Sony Ebook Readers

Sony were amongst the first to produce a viable electronic reading device.  Their range has come a long way since the first e-ink based reader; the Sony LIBRIé.  Now the company offer state of the art e-ink displays that incorporate both touch-screens and wireless technology, taking the portable reader to a whole new level.

Sony PRS-350 Pocket Edition Ebook Reader

Perhaps the most popular of the Sony range of eReaders is their Pocket Edition pictured.  With a 5″ display and a tiny weight just under 5.5 ounces this is the perfect eReader to put, quite literally in your pocket.

Sony are using the latest Pearl e-ink display so the clarity and contrast is excellent.  This is what the hugely popular current Kindle is using too.  But what you don’t get is something many of us have come to expect; wireless capability.   Though this is perhaps the most portable of today’s reading devices, it is one of very few left that you will have to stock up on content at home.  To be honest it hardly takes any time, transferring files from your computer, via the high speed USB cable, to the reader.  But it of course means that you do need to be a little more organised when it comes to leaving the house and having lots of good books to read.

With an ample 2GB of onboard memory you should be able to store around 1200 titles on this nifty little gizmo.  The memory is not expandable though so you’ll be glad of the computer back up.

What sets this (and the other Sony readers) apart is that you can download books from just about everywhere, since multiple formats are supported.  This is a great choice for those wanting to borrow ebooks from their library.  But for one click ordering you might be a little disappointed by the Sony book stores choice (and prices).  But since you don’t have to buy from them, you are free to bag yourself free content (and cheaper titles) elsewhere.

This is a great entry level ebook reader, but you might be surprised to find that it is not actually that cheap.  At around the same price as a Kindle or Nook you have a smaller device, that at times may be more convenient.  It is easy to use, and providing you aren’t expecting wi-fi or 3G you should be pretty happy with its simplicity and functionality.

Sony PRS650 Touch Reader

The mid-range Sony Ebook Reader is the PRS650 Touch Edition, available in black or red (pictured).  This offers a perhaps more obvious ebook reader, with its larger 6″ Pearl e-ink display.

Again touch-screen navigation is really intuitive and allows you to turn the page with a swipe of the finger (a novelty that never really wears off).

However, again this does not have wireless.  Yes it is more flexible than the Kindle, since you can view more file types.  But at significantly more cost than Amazon’s reader, we really cannot see this one being a huge competitor.  The smaller Pocket Edition seems to have a purpose, portability.  But the Touch, is just a larger Pocket edition really.

For something really worth looking at, we prefer the next offering from Sony:

Sony PRS950 Daily Edition Ebook Reader

Sony’s biggest ebook reader gives it an edge.  With its 7″ Pearl e-ink display this is by far the best way to view PDFs and newspaper files, within the field of portable e-reading devices.

If these two file types are something you wish to view often, we recommend the Sony Daily Edition.  It’s still light and compact, but the displays size brings these larger formats to life like no other hand-held reader as far as we can see.

Also, at last this reader comes with 3G and wi-fi capability so that you can download content directly to the device rather than having to pop home to your computer whenever you want something new!

You do pay more (obviously) for the larger screen size, but when compared with the Amazon DX (probably the most popular larger ebook reader in competition with this), the Daily Edition wins hands down.  Yes it is larger, but not so large that you feel you may as well have brought a netbook with you.  Plus of course the touch-screen frees up space since no keypad is needed.

Of all the Sony eBook Readers available today, the PRS950 is by far the best, but only if you need that larger display.  If PDFs are not your thing the Nook or Kindle both offer a much cheaper (if less pretty) alternative.

Sony Ebook Readers

Sony have come a long way indeed since the first e-ink ebook reader was released in 2004.  But, whether they can compete with those brands offering wi-fi as standard, and huge online content stores remains to be seen; at least in the US market where book-stores such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble remain king.

Development of the Ebook Reader

This article will take a little look at just how we have arrived at a point where electronic books out-sell new paper copies.

The First Ebooks

First ebook was the Declaration of Independence which came in 1971 when Michael Hart inadvertantly launched Poject Gutenberg.  The site aims to bring over a million books to consumers world-wide for free.  Due to a lengthening of the period of copyright to 50 years after the death of the author, works are entering the public domain at a far slower rate than first envisaged.  Still, today there are over 33,000 free ebooks available for download in a variety of formats.

By the 1990′s new books were being published electronically, and the growth of the internet made distribution of electronic titles far more practical.  New authors unable to get their work accepted by publishers found a new outlet for cheap and easy self publishing.

The initial idea was that ebooks would be used on computers, or small netbook style devices that didn’t really take off.  To that end, for years only very niche titles were widely published electronically.  In the 90′s US libraries began “stocking” electronic books for free lending, focusing on technical and scientific titles with a relatively small audience.  By 2003 the genre was beginning to take off and libraries began lending popular fiction and non-fiction electronically.

In 2010 Amazon announced that sales of electronic books were higher than those for hard-backs, and by Feb 2011 even paper-back sales could not compete with the growth in ebook sales.  Add thousands of free ebooks that aren’t even included in the figures, and 2011 looks like the year the ebook domination really takes off.

The First Ebook Readers

The abundance of books in electronic form, rather unsurprisingly, eventually sparked a new handheld gadget; the ebook reading device.  Initially, basic and based on a small computer the readers were expensive, had short battery lives, and could not store much content.  1998 saw the first dedicated ebook reading devices launched; the Rocket eBook and SoftBook.

The SoftBook incorporated a leather front cover so you had the feel of a real book, and the ability to make notes and annotations.  All with wireless capability that meant you didn’t need a computer to get titles onto it – sounds pretty familiar nowadays, but this was a real innovation.

Of course, features such as note taking and highlighting spawned a whole host of now forgotten ebook readers.  But until e-ink, short battery lives and basic computer style displays did nothing to make us feel they could really be a valid alternative to the portable, nature of books themselves.

The Importance of E-Ink for the Modern E-Reader

The only way electronic reading could really take off, was if viewing mimicked reading a real book.   Many of us use computers and LCD displays all day, but few of us find them relaxing to view large amounts of text on.  Eye strain, and of course the glare associated with these displays when used outdoors, all make them less acceptable when hoping to enjoy a few hours curled up with a good book.

Reading for pleasure needed an electronic display that looked like paper, and so e-ink was born.  Applying a tiny charge to ink suspended in a liquid makes light or dark particles rise to the surface, so that letters and images can be formed.   The result is something that looks spookily like ink on paper, and requires very little power to operate.  Once the image is set no power is needed, so power consumption is calculated in terms of page turns, rather than time spent using the device.

Without a back light the displays work just as well out-doors even in bright sun-shine, and put far less strain on the eyes.  The portable reading device that you could comfortably enjoy at the beach was born, as Sony released the first e-ink based ebook reading device in 2004; the Sony LIBRIé.

E-ink has come a long way since those early days.  Improved contrast, more shades of gray and even better battery life, have resulted in the introduction of Pearl e-ink in 2010 prompting a massive uptake in ebook readers such as the Kindle 3.

Even color is now possible with Triton e-ink.  It is a very different experience to the vivid technicolor of LCD displays, but it could see a real change in the future of electronic readers.  Color might not be important to most of us, when reading, but for non-fiction and children’s stories it can be a must.

Hanvon unveiled their first color e-ink reader at CES 2011. Initially sales are to be only in China.  But if uptake is good, the future of ebook readers might well be a little more colorful.

Of course Triton e-ink is not the only option for those wanting to create color display ebook readers.  Mirasol displays offer a lower power option, with the advantage of much faster refresh enabling video to be viewed.  Plus of course there are tried and tested LCD options, such as that utilised by the Nook Color reader (or should we just call it a tablet?).

Thanks to the success of e-ink there are now a plethora of ebook readers available, from the Kindle and Nook to Sony, Cybook and many more.  Though the first three take a significant majority share of the electronic reading device market, Amazon are proving by far the strongest brand in the field.

Dedicated eReaders v Multi-Function Devices

2010 brought us the iconic Apple iPad.  A revolution in mobile computing seems to have arrived, and of course ever since manufacturers have been keen to rush into the tablet market.  All the big ebook readers now have apps that can turn your iPad or Galaxy tab into a dedicated reader.

But these tablets (and smart phones) may be great for having flexibility and multi-functions in one neat package, but they do not outperform dedicated reading devices when it comes to sitting back and enjoying a good book.  The tech press initially expected the birth of iPad to mean the end of readers such as the Nook and Kindle.  But they were very wrong.

With prices dropping, displays improving, and battery life simply wiping the floor with tablets the dedicated eReader looks set to stay for a good while yet.

If you can only afford one personal gadget, you will probably want to make it one that does a lot.  But if reading is your passion, you will want a product designed to give you the very best reading experience possible, and that will be (for now at least) and e-ink based ebook reading device.

The Future of Ebook Readers

Whilst more and more of us will use our phones, lap-tops and tablet PCs as mobile ebook readers, the dedicated eReader has a whole host of advantages when you have the space for two gadgets, and a desire to read.

Color eBook Readers

For the future, it looks certain that color will become more popular.  The Nook Color brought us an LCD based ebook reader, that functions more as a basic tablet.  It is gloriously colorful but it hasn’t got the comfortable view of e-ink based products.

Jeff Bezos at Amazon has been saying for years that color, low energy displays simply weren’t up to the job and that a color Kindle was a way off into the future.  But with Triton e-ink, and Mirasol color displays that look like ink, and don’t drain your battery, we expect to see even Kindle move towards color screens in the near future.

Touch-Screen eReaders

Touch is something that has already been incorporated into several big name ebook readers.  In 2010 Sony relaunched their entire range with touch-screens included.  Barnes & Noble have always offered a partial touch-screen for easier navigation of their Nook reader.

We expect Amazon to do something more “touchy feely” with the next generation of Kindle reader soon.

Wireless Ebook Readers

Since the Nook and Kindle allowed users to download new books wirelessly directly to the devices, without needing to bother switching on your PC, wireless connectivity has become increasingly the “norm”.  Sure there are a still few ebook readers out there that won’t connect wirelessly to your preferred ebook store, but they are becoming rare indeed.  Pretty soon we expect all dedicated ebook readers will offer you stand alone book shopping with no need to ever switch your computer on at home again.

The Ebook Reading Tablet

So what about the big one, for the future.  Rumours abound that Amazon will bring us an Android Kindle Tablet sometime in 2011, whilst Apple have already patented screen technology that incorporates touch-screen with the ability to switch between back-lit LCD and low energy e-ink, which sounds like it really could be the best of all worlds.  We only hope someone else brings us something similar since Apple’s gadgets may be the most beautiful, but they are often also the most expensive.

The cheap ebook reader has got to be the big move for manufacturers.  Rumours are even making the rounds that Kindle’s could become free.  In the UK already some mobile network providers are offering a free ebook reader when you sign up for a lengthy mobile contract.  With thousands of Prime Customers in the fold, perhaps offering a free Kindle could be Amazon’s way of keeping content sales high.

At any rate, prices are dropping.  We already have a $25 discounted Amazon reader, offset with ads rather than ordinary screen-savers, and their DX model has been given a one day $80 special deal.

The future will certainly looks exciting as far as technological advances appear, but what we really want to see is the $99 ebook reader!