Case-mate's enlightening Kindle cover

Enlighten: Case-mate's solution for nighttime reading on the Kindle.

We've seen a few Kindle cases that offer built-in lights so you can read in dimly lit environments, but Case-mate's Enlighten is unusual in that it features a lighted acrylic panel that sits on top of your Kindle instead of an LED light with a flexible neck.

Due out in December, Case-mate's billing the $79.99 Enlighten as "the first case on the market equipped with a LED-powered light for nighttime reading as well as an interior side pocket for storage."

Here are its key features:

• Clear acrylic panel with integrated LED light with two levels of brightness
• Old English book style with genuine leather exterior and locking hinges to secure the device
• Interior side pocket for storage
• View prior pages using the previous page button
• Two AAA batteries (included) provide a maximum of 24 hours reading time
• Available in December ($79.99)

We've been playing around with an early unit, and it works pretty well although the light doesn't splay across the screen as uniformly as it does in the included press-release images (on the left side, the light leaks onto the Kindle screen and creates an interesting ripple effect). Hopefully, Case-mate can tweak the lighting a bit before launch because overall the design of the unit--aside from making your Kindle substantially heavier--is attractive and the acrylic panel does offer another layer of screen protection.

What do you guys think? Hot or not?

Additional reading: Top Kindle cases and accessories