After searching for the best book light to use with the Kindle, I came across the Kandle, by Ozeri. According to the product description, the Kandle can be used on other e-reader devices, regular books and as a free standing night light. The Kandle has pivoting arms for customized page viewing and also includes lights that are distributed evenly to prevent eyestrain and glare. It had the best reviews overall. However, there are many others to choose from. Other book light suggestions include the e-Luminator2 Booklight for Amazon Kindle 2nd Generation and Mighty Bright XtraFlex2 Clip On Light.
After looking at the Kindle forums regarding booklights for the Kindle, I found out that there are a lot of Kindle users who want a backlight option to be added to the next generation of the Kindle. Booklights in general have not had top rated reviews because of their battery drain and instability, as well as their cumbersome nature. Amazon claims that their e-paper technology is easier on the eyes and allows longer, more comfortable reading. The response has been mixed about this assumption. Users have claimed they have no trouble reading on their computers or iPhone. Amazon could install a backlight function just to have the option available. That would put the choice to read with or without a backlight in the hands of the users and not Amazon.
I don’t think a lot of people understand that e-ink screens are opaque and cannot be backlit. An e-ink screen and an LCD screen (computer and cell phone) are two different animals. The Sony 700 had to go with sidelights in their attempt to work about the opaque screen issue.
A different kind of technology will have to be used in order to backlight a Kindle screen.