Fresh Fiction Blog | Sara Edmonds | The World of E-readers: Sony Readers

If you read my previous post, you saw that I examined the qualities of Barnes & Nobles nook that you might prefer over the Kindle or Sony e-readers. This time, I take a look at the Sony e-reader's best qualities.

Like Barnes & Noble's nook, Sony also has a touch screen but they take it a bit further. You can also turn the pages with a touch of your finger, a move to give you still a better feel for reading an actual book. Again, this takes away that extra space of the Kindle's keyboard, by putting its menu and keyboard in a touch menu. Sony does not however, have their menu in color or give you the chance to look at book covers in color.

You can also highlight passages in your book and take notes, either with stylus pen or keyboard. The note feature is also included in the Kindle, but with Kindle you have to use the keyboard.

The Sony Reader also supports other formats on its reader, so you can read other PDFs and Word Docs.

The biggest drawback to the standard Sony Reader- it is not wireless. But before you take this option off the market completely, Sony has (like Kindle) a bigger Daily Edition that is wireless and includes a bigger 7inch touch screen. You do pay for this improvement however, with a price of $399- a price that is still cheaper than the new improved Kindle2. The standard reader is $299. And if that is still not in your budget, Sony makes a pocket version of the reader at $199. You only give up an inch of screen display from the standard version.

The one great feature the Sony has the no one else does--the ability to check out books from the library and read them on your Sony e-reader. You can not however, share books with friends.

Sony's e-reader is the featured partnership of Borders, so like Barnes & Noble's nook you still have a chance to have the book from your favorite bookstore at your finger tips. Sony does not compete against Barnes & Noble and Kindle by having every bestseller priced at $9.99, but a lot of them are. Shopping for e-books on Borders.com is no easy task. Amazon and Barnesandnoble.com make this process much easier. New e-reader additions and upgrades will have to also come from Sony and not Borders, which could be a draw-back as Barnes & Noble and Amazon can make new versions of their e-readers based on customer feedback quickly.

Specs	Sony Reader Touch	Sony Daily Edition	Sony Pocket Edition
Measurements (inches)	6.9 x 4.8 x .4	5 x 8-1/8 x 19/32	6 1/4 x 4 1/4 x 13/32
Weight	10.1 oz	12.75 oz	7.76 oz
Media Formats Supported	ePub, BBeB Book, PDF, TXT, RTF, Micrsoft® Word	ePub, BBeB Book, PDF, TXT, RTF, Micrsoft® Word	ePub, BBeB Book, PDF, TXT, RTF, Micrsoft® Word,
Audio	MP3	MP3	No
Battery Life	6,800 (ePub) Continuous page turns	12,000 (ePub) Continuous page turns	6,800 (ePub) Continuous page turns
Memory	512 MB (350 books)	Up to 1.6 GB	512 MB
Display	Vizplex™ 6 inches	Vizplex™ 7.1 inches	Vizplex™ 5 inches
Gray Scale	8-levels gray scale	16 level gray scale	8-levels gray scale
Wireless	No	Supports HSPA, UMTS, Edge, and GPRS data services with two bands	No
System Requirements	Various Microsoft and Mac applications	Various Microsoft and Mac applications	Various Microsoft and Mac applications
Shareable Devices	Downloadable desktop software available	Downloadable desktop software available	Downloadable desktop software available

These are the best features of Sony's e-reader. Next time I take a look at the Kindle. In the meantime, if you have a Sony e-reader, let me know what you love (or dislike) about your e-reader.

Sara Edmonds

Readers 'n 'ritas

Comments

New Kindles are currently available in 6" and 9.7" screeens. Both have global wireless coverage and read the folloing formats: Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, Audible (Audible Enhanced (AA, AAX)), MP3, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively; HTML, DOC, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP through conversion. Prices are 6"-$259 and 9"-$489.
(Elizabeth Mitchell 1:54pm January 9, 2010)

This is great info for when I
can buy one for myself. Thanks!
(Margay Roberge 2:53pm January 9, 2010)

Just can't quite give up the feel
of a paperback in my hands. I
know, one of these days.
(Lisa Richards 2:58pm January 9, 2010)

I'm still a big fan of "printed books" but I've met folks who travel a lot and can't live without their e-reader.
[email protected]
(Penny Tuttle 3:11pm January 9, 2010)

I'm not in a hurry to buy. I love reading a 'real' book.
(Mary Preston 5:03pm January 9, 2010)

Still haven't made up my mind as to what I want, so keep writing and I'll keep reading.
(Linda Calvert 5:40pm January 9, 2010)

I have not decided to buy a reader yet, I bought a net book to read books on. I want to read real books if possible!
(Brenda Rupp 9:32pm January 9, 2010)

I'm too big a fan of paper books. I'd love to convert to e-book because I've definitely more than run out of space for my other books. However, I can't afford an e-book reader for the foreseeable future. I'm just gathering information as well.
(Sigrun Schulz 3:12am January 10, 2010)

I love the option of reading a book on my Ipod touch. I always have it with me, so if I'm stuck somewhere, I can read or play a game. But I still love the printed book.
(Theresa Buckholtz 9:45am January 10, 2010)

I would love any of them but at this time cannot afford either, though my choice would be the Sony since I've heard lots of positive comments about it.
(Diane Sadler 6:34pm January 10, 2010)

I don't have one but if I decide to leave the written page, I would read your article again for help in choosing one!
(Brenda Rupp 9:31pm January 12, 2010)

I rcd a Nook for xmas from my husband. He told me it was my birthday, xmas and anniversery presents for the next uptin yrs. lol

I love to read. I already have about 30 books downloaded to it. I have MS and can't work so my hobbies are reading and quilting. Reading helps me to escape to other places I will never be able to visit.

terri H RI
(Terri Heywood 12:31pm January 17, 2010)

I have e-books saved on my computer to read when we travel. But when we travel my husband also uses my laptop so it is hard to read my saved books. I am looking for a reader. Thanks for all the good research.
(Karin Tillotson 12:10pm January 19, 2010)

Thanks for the updates on the Sony eReader. It helps compiling all my info on the three of them. I still love my books but have not discounted the reader. So far I'm leaning towards the Nook.
(Nancy Alexander 6:54pm January 23, 2010)

Great article. I have had the Sony ereader for over a year now. Not the latest but I still love it. I do travel and it is a whole lot easier to travel with my books now. I do like being able to back it all up on my computer. Wireless is not a necessity for me. My husband likes that there are not 50 books laying around anymore.
(Katherine Ingram 1:57pm January 24, 2010)

I love my books, but would really love to own a kindle or sony reader!
(Brenda Rupp 10:22pm January 27, 2010)

I am considering an e-reader so thanks for the tips. At present I have an app free download on my PC so I can read Kindle books. This includes the free offers from Amazon - sometimes new books are free for a couple of days. Mainly I would want an e-reader for going on holiday, though as my husband reads too we would need a pair of them.
(Clare O'Beara 5:59am August 5, 2012)

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