I use the Sony PRS-T2 with a lighted cover - my suggestion is to go with the device on which you prefer the reading experience, and sort out lighting issues after the fact. That being said, a large part of me wishes that the Sony Reader line could be front-lit alongside its major competitors, for one important reason (which may impact yourself): reading in bed while your other half is trying to sleep. If you have an other half who happens to be sensitive to light, he or she may, like mine, find a separate LED light to be too disruptive to his or her attempts to sleep. The ability to adjust the lighting on a front-lit device would award me, and anybody else in this situation, the potential for several more hours of bed-based reading per night. In short, don't choose your device based on the front-light (or lack thereof)... Unless you share a bed!