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For as long as I can remember, being able to clearly read at night was always something of a challenge. Sure, you could have a lamp on, but you maybe don’t want to do that. Used to be that I’d use a headlamp (and still do, sometimes), and then went to a Nook Color, and now these days find myself reading on a Kindle Paperwhite. If you want to read good ol’ physical books, though, the Bowio looks to be an interesting option.
The problem with most clip on book lights is that they’re pretty small, and don’t give off a ton of light. You could opt to use a headlamp, but then you’re potentially dealing with a lot of light spill that can shine around the room. With something like Bowio, the light is a bit more contained, directed just onto your pages, and it’s dimmable – which is key, depending on the ambient light in the room.
I also think it’s pretty clever how the Bowio attaches to your book. At the ends, you’ve got strong magnets that clip things on to the cover of the book. That means it’s probably more suited to paperbacks than hard covers (unless those N52 Neodymium magnets can handle a thick cover, which would surprise me). Once in place, you tap to turn it on, dial down the brightness if you want, and away your reading goes. In terms of powering the light, the Bowio is not rechargeable. Instead, it relies on a replaceable (I presume) coin cell (CR2450) that should give you up to 96 hours of reading time.
So, how much for one of these clever book lights? If you go for the fake leather, it’ll be $49 while the top grain leather sets you back $69. At the time of writing this article, the Bowio has smashed through it’s funding goals, with plenty of time to go. The campaign closes out on April 9, 2021, with delivery anticipated to start in October 2021. campaign page
