Customer Reviews

Cover with Custom Light Shield +2 Aaa Batteries

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I am really not sure what the deal is with those saying this thing does not lay back flat against the cover when you are not using it. I can only imagine they have inserted the reader incorrectly or something else is not quite right. My light page stays flat out of my way when not in use. Having gone through dozens of book lights of various styles and settling on a Wedge for my regular books, I was very excited to see that they had used that design for the eBook reader light. It works quite perfectly! I almost feel like Sony stole my idea, as when I reviewed the reader itself, I said the only thing that was needed was some kind of "bar style light" in the cover. It's nice to know that maybe someone who mattered paid attention!

My wife just loves her Sony PRS505 reader but wanted to be able to illuminate the reader at night. We tried a clip on device, but it generated too much glare. Then we saw the Sony cover with light in a Sony retail store. It was really neat but expensive. Nevertheless, we found one much cheaper on the web, even though they are fairly scarce. The cover with light is a great accessory for the PRS505.

If you are compulsive obsessive and cannot stand to see a mar, a speck of dirt, or a piece of lint occasionally fall on the screen of this light panel, go on to the next device and ignore this product.

If you compare the contrast of the letters on your Sony 505 while having the light panel on, this will decrease by at least 50%. The text is still readable, and I had no issue with this, but those who are picky will not like this. When the light is off, and you read through the panel, contrast drops only slightly.

The light assembly and cover make the Sony 505 slightly bigger and heavier. There have been some complaints about the size increase, but this is somewhat nitpicking. The Sony 505 is already quite compact, and adding the reading light panel to the device is only a relative increase in size.

There is ample lighting from this unit with two brightness settings. It distributes light pretty evenly on the screen, and there is some minor light drop off from the left edge of the screen. Your eyes adapt quickly to this and you won't notice this after a while unless of course, every little thing has to be perfect.

This reading light allows you to use your Sony 505 when sufficient light isn't available or when reading in bed at night, which is great if your significant other needs the room lights off to sleep.

This light isn't a perfect device but does a good job doing what it was made for; reading where light isn't available. The negatives on this device, for the most part, depends on your threshold for a less than perfect environment (dust, fingerprints) when using this book light.

I actually like this cover, but the light has turned out to be my least-favorite part of it. The cover is very nice quality, the Reader just looks great while sitting in it. And the flip-design of the light is convenient and especially nice for me because I *cough* lost my previous light.

However, as others have mentioned the "light shield" has a frosty look to it that blurs text slightly. It would be great if I could just leave it sitting on the screen and simply flip the on switch when the light is needed, but because of this flaw the shield is better off turned to the side when in well-lit settings. Now the light is certainly useful when you're in the dark, and the screen is lit evenly without glare (as you would have with a spotlight clipped on). But I'm sure they could have done a better job with this, giving you clearer text in both on and off positions.

Because the light is the point of buying this cover, I'm going to have to take off two stars. It's stylish and convenient, but I expected better in the functionality department.

Although I can't change the "star rating" I wanted it to be 2 stars, not 3. I debated returning the ebook light but for some reason I kept it. It is a wonderful concept and does work but does not make reading comfortable. The shield is made of some sort of acrylic which would be okay but it is not clear. IT'S FROSTED. I don't understand why it would be frosted but for that reason it makes the words harder to focus unless you hold the book at a certain angle. The shield is also thicker on the left side and narrows as it get's to the right. It makes is a bit blurry on the left side. I just don't know that I would recommend it to anyone. You do have time to try it and see if it works for you but it truly does not make for clear reading. The light filters around the whole shield which is very nice. I think the main problem is it being frosted.

I received this as a gift, but I was horrified when I looked at the cost. At 22% of the original cost of the book, it is way over-priced.
Pros:
-It actually does work.
-Batteries last a long time. I've read two books using this most of the time.
Cons:
-Haze - like some other reviewers I noticed that the reader added something of a haze between the reader (person) and the reader (device). Strangely, I noticed it was actually EASIER to read through my greasy fingerprints. Recalling an episode of MacGyver, I proceeded to rub some oil on the back side of the transparent surface, resulting in a clearer image. Go figure.
-Lighting is irritatingly inconsistent along the left edge
-Nearly impossible to use the light when reading upside down. Or maybe nobody else does this?
-If the transparent bit gets lifted off of the surface of the device, the text becomes somewhat blurred. This happens often when I flip the left cover all the way around so that it's not flapping in the breeze. I have found flapping to be preferable to blurry.
-for OCDers like me, it's like theres a spotlight on every teeny tiny speck of dust on the face of the reader or the surface of the wedge. I end up wiping the thing clean at least once every half hour.

This is the perfect companion to the sony reader. It uses its own batteries and puts out just the right amount of light. Great for reading in bed.