[TechniSol]

I wouldn't say front lighting is everything, but it's a significant advancement when correctly implemented. I started with a Pandigital Novel e-ink reader, which went to a niece a few weeks later when I saw the Nook STRs had more contrasty screens and could be rooted. I bought the Kobo Touch when I looked a bit further and saw it had adjustable weight fonts for more contrast and I found one cheap enough to try sight unseen... In the mean time, with all these readers, I found myself buying LED lights and trying to find a way to comfortably read in my somewhat cavishly lit living room while watching the tube, uh, the flat(?) without cranking up the room lighting. So, came the Glo as a "late Christmas present" this January.

I will not willingly go back to buying batteries and wrestling with LED lights on assorted goosenecks, or light my room differently as long as I can use an e-ink reader with decent built-in lighting.

If you'll consider for a moment the cost of batteries, $20 extra for built-in lighting is not that big a premium to pay. If you read often enough in conditions requiring a bit of light, it even becomes quite cost effective.

As for the other speculation involving the need for cargo pants with VERY large pockets, I can't decide whether I need a really big e-ink reader to put next to the bigger than it should be HDTV or a smaller clip on HDTV that attaches to my Kobo Glo.