Sooo.. who reads in the dark?

mmmkay · 12-08-2009, 02:02 AM

Surefire C2 LED Centurion flashlight pointed at my PRS-600

Apparently I do.. but I haven't yet found the perfect light for me that clips on to the PRS-600. It looks like I'll need to buy a case for a light to clip on to.

So far I've been using my Surefire C2 LED Centurion flashlight as a light source.. which is actually very evenly lit. The colour temperature is good too, making the contrast higher.

I've only had my reader for two days now, but I'm glad I bought the PRS-600 and not some other reader (Foxit eSlick and the Aluratek Libre comes to mind..)

In my quest for a book light, I went to my local Staples and picked up two different lights.

The first one a Merangue branded Daylight Lamp, looked like a rebrand or rip off of the Tensor daylight lamp, except I didn't realize it was so large. The light is pretty evenly lit across the screen, but I had to position it in such a way it made it wobbly. The bulk of the battery compartment made it difficult to clip on to anything. Also the fact that it uses 3xAAA instead of AA makes it a hassle since they would not last as long. It actually looks somewhat similar to the Catalina Lighting Vision Max Multipurpose Book Light
Item Number 722414, but that one is not available in store. Same price too.. $14.98 CDN

Moving along.. the next one I bought was also a Merangue branded light. Called the Book Worm, this one has 3 LEDs with a diffusing plastic cover. Light distribution is very even when positioned pointing down from the top of the reader. Sadly, there is no way to clip it onto the reader itself. It has a metal clip on the battery cover which could probably clip onto a cover.

Too bad the colour temperature of the light is quite high, almost purplish in comparison with the SF flashlight.

Looks like I'll be returning these two lights back to Staples tomorrow.

Donnageddon · 12-08-2009, 02:20 AM

One of the reasons I love my PRS 700.

I am excited about the PRS 900, but will be in the same boat as you, trying to find the best lighting solution.

poshm · 12-08-2009, 02:21 AM

Your centurian flashlight looks very nice indeed!

I just use a bog standard unbranded clip-on light which is pretty good because a) it is hands free, just clips to my sony cover and b) takes 3 AA batteries which give very powerful light and lasts for ages battery-wise. The only annoyance for me with a clip-on light is that you do get some spotlighting on the screen, luckily I got one with a head which can be angled, so by twisting it off the screen lightly it gives a pretty nice light.

Some people have mentioned head torches but I would feel daft wearing that in bed!

I have to say that if I'm reading in the dark, I most often use my ipod touch which is backlit and read books using stanza. Just found I prefer this method because I don't tend to read for long periods in the dark anyway - just short bursts.

It's about finding a method which suits you best.

nick101 · 12-08-2009, 06:10 AM

Xtraflex 2 for me. Clips to the cover of my Sony 600 and provides good coverage. It's only drawback is that it's quite bulky. I've also tried a noname clip on task light and a clip-on booklight from Waterstones. Bothe suffered from poor coverage - the light just doesn't cover a wide enough area of the screen.

I looked at the Sony case with light - the flexible neck woukdn't stay in position, and at £50, that's not acceptable.

JohnB · 12-08-2009, 09:21 AM

You might want to check out a thread I started sometime ago on the topic of lights - lots of people chiming in with their likes and dislikes:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9362
I'm thinking about this again since I always read in the dark, never found a great solution, and my PRS500 is revived with the new firmware update from Sony.

mmmkay · 12-08-2009, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnB

You might want to check out a thread I started sometime ago on the topic of lights - lots of people chiming in with their likes and dislikes:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9362
I'm thinking about this again since I always read in the dark, never found a great solution, and my PRS500 is revived with the new firmware update from Sony.

I've been through that thread a few times already

I might have to build something myself.. or hack up one of those 3 LED lamps to provide a whiter light (lower colour temp)

Greg G · 12-08-2009, 09:41 PM

This is one of the reasons I dread leaving my PRS-505. I have the lightwedge cover and it is the perfect companion for night reading! I even bought a second one on eBay when they discontinued it in case my first one breaks. My theory is that as long as the screen is 6" I can use a rubber band to attach the thing to my reader somehow. I tried this with my PRS-505 outside of the case and it worked pretty well (I still perfer it in the case). Anyway, this is a huge issue for me since at least half of my reading is done in bed at night with my wife sleeping next to me. My solution prior to the lightwedge was to get one of those camping head lights and point that at the reader. It works well but is not very comfortable and if I rolled the wrong way I scared the@#$@# out of my wife

.

I have not read about the light cover they have for the 600 but looking it it I can't believe it would put out enough light.

-Greg

kazbates · 12-11-2009, 09:22 AM

For those interested, I just received my new M-edge cover with their new booklight for my 600 and it works very well. You do have to fiddle with the angle a little to get it just right but I like the fact that it slides in to the cover behind the reader where it stays until I need it. It does add a little weight to the reader (as does the leather cover itself) but since it only requires 1 AAA battery, the weight is negligible.

MelC · 12-12-2009, 11:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kazbates

For those interested, I just received my new M-edge cover with their new booklight for my 600 and it works very well. You do have to fiddle with the angle a little to get it just right but I like the fact that it slides in to the cover behind the reader where it stays until I need it. It does add a little weight to the reader (as does the leather cover itself) but since it only requires 1 AAA battery, the weight is negligible.

Question about the M-Edge cover with light...I have already bought more covers than I need but now that I have lost my stylus I am contemplating whether I should get yet another one with the pen loop so that I can more easily ensure that i keep a stylus with the book. The one thing that would sell me on this idea is if the width of the cover with light was smaller (even marginally) than that of the sony cover with light which I have found to be just a teensy bit too wide for easy jacket pocket dropping when I go out. Does anyone have the capacity to do this comparison, or alternatively, would you be willing to measure the closed case width for me and I can measure the sony one here?

Mel

sahmad88 · 12-13-2009, 12:40 AM

I like to read in bed before I go to sleep. I tried this once by accident and it works great for me. I have an iPhone with the flashligt app. I read on my side with the phone on the bed propped up on the side of my pillow pointing at the reader. It works great. The light is way more even than any booklight I have ever used. And since I charge my phone every night in bed I don't have to worry about battery drain.

artemisblossom · 12-13-2009, 12:14 PM

I got the m edge light for the 600, it fits perfectly into the executive jacket I have for my 505 and works beautifully. I have tried several other lights and was always unhappy with the results, this one fits and lights beautifully. One other thing I love about it is when I am not using the light and am reading my thumb falls naturally over the head of the light and it seems to add more stability to the cover. It was the perfect solution for me and I highly recommend it.

Jack Tingle · 12-13-2009, 12:42 PM

"DON'T READ IN THE DARK! YOU'LL RUIN YOUR EYES."--Mom

kazbates · 12-13-2009, 04:33 PM

@Mel ~ The actual width of the closed M-Edge 600 cover (including light) is about 5 3/4'' wide by 7 3/16" long by 1" deep. I don't know about your pockets, but I don't think it would fit into any pockets I have other than those in my purse (although, now that I think about it it might fit in the pocket of my Lands End Parka). As for the elastic strap, the stylus that comes with the Touch edition is much too thin and would fall right through the strap. It's designed more to hold a writing pen. When measured flat (ie., folded in half) the strap is about 3/8" wide, far too wide to hold the stylus.

MelC · 12-13-2009, 05:14 PM

Thanks muchly for the measurements...it is a Lands End style parka/jackets that I am thinking of. Right now my Sony light case can be jammed in just barely with much shoving and grunting. A slight reduction in width would make this a much better experience so I will see whether there is a difference.

As for the loop, I recognize that the Sony stylus wouldn't fit there but if I had a Sony stylus this wouldn't be a problem

I do have one of those multi pens that has a stylus function on it so it should work, plus I think I can get some other styli that have pen clips on the sides which should fasten reasonably securely to it.

Mel

kazbates · 12-13-2009, 10:17 PM

When I looked at the Sony light covers at Best Buy, they looked much bulkier than the M-Edge cover. They also felt heavier. I didn't have my light yet and I was still using a 505 cover on my 600 which is about a 1/4" shorter than the new 600 cover so I couldn't do a side by side comparison. I will try to fit the whole thing in my parka pocket and let you know if it fits.

12-08-2009, 02:02 AM	#1
mmmkay Member Posts: 21 Karma: 352 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Vancouver, BC Device: Sony Reader Touch Edition PRS-600	Sooo.. who reads in the dark? Surefire C2 LED Centurion flashlight pointed at my PRS-600 Apparently I do.. but I haven't yet found the perfect light for me that clips on to the PRS-600. It looks like I'll need to buy a case for a light to clip on to. So far I've been using my Surefire C2 LED Centurion flashlight as a light source.. which is actually very evenly lit. The colour temperature is good too, making the contrast higher. I've only had my reader for two days now, but I'm glad I bought the PRS-600 and not some other reader (Foxit eSlick and the Aluratek Libre comes to mind..) In my quest for a book light, I went to my local Staples and picked up two different lights. The first one a Merangue branded Daylight Lamp, looked like a rebrand or rip off of the Tensor daylight lamp, except I didn't realize it was so large. The light is pretty evenly lit across the screen, but I had to position it in such a way it made it wobbly. The bulk of the battery compartment made it difficult to clip on to anything. Also the fact that it uses 3xAAA instead of AA makes it a hassle since they would not last as long. It actually looks somewhat similar to the Catalina Lighting Vision Max Multipurpose Book Light Item Number 722414, but that one is not available in store. Same price too.. $14.98 CDN Moving along.. the next one I bought was also a Merangue branded light. Called the Book Worm, this one has 3 LEDs with a diffusing plastic cover. Light distribution is very even when positioned pointing down from the top of the reader. Sadly, there is no way to clip it onto the reader itself. It has a metal clip on the battery cover which could probably clip onto a cover. Too bad the colour temperature of the light is quite high, almost purplish in comparison with the SF flashlight. Looks like I'll be returning these two lights back to Staples tomorrow.

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12-08-2009, 02:20 AM	#2
Donnageddon Now you lishen here... Posts: 2,494 Karma: 479498 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Seattle-ish Device: Sony PRS-650. Kobo Touch, Kindle Fire	One of the reasons I love my PRS 700. I am excited about the PRS 900, but will be in the same boat as you, trying to find the best lighting solution.

12-08-2009, 02:21 AM	#3
poshm Fanatic Posts: 581 Karma: 1003580 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Cambs, UK Device: PocketBook 360, Sony Reader Touch, Ipod touch & Kindle 2	Your centurian flashlight looks very nice indeed! I just use a bog standard unbranded clip-on light which is pretty good because a) it is hands free, just clips to my sony cover and b) takes 3 AA batteries which give very powerful light and lasts for ages battery-wise. The only annoyance for me with a clip-on light is that you do get some spotlighting on the screen, luckily I got one with a head which can be angled, so by twisting it off the screen lightly it gives a pretty nice light. Some people have mentioned head torches but I would feel daft wearing that in bed! I have to say that if I'm reading in the dark, I most often use my ipod touch which is backlit and read books using stanza. Just found I prefer this method because I don't tend to read for long periods in the dark anyway - just short bursts. It's about finding a method which suits you best.

12-08-2009, 06:10 AM	#4
nick101 Groupie Posts: 190 Karma: 1248 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Milton Keynes UK Device: Sony PRS-600 Touch, iPhone	Xtraflex 2 for me. Clips to the cover of my Sony 600 and provides good coverage. It's only drawback is that it's quite bulky. I've also tried a noname clip on task light and a clip-on booklight from Waterstones. Bothe suffered from poor coverage - the light just doesn't cover a wide enough area of the screen. I looked at the Sony case with light - the flexible neck woukdn't stay in position, and at £50, that's not acceptable.

12-08-2009, 09:21 AM	#5
JohnB Enthusiast Posts: 30 Karma: 18 Join Date: Nov 2006 Device: Sony PRS500, iPAQ 4700, Rocket Ebook, BlackBerry	You might want to check out a thread I started sometime ago on the topic of lights - lots of people chiming in with their likes and dislikes: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9362 I'm thinking about this again since I always read in the dark, never found a great solution, and my PRS500 is revived with the new firmware update from Sony.

12-08-2009, 09:41 PM	#7
Greg G Groupie Posts: 181 Karma: 66 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: NJ Device: Kindle Papwerwhite	This is one of the reasons I dread leaving my PRS-505. I have the lightwedge cover and it is the perfect companion for night reading! I even bought a second one on eBay when they discontinued it in case my first one breaks. My theory is that as long as the screen is 6" I can use a rubber band to attach the thing to my reader somehow. I tried this with my PRS-505 outside of the case and it worked pretty well (I still perfer it in the case). Anyway, this is a huge issue for me since at least half of my reading is done in bed at night with my wife sleeping next to me. My solution prior to the lightwedge was to get one of those camping head lights and point that at the reader. It works well but is not very comfortable and if I rolled the wrong way I scared the@#$@# out of my wife . I have not read about the light cover they have for the 600 but looking it it I can't believe it would put out enough light. -Greg

12-11-2009, 09:22 AM	#8
kazbates Wizard Posts: 2,627 Karma: 406616 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Northern Virginia Device: SurfacePro, SurfaceBook 2	For those interested, I just received my new M-edge cover with their new booklight for my 600 and it works very well. You do have to fiddle with the angle a little to get it just right but I like the fact that it slides in to the cover behind the reader where it stays until I need it. It does add a little weight to the reader (as does the leather cover itself) but since it only requires 1 AAA battery, the weight is negligible.

12-13-2009, 12:40 AM	#10
sahmad88 Zealot Posts: 120 Karma: 567 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: nook color	I like to read in bed before I go to sleep. I tried this once by accident and it works great for me. I have an iPhone with the flashligt app. I read on my side with the phone on the bed propped up on the side of my pillow pointing at the reader. It works great. The light is way more even than any booklight I have ever used. And since I charge my phone every night in bed I don't have to worry about battery drain.

12-13-2009, 12:14 PM	#11
artemisblossom Groupie Posts: 161 Karma: 482 Join Date: May 2009 Location: Ontario Canada Device: Sony prs505	I got the m edge light for the 600, it fits perfectly into the executive jacket I have for my 505 and works beautifully. I have tried several other lights and was always unhappy with the results, this one fits and lights beautifully. One other thing I love about it is when I am not using the light and am reading my thumb falls naturally over the head of the light and it seems to add more stability to the cover. It was the perfect solution for me and I highly recommend it.

12-13-2009, 12:42 PM	#12
Jack Tingle Punctuation Fetishist Posts: 557 Karma: 1070000 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: The Bluest Commonwealth In East America Device: Kindle PW, Nexus 7 (2013), Galaxy S5 phone, Galaxy Tab 4 8.0	"DON'T READ IN THE DARK! YOU'LL RUIN YOUR EYES."--Mom

12-13-2009, 04:33 PM	#13
kazbates Wizard Posts: 2,627 Karma: 406616 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Northern Virginia Device: SurfacePro, SurfaceBook 2	@Mel ~ The actual width of the closed M-Edge 600 cover (including light) is about 5 3/4'' wide by 7 3/16" long by 1" deep. I don't know about your pockets, but I don't think it would fit into any pockets I have other than those in my purse (although, now that I think about it it might fit in the pocket of my Lands End Parka). As for the elastic strap, the stylus that comes with the Touch edition is much too thin and would fall right through the strap. It's designed more to hold a writing pen. When measured flat (ie., folded in half) the strap is about 3/8" wide, far too wide to hold the stylus.

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12-13-2009, 05:14 PM	#14
MelC Evangelist Posts: 410 Karma: 2081 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Toronto, Canada Device: Cybook Gen3, PRS600	Thanks muchly for the measurements...it is a Lands End style parka/jackets that I am thinking of. Right now my Sony light case can be jammed in just barely with much shoving and grunting. A slight reduction in width would make this a much better experience so I will see whether there is a difference. As for the loop, I recognize that the Sony stylus wouldn't fit there but if I had a Sony stylus this wouldn't be a problem I do have one of those multi pens that has a stylus function on it so it should work, plus I think I can get some other styli that have pen clips on the sides which should fasten reasonably securely to it. Mel

12-13-2009, 10:17 PM	#15
kazbates Wizard Posts: 2,627 Karma: 406616 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Northern Virginia Device: SurfacePro, SurfaceBook 2	When I looked at the Sony light covers at Best Buy, they looked much bulkier than the M-Edge cover. They also felt heavier. I didn't have my light yet and I was still using a 505 cover on my 600 which is about a 1/4" shorter than the new 600 cover so I couldn't do a side by side comparison. I will try to fit the whole thing in my parka pocket and let you know if it fits.