Ereaders are wonderful things, as we all know, but, as with their paper cousins, they suffer from one problem, and that is the fact that at night you need a light to read by.   So I thought I would have a wander around the net and see if I could find any ereader lights that don’t cost almost as much as the ereader itself.  Here is what I found…………..

Small note:

I shan’t give long specifications for these reading lights, as basically they are all much the same, one or more LEDs, a swan neck, a clip and there you go…. I hope the small pictures will tell you enough.

Belkin Clip-On Reading light:

This is a straight forward small reading light, which in common with most such accessories uses LEDs and thus gives hours of reading between changing batteries.

Specifically it has three LEDs with two brightness settings.

The light has a very flexible arm, so that the light source can be positioned for the best illumination of your ebook  and is so designed that it is easy to tuck the head of the light away when not using it, something that is often overlooked with these reading lights I have found.

As it is a clip  on, it will work with almost all ereaders of course.

Cost: $24.99 at Amazon.  Link to Amazon to buy this light:

Mighty Bright XtraFlex2 Clip-On Light

Here we have yet another LED reading light, which like the Belkin above, simply clips onto your ereader or its case, so can be used with almost any ereader.   This one has two LEDs in it (they call them “super LEDs, and claim they are as bright as 6 regular LEDs)

Cost:  $14.99 at Amazon. Link to Amazon to buy this light:

Verso Clip-On Reading Light:

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The Stump is a small coloured plastic thing that looks remarkably like either a tree stump (thus its name) or as someone else remarked, an ice hockey puck.  It is intended as a sort of universal table stand for any digital device you have, and will enable you to read the screen while eating you supper, drinking a coffee or anything else that makes it easier if your can use your digital gadget hands free.

They have to be the smallest and most basic device holder in the world, and so easy to transport too, just slip one into your pocket and off you go….

As you will see from the photos, this is about as simple a gadget as you could imagine, basically a plastic disc with a slot across the top… in a number of cheerful colours.

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Lethal Protection, makers of Life Phorm  have produced the most extraordinary accessory that has ever been created. It is designed to hold just about any of your portable electronic gadgets in the most comfortable and sensible position but it looks as if it might leap at your throat and kill you if you don’t watch out.

As you can see from the photos it is based on some sort of crab or head louse perhaps?

Life Phorm and Life Phorm Pro:

I am not sure what the difference is between the “plain” Life Phorm and the Pro version, apart from the price, the basic Life Phorm will set you back about $69 and the Pro will go for about $149, so there has to be some real difference between them obviously.

This wonderful thing has completely amazed me, and I can’t wait to play with one of them in due time.   I wonder what they eat?

Added later:

I contacted Lethal Protection to see what the difference between their two models actually is..  The price difference between them is large, so there had to be a significant difference seemed to me.  Here is what they had to say:

Life-Phorm Pro is constructed with aluminum and carbon fiber while Life-Phorm is made of plastic, rubber and metal.

So, now we know.  And from this it is obvious why there is such a large difference in price between the two models.  As with everything in life, you get what you pay for.

Pictures worth a thousand words……………

I won’t waste to much time discussing this wonderful creation, as I feel the photos and the video below are more than adequate to show you what this wee beastie is capable of doing for you.

They should be available from about April this year, so when they actually hit the market, I will try and get my hands on one so that I can give you a real hands on review of this superb looking creature.

Here we have a set of photos that give a good idea of what this wonderful little insect can do for you:

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M-Edge, the well known makers of accessories for all manner of ereaders have brought their range up to date with this latest bit of fun.

Whilst it may well be cheerful, it has a serious purpose obviously.   Even if you happen to be rich enough to allow a 3 year old to use your iPad2, I can believe you would rather it survived the inevitable being thrown against the wall, or simply being dropped on the floor– it is what kids do after all.

As with its predecessor, the same cover for the iPAd1, this is made from a strong and shock absorbing and resisting foam which should absorb all but the worst shocks when the kid decides to throw his iPad2 at his little sister’s head.

Generally it offers a serious level of protection to the iPad2, and has openings in the various places needed to allow the iPad to function properly (for the camera, speaker and other controls).

As you can see in the photo, it has a ribbed sort of finish, which makes it easy to hold firmly – a good point with kids, who tend not to grip all that well at times.

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Now here is a truly useful accessory for your Kindle, the SolarKindle Cover; this is not only a rather smart cover to protect your Kindle from the knocks and bashes of everyday life, but also contains a LED reading light.   OK, so far not too special you will think, but it comes with a really useful extra, and as far as I know, a first in the ereader world – a built in battery and solar charger as well.

The idea is that the built in battery which gets charged by the sun is chiefly intended to power the LED reading light, but can also be used to charge the Kindle’s own battery if needed.   So basically, provided you expose the cover to as much sunlight as possible you will probably never have to charge your Kindle via a computer or special Kindle charger ever again.

You can also charge its internal battery from your computer or Kindle 220 volt charger, simply plug your Kindle via its USB cable into the cover, and then connect the cover to your normal charging system and both the kindle and the light will be charged.

They claim that 8 hours exposure to direct sunlight is enough to charge its internal battery, which is apparently good for 50 hours use of your LED reading light.  Good eh?

Here is an extract from their blurb about this cover, sort of tells it all I feel………

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A Docking Station is about to be launched by Reader Dock for the Nook Colour or Nook Tablet, with all the normal bells and whistles one would expect in a docking station for something like an iPad

This one, as you will see from the video below, comes complete with an impressive list of functions, which they list in their pre-launch blurbs about this device…..

Read on:

1.  Crystal Clear Speakers. While the Nook Color and Nook Tablet have a built-in speaker, it’s not designed to transmit sound much further than a few feet. A Nook docking station with speakers would allow you to set your Nook down and work or play while enjoying terrific crystal clear sound. Likewise, the speaker already existing in the Nook is a bit tinny for listening to music or for audio behind a streaming movie or video, not to mention it is mono. A Nook dock with speakers means not missing a single lyric or bit of dialogue, in amazing stereo sound!

2.  Hand Free Reading & Viewing. Even though the Nook is lightweight, holding it can get to be a bit of a chore. A Nook docking station can hold your Nook upright and let you read, listen to music or audio-books, or watch streaming video while you do other things with your hands – like cook, clean or just clap to the beat!

3.  Vertical or Horizontal Viewing. A well designed Nook dock will hold your Nook vertically or horizontally, letting you play games like Angry Birds or Scrabble with ease. Read your favorite fiction book in single page format, or flip the Nook sideways to make reading a picture book easy.

4.  Battery Charging. Charging your Nook Color or Tablet can be something of a pain, especially because it cannot be charged from any standard USB port such as the one on your PC. It can only be charged with the proprietary Nook wall adapter and cable. Charging your Nook can be clumsy especially if you run the risk of knocking your Nook off the desk onto the floor. A Nook docking station / recharger will hold your nook and allow you to charge right from the cradle.         Read full story »