Review USB Flexlight

Product:		USB Flexlight
Manufacturer:		MCE PowerBook Products
Price:		$19.99 (sale price direct from manufacturer)
Review by:		Marc Zeedar

California is finally experiencing summer weather. The other night it was very warm -- okay, hot -- so I sat outside on my deck, enjoying the evening breeze. Even better, thanks to my Titanium PowerBook and an Airport wireless network, I was able to work while relaxing!

As the evening faded into night, however, I discovered a problem. It was too dark for me to see my keyboard properly. Sure, I could use those little dots on the F and J keys to find the proper typing position, but it was a pain, and the dots didn't help for function and other important keys. I also occasionally use archaic material known as paper, reading handwritten notes.

What I needed was a small light -- ideally one that didn't require a separate power cord. That's when I discovered the MCE USB Flexlight. It's a small light with a stiff-yet-flexible cord that plugs directly into your laptop's USB slot. Since the USB connection provides the light with power, it needs no batteries or separate power cord!

Ideally you're able to twist the Flexlight into whatever position is comfortable for you, but I found two problems with that. One, the Flexlight's cord is a tad short for curling around my PowerBook Titanium's wide screen. It works, but only barely: it'd be nice if MCE extended the cord a few inches so you could position the lamp more appropriately.

The second problem is that the Flexlight doesn't stay exactly in position. You can bend it approximately where you want it, but it always unbends a bit once you let go. The problem is more noticeable for Titanium owners because the short cord wouldn't be such a big deal if the light would stay exactly where you put it.

Initially I wasn't sure the light would be bright enough, but in fact it proved too bright. The clear cover allowed the bare bulb to shine right into my eye instead of restricting the light to my keyboard. MCE includes a red lamp shade for uses where you don't want such a bright light, but that made the light too dim for my purposes. What MCE needs is a shade with an opaque mirrored back to reflect the light out the front of the light. (I folded up a small piece of aluminum foil in mine and it made a significant difference.)

The Flexlight apparently uses very little power. While I didn't test it scientifically, I used the light for two hours while using my Ti for word processing, wireless web surfing, and listing to MP3s the entire time. The PowerBook reported I still had 1.5 hours of power left, which is similar to what I usually get.

A very nice touch is that the Flexlight includes an on/off switch. That way you can keep it connected and in position, yet only turn it on when you need it.

One other problem I noticed is that during heavy keyboarding, the light bounces considerably, which can be annoying.

Overall, though, I'm very pleased with the Flexlight: it's even great as a reading light! It's not expensive and it makes a great addition to your USB PowerBook's accessory case.

Available at the Applelinks Store

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