I received the new "Sony Reader" from Chris for Christmas. I think she bought it in self-defense from all the books I buy. We long ago filled up the NY apartment and are working on the house in the Berkshires. I have made a point to use it over Christmas because we needed to make a decision about what to take to China. I have been accumulating soft-cover "trade edition" books since we returned from Paris. Essentially, if it is usable, it gives us a lot more flexibility in what we take.
The bottom line is it is usable, but flawed.
The unit is about the size of a "trade" pocket book and weighs about the same. The screen, using the new e-ink is quite remarkable. The text is exceptionally crisp; indistinguishable from print and can be instantly re-sized to three pre-set fonts. Enough for most normal reading conditions. The main drawback is the screen in not back-lit and must be read in good lighting. It is difficult to read in shady or shadowed places. On the other hand, the battery life, thanks no doubt to the lack of a back-light is almost infinite (Sony claims 7,000 page turns, about 20 books). It re-charges when attached to your computer or an outlet. Lastly, it does a good job of presenting large images (like personal photos in gray-tones) but a lousy job with small, usually detailed, graphics or pictures in books.
The controls are acceptable, but not elegant. It is page-oriented and you can rapidly page forward or backward. It also uses predetermined "hot links" (from an Index or Table of Contents). What you cannot do is browse. A real limitation with more serious non-fiction books.
Books are downloaded from a Sony Connect web-site. It is also acceptable but not elegant. It reminded me of Audible.com, the site for downloading books-on-tape. The book's cost ranges from $3 for a non-copyrighted work to about $15 for a current publication. Not a bargain. A bigger issue is the library. It is not very large and not easily browsed. No one at Sony must ever have used Amazon or Netflix. This is the most important area for them to fix. New generations of software and hardware can improve the unit, but if there is no content it won't matter. The unit accepts other formats (Word and Adobe) but not easily.
The bottom line? We'll take it, but only as a supplement to the physical books. It works best with "undemanding" fiction - mysteries, suspense rather than Literature or Non-Fiction. I've downloaded a half dozen mysteries to take with us.
The bottom line is it is usable, but flawed.
The unit is about the size of a "trade" pocket book and weighs about the same. The screen, using the new e-ink is quite remarkable. The text is exceptionally crisp; indistinguishable from print and can be instantly re-sized to three pre-set fonts. Enough for most normal reading conditions. The main drawback is the screen in not back-lit and must be read in good lighting. It is difficult to read in shady or shadowed places. On the other hand, the battery life, thanks no doubt to the lack of a back-light is almost infinite (Sony claims 7,000 page turns, about 20 books). It re-charges when attached to your computer or an outlet. Lastly, it does a good job of presenting large images (like personal photos in gray-tones) but a lousy job with small, usually detailed, graphics or pictures in books.
The controls are acceptable, but not elegant. It is page-oriented and you can rapidly page forward or backward. It also uses predetermined "hot links" (from an Index or Table of Contents). What you cannot do is browse. A real limitation with more serious non-fiction books.
Books are downloaded from a Sony Connect web-site. It is also acceptable but not elegant. It reminded me of Audible.com, the site for downloading books-on-tape. The book's cost ranges from $3 for a non-copyrighted work to about $15 for a current publication. Not a bargain. A bigger issue is the library. It is not very large and not easily browsed. No one at Sony must ever have used Amazon or Netflix. This is the most important area for them to fix. New generations of software and hardware can improve the unit, but if there is no content it won't matter. The unit accepts other formats (Word and Adobe) but not easily.
The bottom line? We'll take it, but only as a supplement to the physical books. It works best with "undemanding" fiction - mysteries, suspense rather than Literature or Non-Fiction. I've downloaded a half dozen mysteries to take with us.
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