far not come even close to having to worry about draining, so extended battery life isn’t a trade for no backlight for me.

As for the book lights, I’ve got 5 or 6 of them. In the car, my purse, my desk, at home, everywhere. They’re fabulous. ;)