Sony reader with lightI married Carly in no small part because of her b.s. detector, which, yes, works just great with e-book hardware. Carly does not care a whit about news releases and reviews—she just wants to know how well a machine can display her Austen.

So here’s the deal for Sony and Bennett Kleinberg at the Goodman Media PR agency. FedEx me a Sony Reader ASAP for a day’s use, that’s all, and Carly can give us the definitive word. If the screen’s as good as some keep insisting, she’ll tell us and I’ll post an audio from her. Does Sony have the guts to do a Carly Test? As an incurable e-book booster, I hope the Reader passes.

Meanwhile I myself would love to see how the Sony Reader compares with the Librie, which I used to own, and which lacked sufficient screen contrast for me, at least. Now I’d like to use the Sony Reader in the same surroundings, the Rothman E-Book Ranch. My views on the Sony’s format limitations—no DRMed books except in the BBeB format—are no secret. I pledge to be objective about the rest; I actually do have high hopes about other ergonomic aspects. and maybe even the screen will surprise me. So, Sony, lend Carly and me a Reader. And while you’re at it, you can share the official screen-contrast specs for both the Reader and the Libries.

The word from Librieguy, a member of a Librie list, is that the screen background on the Sony Reader is a “bit” lighter. But is that enough? While I’m at it, I’ll reproduce, with his permission, his entire post comparing the two machines:

Got to play with the new Reader today.

Overall look and feel: The unit is somewhat heavier than a LIBRIe, mostly due to its sturdier design. The case is aluminum (?), the detachable black cover is thick and resembles a silk-covered, leather-timmer hardbook cover.

Supported formats:
Books: BBeB (lrf, lrx), PDF, RTF, plain text. The enclosed Connect software can convert Word (DOC) files to RTF, if you have MS Word installed. (But, after all, you can do this yourself in Word already.)
Images: JPG, GIF, BMP, PNG
Audio: MP3, AAC (mp4, m4a, mov, qt)

Memory cards: Memory Stick * (up to 4 GB?), Secure Digital (up to 2 GB?). A single slot is used for both types. Only one card can be used at a time.

Screen: Seems to be pretty much the same. The refresh time is a bit faster, almost no ghosting. The background is a bit lighter.

New features: Picture slideshow, audio playback (even in the background, while reading); support for landscape mode – the whole unit can be switched to that mode, including the interface. The number of settings is small, some of them can only be controlled from the managing software (time, book deletion, etc.) The menu is a lot simpler than that of a LIBRIe. A small joystick is used for menu navigation. The bottom bar shows the current page number as well as the total number of pages, which dynamically changes when you switch
between zoom levels.

Power: I think, the AC adapter is the same (5.2v) The built-in battery is LI-Ion Mn, and the manual mentions that you’re not supposed to replace it by yourself.

PDF is supported, as promised, with 2 levels of zoom: fit width or fit visible. Operating Manual is preloaded in PDF format, and formatted for a small page size (5.24 x 6.69 in), in order to be
readable on the 600×800 matrix. In the landscape mode you can read half a page at a time, but it may still not be sufficient for regular 8.5×11 inch PDF files. You can use PDF bookmarks, as well as the hyperlinks within the document itself.

To my great surprise, the content of my LIBRIe memory stick popped up in the Reader with no problems; it seems that the file/directory structure is similar, if not the same. The books are displayed just fine, yet in somewhat reduced fashion (judging by the embedded pictures). I am not sure about the interactive contents yet (like pop-ups), whether they would work, or not.

The Reader is supposed to have a new accessory: a cradle or a dock, but I don’t know what it looks like. Maybe, it will have speakers, similar to iPod docks?

10 COMMENTS

  1. I’m kind of puzzled: librieguy got a Sony Reader in hand? That’s what it seems to be from his words: “To my great surprise, the content of my LIBRIe memory stick popped up in the Reader with no problems; it seems that the file/directory structure is similar, if not the same. The books are displayed just fine, yet in somewhat reduced fashion (judging by the embedded pictures). ”

    However, the next sentence is little surprising (“I am not sure about the interactive contents yet (like pop-ups), whether they would work, or not.”). If he has one then why he can’t tell us more. Specially, it would be interesting to know whether sony reader is capable of using librie add-ons offered by Sony Japan on their website. Does Sony supplied with new reader any book creator software, or we would be able to use different sotwares develoed by librie hackers. Thanks.

  2. Excellent questions. Actually when he posted to the Librie list, he did promise more details. If memory serves, I’m seen him on this hacker-oriented list for some months now. No guarantees, but he strikes me as rather real and as telling the truth as best he knows it. Given Sony Electronics’ recent hosting of bloggers at its U.S. headquarters , I’m not surprised that it’s granting access to units (for all I know, maybe he even works for Sony or a dealer). As for software, I think it would be MOST interesting for new Sony Reader owners to try LRF creation software, etc., developed by hackers. Thanks. – David

  3. Well, yes, if you go by my Librie experiences. As I noted earlier this week, the question is subjective as all get-out. I’m just telling what how I truly felt. And now I hear that the improvements in the contrast of the Sony Reader’s screen are just incremental. But I’m about to email Sony a request for a review unit (to be kept if need be just for a day) so I can cover all bases just to be sure. I’ll go to Borders later on if I can’t get a review unit. I do intend to keep an open mind. Thanks. David

  4. To hkabir:

    I’m kind of puzzled: librieguy got a Sony Reader in hand?

    Yes.

    However, the next sentence is little surprising (”I am not sure about the interactive contents yet (like pop-ups), whether they would work, or not.”). If he has one then why he can’t tell us more.

    Simply, because I am very busy at the moment (moving), yet I am going to post more, once I get a chance to try this and that.

    Specially, it would be interesting to know whether sony reader is capable of using librie add-ons offered by Sony Japan on their website.

    Doubt it, yet it’s worth trying.

    Does Sony supplied with new reader any book creator software, or we would be able to use different sotwares develoed by librie hackers.

    No book creating software supplied (except DOC-to-RTF conversion done by Connect piggying back on top of MS Word.) In reality, RTF support by itself is a huge breakthrough. Having MS Word, you can easily produce professionally looking contents, i.e., there will be no need to mess with BBeB software, like Canon’s Book Creator, anymore.

    -librie guy

  5. Hi Librie Guy,

    Thanks for your post, and clarification. I know you’re the one who did a lot finding ways to make librie much more versatile. I salute you. And also I expect more posts from you on Sony Reader, and also for Amazon Kindle ( if you get early access to it ). I hope you’ll get early access to Kindle as well. Am I wrong? Thanks a lot again.

  6. @Aaron – David did indeed reach me, and I’m glad to offer some info. Sony has been showing off lights like that since before the product release. They are working with Great Point Light (aka Lightwedge). I can’t be sure, but this one seems like the model you see in the pictures…
    http://www.biggerandbrighter.com/book-lights-magnifiers/items/GP-02-1164.html

    I still don’t see anything at the SonyStyle store as accessories yet…
    http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_BrowseCatalog-Start?CategoryName=pa_portablereader_accessories&Dept=audio
    but I wouldn’t be surprised if Sony sells it also.

    Most of those clip ons work really well on the reader cases. As long as they aren’t too thick, I think they should be good, and they seem to be surprisingly stable also.

    The LED lights are pretty bright and have great battery life. Borders has a 3-LED z-light that I bought and am using, but the additional flexibility of a flex neck would probably help to position the light.
    http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8804

    If you want more lighting options, you’ll find comments on them in various threads at MobileRead, but here’s a couple meandering “light” discussion threads to get you started…
    http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7762
    http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8625

    Good luck, and I hope that helps. Be sure to report back here to let us know what you discover!

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