I’m in NYC waiting to get a hands-on with the new devices. However I just received this press release which I’m reprinting in full. Pictures at the end of the release:
SONY BRINGS DIGITAL READING EXPERIENCE TO LIFE
WITH THE LAUNCH OF ITS NEW LINE OF READERS
New Readers Feature Sony’s Unique Touch Screens with
Anti-Glare Technology for the Optimal Digital Book Reading Experience
SAN DIEGO, September 1, 2010 – Continuing to provide book lovers with the most natural, immersive digital reading experience, Sony today announced the launch of its beautifully-designed new line of Reader digital books, including the new Reader Pocket Edition™, Reader Touch Edition™ and, in the US, the wireless Reader Daily Edition™. The new line of Readers features a host of new design and technology enhancements that make them the perfect device for any reader’s lifestyle.
“Today, we’re excited to announce not just the availability of the Reader Touch Edition and Pocket Edition in the countries we already serve but also plans to expand the Reader line to previously untapped markets,” said Steve Haber, president of Sony’s Digital Reading Business Division. “We take a thoughtful approach to country expansion, including Italy, Spain, Australia, Japan and China, working with local bookstores to ensure content is compatible, relevant and in the appropriate language for each market.”
The new Reader models bring a fresh level of flare to e-reading with colorful, elegant aluminum designs and all new, highly responsive touch screens. In addition to the new devices in the US, Sony announced development of a set of applications for iPhone and the Android Marketplace to extend the Reader experience across multiple portable devices.
“The success of our previous line of Readers illustrates book lovers’ demand for feature choices and full touch screens on their digital reading devices,” said Phil Lubell, vice president of Digital reading at Sony Electronics. “Today, we’re answering their call by providing an entire line of stylish, full touch screen devices with a variety of features and price points.”
What’s New
The new generation of Readers builds on the popularity of last year’s line. For 2010 Sony has restyled all three of the devices, reduced their size and weight, and made new, innovative touch screens available across the entire line.
· Touch Screen for Everyone
o Based on the popularity of the full touch screen on its previous Reader Touch Edition and Daily Edition models, Sony equipped the entire line of new Readers with improved, optical touch screen technology designed specifically for digital reading*. The new, first-to-market technology enhances ease of use and increases reading clarity, creating an immersive reading experience for consumers. Book lovers can now escape into their favorite books with the lightest swipe of a finger or stylus pen.
· Improved E Ink Displays
o All three devices utilize E Ink® Pearl electronic paper displays, which delivers a paper-like display that is readable in direct sunlight. The screens offer a high contrast ratio with 16 levels of grayscale, ensuring that text and images are crisp and easy to read.
· A Reader Pocket Edition that Will Wow You
o The new Reader Pocket Edition sports a five-inch, full touch screen and a smart, lightweight design that’s easy to slip into a purse or jacket pocket for convenient, on-the-go reading. It is available in chic colors, including silver and pink. It has 2 GB of onboard memory, which lets you carry up to 1,200 of your favorite books, and retails for about $179.
· A New Reader Touch Edition: More of Everything Readers Love
o The new Reader Touch Edition features a six-inch full touch screen and an intuitive design with 2 GB of onboard memory. In addition, it offers dual expansion slots for up to 32GB of additional memory and the ability to play MP3 and AAC audio files. It’s available in black or red for about $229.
· A Reader Daily Edition that Adds WiFi and New Web Features
o The Reader Daily Edition provides a wireless connection to Sony’s Reader Store from most of the U.S. via AT&T’s 3G network. Now, it will also provide Wi-Fi and basic Web browsing capability on its large, seven-inch full touch screen.
o “The eReading space is doing very well and the Daily Edition has been a great performing product in this popular connected devices category,” said Glenn Lurie, president of AT&T emerging devices. “We’re looking forward to connecting Sony’s next generation wirelessly connected eReader on the nation’s fastest mobile broadband network.”
o A host of pre-loaded practical and reading-based URLs will provide direct access to optimized, text-based sites to add a new dimension to the reading experience. The Reader Daily Edition also includes 2 GB of memory and expansion slots for additional memory (up to 32 GB). It comes in silver and will sell for about $299.
Additional New Features Across the Entire Line
o New features allow for easier reading of PDF or personal documents. Intuitive content zoom, adjustable contrast and brightness control, as well as automatic multiple page creation will make documents designed for a standard sheet of paper easier to read on a smaller screen. Also, personalized standby screen options will allow users to use their favorite photos as a screen saver and the collections functionality will allow them to group their favorite reads.
o In addition, the new Reader line is more global than ever, offering users the ability to look up words and phrases with the built in New Oxford American Dictionary, Second Edition and Oxford Dictionary of English eDictionaries, as well as 10 translation dictionaries in languages such as French, German, Spanish, Italian and Dutch. Wordsmiths across the globe can now create “word logs” to track the words they’ve looked up per dictionary, book or periodical in chronological order, while quickly switching between dictionaries.
· More Content on More Devices
o In addition to announcing a new generation of Readers, Sony has also made several changes and improvements to Reader Store. More than 1.2 million titles are available in the U.S via the store. Sony remains committed to providing an extensive offering of newspaper and magazine content for single issue purchase or subscription within the newsstand area of the store. Soon to be available titles include The Harvard Business Review, The Wilson Quarterly and Dell Magazines’ highly regarded fiction magazines: Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Asimov’s Science Fiction, and Analog Science Fiction and Fact. The store’s Library Finder application continues to provide easy access to local public libraries to borrow eBooks for free. To make choosing a book easier, the New York Times Bestsellers list will be featured alongside the Reader Store’s bestsellers. By next month, integration with Goodreads will also permit the inclusion of reader reviews from that site onto the Reader Store.
o With Reader™ Desktop Edition (formerly Reader Library) for Apple’s Mac OS X and Microsoft® Windows® and Reader™ Mobile Edition for Apple iPhone and Google Android-based smartphones, users will be able to synchronize their reading among multiple devices. These free applications, available later this year, will offer an intuitive digital reading experience with an elegant interface and access to Sony’s Reader Store for browsing and purchasing content. Reader Desktop Edition also includes the ability to easily manage content for the non-wireless Reader models.
The new Reader Pocket Edition and the new Reader Touch Edition are available immediately, and the new Reader Daily Edition is expected to be available this in time for the holidays. The Reader Pocket Edition and Touch Edition, as well as available accessories such as AC adaptors, cases and covers with reading lights, are available now at SonyStyle.com and SonyStyle stores.
Daily Edition
PRS-350
PRS-650
Eh! Price is too high based on other options available now, Pcocket Edition barely fits a pocket without a case on it, locked in to Sony Store for books (library option still there, thank goodness), nothing here that would entice someone. This is a bit late in coming, and I don’t get their strategy in pricing. Touch is NOT a big deal, really, B&N NOOK has it on the bottom screen, and those who I know who use that device are satisfied as they are readers, not worried about the rest of the “stuff” they can do. Sorry Sony, I think you blew it!
Coming to Canada or just the US?
Please ask about the release dates in other countries!
Glad to see that Sony continues to innovate and isn’t giving up. The industry needs competition. Agree that the pricing is a disappointment. BN, Amazon and Borders are being aggressive when it comes to pricing and Sony didn’t respond.
Rob Preece
Publisher
These readers aren’t locked in. You can books from Kobo, Borders, fictionwise, powells and anyplace that uses a standard ade encryption.
You are not locked into the Sony store for books any more than you are locked into Amazon for Kindle, in fact ess since Sony reads more formats and the Kindles handling of PDF’s is sad. I get books from other vendors and free sites and don’t even use the Sony software for managing my content. The sync feature was a real bother, and the rest of the software clunky, so I’ve been using Calibre since the second day I had my Sony. Sony should license Calibre, it’s much better than their stuff. I like the touch screen a lot, it makes turning a page more like a book and can be done anywhere on the screen. The matte screen of a Sony also does a good job of hiding any smudges, not like the iPhone, which has a glossy finish and shows not only smudges, but also the grease from your hands, gross. I’m dissaponited that the price points aren’t more in line with the competition, but they may offer a sale between now and the holidays, so I’m going to hold off a purchase until then. Some nice incremental improvements I’d like to have, but no WOW.
i don’t think sony’s innovating. they are playing catch-up — not doing anything that hasn’t been done on a reader or other device. and sony’s early devices were clearly designed by a group that ran off of its assumptions about what is needed by people who read, rather than actual knowledge, so with regard to user interface design they got started off on the wrong foot. right now they’re probably struggling to come close to the current acceptable price-point.
the thing sony *can* be good for, i hear, in addition to library borrowing, is online purchase of e-books in other languages, insofar as desired titles are available outside the publisher’s home country. so keeping sony in the running is a good thing, i think. i’m just not seeing anything especially new here.
I would like to know if this version can read Barnes and Noble eBooks??? It would be great if you could check that out Paul. I’d also like to know if there is an upgrade coming out for the current versions of the Pocket and Touch.
“optical touch screen” … what does that mean?
A new technology or just a capacitive or resistive layer with better optical properties ?
Why so long for the iPhone app? What’s the holdup. Sure hope the d@#m thing will be available in Canada.
Sorry, did not mean to imply locked in to Sony for boks entirely, BUT Fictionwise/EReader is the only other choice for them for current books that I know of at somewhat reasonable prices, and their choices have dwindled in favor of B&N. A link to B&N for books would therefore make some sense? Sticking with my iPhone for now, more choices for books with all the ebook apps out there.
Anyone know if the new Reader app will allow reading ADE books on iPhone? I would love to be able to borrow from Overdrive for my phone.
@Julius,
You can buy books for a Sony anyplace that offers ePub’s with Adobe Adept DRM (and of course anyplace that does DRM Free ePubs). Fictionwise, Kobo, Books on Board, Diesel, Waterstones, WH Smith, Direct Ebooks and many others offer books this way.
I wonder if Sony might bless its current customers with a decent firmware upgrade?
@Ben: historically, Sony never releases updated firmware for devices no longer sold.