Cover with Custom Light Shield +2 Aaa Batteries

by Sony

Product Details

• Item Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B001DESZWW
• Item model number: PRSACL1
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: January 9, 2007

Product Description

Reader Digital Book Cover With Light This innovative technology allows you to read in a dimly lit area without disturbing someone next to you, whether you are in bed, in flight or in a train. The ideal accessory for the Reader Digital Book (PRS-505). The perfect gift for travelers.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not so sleek but very functional., December 19, 2008

By 

K. Cone (Burke, VA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cover with Custom Light Shield +2 Aaa Batteries (Electronics)

This is a tough one to call. I find this book light much easier to use than the LED types mounted on a flexible arm which can sometimes be too bright or end up not being able to be directed at the screen at a proper angle. This sits flat on the Sony Reader without pushing into the reader's screen because of the ridged light plate. However, because this is a light wedge, the left side of the light wedge is the thicker side. I don't find that text appearing under the left side of the light wedge appears blurry in any significant way, but what I noticed immediately was that the overall text is no longer as crisp. Also, because the light source is from the left of the wedge where it is thicker and ridged, the light refracts a bit on the left side of the wedge. So, if you look at the left side of the Reader's screen you may notice some slightly lighter and darker areas alternating vertically. It's actually not too much of an issue, it doesn't bother me when I'm reading.

What I don't like is that it adds a noticeable amount of weight, thickness and width to the Reader because of the case it comes with. Since I leave this on my night stand most of the time for bedtime reading, I don't mind. But if I had to carry this around I could see being annoyed by the changes.

The new cover measures 5 7/8" x 7 2/8" x 13/16"
Old cover is about 5 1/8" x 7 1/16" x 1/2"

If you're really addicted to that sleek and slim feel of the Sony Digital Reader, please know that this cover with the light wedge *will* change the way it feels. It feels like I'm carrying around a datebook or planner or something. LightWedge is actually a copyrighted product (I don't know if this is what Sony uses) and when you price the actual LightWedge items against the retail for a Sony Cover with Light, you'll see how inflated Sony's MSRP is.

Lightwedge Paperback Book Light (Translucent Chocolate)

I'm keeping my old cover just in case.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Returning Mine Today, January 25, 2009

By 

D. Wolford - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cover with Custom Light Shield +2 Aaa Batteries (Electronics)

This light was a great idea, and I really wanted to love it, but I just can't. I will be returning it today. At first glance, the light appears to be a nice heavy duty well-designed product. The thick frosted glass was obviously well thought out and probably the best option for reducing glare. However, after using my light for just one week to read 2 books, I just can't get used to what I now consider to be design flaws:

1. The frosted glass makes the text look dull and harder to read. I've had to change the text size to the largest setting to be able to get clear enough text to read comfortably. (If you prefer the largest size setting this may not be an issue to you.) Personally, I prefer less page turns to large text, so I really prefer to use one of the smaller text size settings.

2. Fingerprints, dust or any smudges at all on the glass create an annoying and very distracting dark shadow on the book. I've had to clean the glass thoroughly with window cleaner and a dust free cloth every day I've used it, and you have to be very careful when cleaning it so as to not make even more smudges. It seems to smudge very easily.

3. Since the glass doesn't actually attach to the screen or stay put where it is (a lock feature would have been nice), if you're going to read laying down, you have to hold the glass to the screen or it falls down or swings forward and you can't read through it. With the way the buttons are laid out on the side of the reader, holding the glass in place as you read is more awkward than you might imagine. Additionally, when you consider the fingerprint/smudge issue, this issue becomes even more of an annoyance.

4. Even when there are no smudges on the screen, the design causes dark shadows along the left margin of the "page." I can read okay through the dark patches, but I find them annoying and distracting.

As I said, I really wanted to love this light. I even think that if the cost of the light was in the $20 range, I could get over the flaws and maybe get used to them over time, but with the cost of this light, I really expected more. I don't love the cheaper style books lights either, but at $40+ less, I think they're a better option at this point.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent integration of functionality and convenience, August 25, 2008

By 

Ron "Purple Man" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cover with Custom Light Shield +2 Aaa Batteries (Electronics)

This is a great accessory for the Sony e-book reader. It does not get in the way or create shadows/glare that a book light normally does, as a matter of fact it makes the screen look even more like paper and give it a nice glow.