I have done some searching on the 'net and reading other posts in other eBook threads to find a suitable reading light for my Kindle 3. The Amazon light is part of the expensive $59 protective cover, so I was looking for something a bit lighter than using the cover plus the Kindle to hold in bed at night or in a dark tent when camping. While the Amazon light has received generally good reviews, there are alternatives.
The Kandle has been mentioned here, but I was too late to jump on the 2 for 1 offer and lost out on the discount. I liked the size and weight of the Kandle, but I didn't like the use of CR2032 batteries and the tiny screws needed to replace them.
Another possibility is the Belkin 'wand' light. This one turned me off (no pun intended) because of it's potentially awkward light wand and the attendant issues with packing it safely when traveling or hiking.
I was in a Target store today and found both the Belkin and a Kandle clone from Capstone called the eBook Lite. In comparing the two, the Belkin was much smaller than I expected and so wasn't perhaps as awkward as I might have thought. The eBook Lite was $19.95 and the Belkin was $24.95. Both of these use AAA batteries which are cheaper and more readily accessible than the CR2032s. In addition, rechargable AAA batteries are available, and I already own a charger that will work with them.
So I purchased the eBook Lite. It uses (2) AAA batteries, and the battery compartment is accessible by thumb pressure -- no screws, so you don't need to carry an extra small screwdriver around. The clamp is a sliding plastic "U" bracket which is adjustable for different eBooks, so this light could be used on most any eBook reader. It has 3 LEDs and a 2-position switch. The light folds into a small rounded cylinder and comes with a small felt pouch, although the pouch is a very tight fit on mine and not something you'd bother with unless traveling. The light is plenty bright on low setting and, of course, falls off toward the bottom of the screen. Gripping surfaces of the "U" clamp are soft but seem to hold well. Only problem I had was figuring out how the clamp worked (simple if you RTFM) and keeping the batteries in the compartment when the spring wanted to keep popping them out when I was re-installing the cover. No big deal, really.
Here is a link to the Capstone web site, although there is negligible information there.
http://www.capstoneindustries.com/eb...80%A2lite.aspx
There is another better review with pictures here:
http://www.simplyparticular.com/2010...ption-for.html So far, so good.