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Glimpse at new Sony Reader
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The Reader allows users to store and read digital books. REUTERS/Rick Wilking 04/01/2006
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ugly…
What a clear screen. But still, there’s something about paper.
The only way any company is going to get one of these products off the ground is to partner with all the mainstream book publishers and sell hard goods with GRATIS copies that you can take with you on the go….
This way folks get a tangible book and they can use the reader to store them all or for travel or just to keep from spilling coffee on that nice 1st Edition.
Otherwise?
These things remain doomed.
You can read ebooks on any Handheld, why Sony Reader?
Love it. I have a Librie already and I’ll probably save up for one of these for my wife. The thing that most people miss is the difference between this screen and any LCD. This reads like paper, in that it’s not hard on your eyes and it is completely visible in sunlight. I can’t read ebooks on an LCD, but I read the first five Harry Potter books in 5 nights with the Librie.
I agree wtih Casey. I have a Librie too and it has brought back my love of reading. It doesn’t tire my eyes like a paper back as I can set the font slightly larger. I have read quadruple what I used to and it is sooo much better than a computer screen or LCD on a tiny handhelp pda.
Go Sony, this will be the PlayStation of electronic books. I am getting this for sure……..The design is beautiful and E-ink is the best electronic ink on the planet. This device read like paper and its can hold over 100 books. And it’s a lot thiner than a hardcover book…..
Sony as sign up with one of the biggest publisher in North america, with over 20 thousands books for download at sony connect website.
Nokia 770 Internet Tablet provides 800x480pix crisp screen with really good text quality and the price is around 350$. There is a free open source e-book reader and you can get free books from gutenberg.org directly to device using WiFi connection. I really don’t believe that a one-purpose device can compete with that.
I always thought that e-readers aren’t useful… until I saw the Librié. Then I was disappointed that it came only in Japanese (and had big trouble with PDF… no zoom, bad quality etc.).
This new one looks more conventional and not as “elite” as the white one but it sounds very promising. Can’t wait to try one out. Hope they will put it on the European market, too!
Greetings from the other side of the Big Pond!
I have a Palm Tungsten E2 and Sony Librie and I have read books from both.
I have to say that there’s no way a PDA can compare with Librie. The E-book quality is very close to reading a book, once you can get pass uploading the books into the right format, it’s just a pleasure to read. Not to mention that the batteries last much much longer on the Librie. I’ve recharged the one set of rechargebles twice, and I’ve read somewhere more than 20 books on them.
I’ve also managed to upload some manga, although the resolution is a bit low and 4-level grayscale is sometimes not quite sufficient, but still quite readable, and there’s just no way even the top-end PDA can compare with it.
Although it’s somewhat sluggish. I guess this is due to both the slowish 200 MHz processor and the time it takes to refresh the screen. Turning pages is no problem, but making bookmarks is just so slow, and I wouldn’t dream of doing searches. Makes it unsuitable for references use. And the file format is just a dog. Sony’s softwares for it, like the IE plug-in and the Librie printer for converting in the Librie format is not very good. The third part softwares are much better, but they don’t do everything. and I am still trying to work out how to get the sound working…
Other than that, it’s just fantastic. I am really looking forward to when they bring out the full colour e-paper. This is something that people who haven’t actually seen and used one simply cannot understand. I haven’t read a single sentence on the Palm ever since I got the Librie.
Apparently other companies are making ones which are actually rollable/flexible like a magazine, and the nextgen ones are supposed to have inbuilt MP3 player as well, although that’s going to eat the batteries quickly. (Librie already can play some sound bites, like the included language course)
The 640×480 screen of the latest pocket pcs also look like paper. Check one out next time you find yourself in [insert tech shop].
No, I’ve seen them, they are not quite in the same league. They have colours, which is nice for videos and such, but Librie comes _close_ to replacing books, except for the digital media part, which is both a blessing and a curse. (you can carry 100′s or 1,000′s of books in a single memory stick, but it’s also difficult to find books you actually want to read.) But does watching PDA come close to replacing TV? is reading books on PDA even _comfortable_ after some period? PDA’s do a lot of things, but long periods of reading isn’t one of them.
I can read the Librie outdoors in full sunlight. Can you read those PDA screens in strong light? I seriously doubt it.
Plus, PDA’s LCD screen still use a lot of power compared to the e-ink thingy tech. A set of batteries on Librie can last a whole holiday trip, and replacement batteries (AAA) are easy to get. A good PDA would probably last 10 hours, and normally they last half that or even less. How easily is it to recharge a PDA say when you are on some long distance travel like a train ride or plane trip?
Furthermore Librie’s screen is twice that of a PDA, which one would you prefer reading?
Serious, you’ve got to see a Librie in action to know what it’s all about.
poster no. 8 Aku brought up Nokia 770.
Unfortunately I can’t get one of them, and I would _really_ love to have one.
But again, battery on 770 last for 3-4 hours. Batteries on Librie last for 10,000 page turns.
Single purpose device usually does what it’s designed for better than a multi-purpose devices can at the same job. Just like it’s easier to eat your steaks with a steak knife than a Swiss Army knife.
Post 13 by fed mentions battery life on the Nokia 770.
If you browsing the web or reading/writing email or listing to music or watching video, then the battery life on the 770 (a full-fledged computer) is 3-4 hours.
If you turn off WiFi and Bluetooth, you should get 6 hours solid reading.
Yes, that’s less than the Sony Reader, but nothing to sneeze at.
Also, you can’t read children’s books with color images, nor photographic books, nor books that include Flash animations on the Sony Reader, as you can on the 770.
The “single purpose” that it’s designed for is black-and-white text with crude black-and-white images. Yet virtually every k-12 textbook includes color images. It would be nice if a great single-purpose e-reader could be used in schools without ravaging the textbooks’ effectiveness.
intriguing, I’m sure gen 2 will have a nice high rez colour display.
Better images here, http://www.e-ink.com/ces.html
One improvement IMO would be a small display or block of page numbers at the bottom of the LCD that you could toggle through quickly, obviously increasing as you scrolled left to right or up and down. Though the page buttons are nice. Author name and current page your on should be displayed as well.
I think absolutely everyone on this thread who is trying to compare the Sony Reader to a PDA or a laptop or the Nokia device is COMPLETELY MISSING THE POINT.
Yes, new LCD screens are nice, but they don’t even vaguely compare to an E-Ink display for text. E-ink displays look like B&W printed paper. No LCD display does. Even the best LCDs look washed out in direct sunlight. E-ink displays, like paper, look BETTER the brighter it is. There is a reason why people prefer to read books and magazines in the dead tree variety. If you are reading hours on end (which is what people do with books), LCDs just don’t cut it.
Colour would be nice (for magazines and photos) but they are not entirely NECESSARY for the target market. The vast majority of FICTION I read only has colour on the cover. Else, it is black text printed on paper which is what the E-ink display excels at. Simiarly with newspapers. Again, colour is nice but in the end, you reading the text.
The second part is the battery life. Even the best PDAs have battery lives only in the 10-20 hour range. Someone before stated this is “nothing to be sneezed at”. I beg to differ. If I were on a holiday or trip, you could easily read over 20 hours within a few days. Then, you would need to CHARGE it before reading more. Furthermore, you would be unlikely to use a PDA simply for reading books, further cutting into your reading time. An E-ink based reader (like the Sony reader) would more than likely be good for your entire trip (and probably not need to be charged even for weeks afterwards unless you are truly a voracious reader).
Regards,
Michael Tam
It has only been a matter of time for the likes of Sony to enter the ebook device market. It would be sensible for them to learn the mistakes of the past. Produce the device and leave it for the publishers to make the reading material available. We, and other publishers will be falling over ourselves to provide reading material. If Sony tries to limit the source of books, they could follow Rocketbook and the other innovators in this market, which would be sad, because the Reader should be the most exciting development in the publishing industry.
I’ve probably had more experience with eBooks than most, as I bought the Gemstar (previously RCA) eBook almost five years ago. It was absolutely wonderful, full of great features such as dictionary, bookmarks, notations, ability to rotate the text through all four positions, very long life between battery charges, and seveal degrees of adjustment to backlight and contrast. Two page forward/back buttons that could be reversed.
Had a built-in modem to download books or you could do it with the PC. Excellent librarian software. Best of all, you could download any two fonts and type sizes that were on your computer through the USB connection, so for those with vision problems, you could pick a large print.
It did not have huge memory, but you could still load 8-10 books at a time. You could get them at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc direrctly if you wanted. You could even subscribe to several magazines and newspapers.
Unfortunately, the idiots at Gemstar (publishers of TV Guide) decided to stop supporting it and making books available, because “there was not enough demand.” As they never ever advertised nor promoted it, of course there was no demand as nobody knew about it. There was never a time I was reading it in an airport, doctor’s office or a store that somebody did not ask what it was, and was really impressed.
Even though they said it could not be done, I figured out how to get Gutenberg text file books sucked into it, so still use it. When the battery dies, however, I’ll be stuck with a novel paperweight.
So, I can hardly wait for the Sony to get out and be able to buy books again. It looks just wonderful, about the same size as the Gemstar, but thinner with loads more memory.
Can anybody who has one tell me if the type size can be enlarged, or if you can zoom in?
Yes, it can be zoomed in 200%, so you don’t need reading glasses. Also, the look of the e-paper is revolutionary. I am not part of the industry, but I am somewhat of a techno-gadget “got to have it first” kind of guy. If I remember correctly, the technology was the brainchild of a few students/faculty at MIT. They said it would take several years to come to market. This is just the beginning. There are numerous off-shoots of this nobody’s even talking about. Imagine your laptop’s screen having duo-characteristics, sort of a hybrid screen. One layer can be LCD, the other e-ink. Default screen is e-ink. When you want the LCD, just press a button. By the way, color is already possible, just not on this device. They already make signs with this technology for retail stores. You want to change the sign, just re-type it and change it on the fly.
I want one where can I get it?
http://sonyreader.blog.com
number one sony reader blog!
Apple needs to take this technology and make it super sweet where everyone will want one.
I hate how people continue to miss the point of electronic ink. There is absolutely no comparison between an LCD and electronic ink display, other than they are both visible displays. E-ink blows LCD readability away! It also takes no power to maintain state, so it only uses the battery while changing pages. PDAs however are constantly updating their displays. I can’t wait for more e-ink products to come out, watches, cell phone displays, etc. Especially when color becomes mass market.
Awesome, I can’t wait till it comes out and to get real reviews, but if it has a big display, reads pdf, and has a long battery life I’m in.
I came onboard ebooks when Gemstar was in business and have an RCA reader (REB1200). Not only do I absolutely LOVE it, I’m still holding out hope that mainstream publishers will jump on the bandwagon. Not only does it cut down the bulk of paperbacks, but it’s screen is clear and bright enough to read anywhere. I tried my PDA, but the screen just wasn’t large enough for a comfortable read.
While ebookwise.com has kept the industry alive with their version of the Gemstar reader, I’m excited to see this one coming out. A more mainstream electronics company will have more push to see if the mainstream publishers will allow their books to be downloaded for it. With a little luck, they’ll be open to the older formats as well.
I’m on the wait and see bandwagon with it, though. My RCA will hold out until this one gets enough reviews to see if it’s going to be around long enough to be worth the upgrade.
Does anyone know what the cost is going to be for the sony reader?
I own a Cybook, a Palm Tungsten and an EBookwise. I am and always have been an ardent bookworm and I use one of them every day depending on my schedule. The palm is light enough to carry in my pocket and the EBookwise is the right size to carry in my purse. I use the Cybook when I am at home because it is cumbersome to carry. I can read my own DRM free stuff on all of them. I am really interested in Sony’s new ebook but only if I can add my own DRM free books. I rarely purchase ebooks online because of the restrictions, high price and inconvenience they cause me.
I would love to have one !!!! and for every school child to have one. Have you lifted your child’s bookbag? No child should be carrying around 40 to 50 lbs. of books daily. The texts are heavily bound and have lots of pictures, neither of which is necessary. The content is important. So is the cost and e-books are not going to cost anymore than a full set of texts.
I hope Mr. Jobs and Apple does partner with publishers and give us something that will be affordable, easy to use and have a positive impact on the orthopedic health if our school kids.
Post to #31 Sharon,
US$349.99
You can find its details :
http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/+INTERSH OP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_Displa yProductInformation-Print?ProductSKU=PRS 500
I think what most people are not understanding with the technology is the major difference between E-ink and every other electronic display type. E-Ink is entirely reflective light, meaning there is no light shinning in your eyes when you look at it, just like a piece of paper.
E-ink, like paper, does not generate any light of it’s own. So no matter how high the resolution of a PDA screen is, it will never compare. It’s like the difference between a real painting and a video of a painting, the light characteristics are completely different.
I have a HP iPAQ pocket pc (US 469) and I read ebooks on it just fine. The idea of paying 350 US for a device that ONLY displays books which you will have to pay for individually is not a very good investment. Buy a pocket pc instead. At least you get to do a whole lot of other stuff. If not stick to the paper backs!
I think this is a great device and e-ink is the wave of the future. However, it should not be limited to simply reading books. Can software be developed the the Sony Reader? If so, that would be great. People could develop new applications to do new/innovative things (support new book formats, play games, other useful things). Without open-source developer support, this device is doomed to live a short life.
Regards,
–Steven
A small but dedicated hacker community emerged around the Reader’s predecessor, the Librie. Search Wikipedia, Makezine and the Yahoo Librie discussion group for links to open source Librie hacks (which include DRM-free book formatting tools). At a minimum, the Reader will benefit from extant hacker tools; and since it supports more file formats than the Librie (if only through conversion), there should be plenty of room for further innovation.
I agree with the others on this sony must learn from the mistakes in japan with is first libra ebook and allow users to install there own stuff but thats not the biggest obstical that this product has. the biggest hurdle is price now I like my gaggets like the next man but unless you can pick up a ebook cheaper than what you can get in the shops this will never fly, I’ll take my dead tree any time if I can get the same info for $5 less from amazon.
sony take a good long hard look at why itunes took of it wasn’t anything to do with the publisity and catchy adverts after all who acually purchased the first gen stuff (be honnest not many) it was down to wide availablity and cheepness of the supported product people will always come back if they can get it from you cheeper than in the shops.
sony this is your second chance with eink in the biggest consumable market in the world, its a classy product what will sell if you get it right so don’t bulls it up!
I have been waiting this thing for so long, too many ebooks, but i cannot stand a computer display for too long.
When i can get my hands on one of these (e-ink), i will be very happy, lot of manga, newspaper (i think lemonde is available in pdf)
Incidentally, has anyone found a good way to get this thing to display text in non-Latin characters (Cyrillic, for example)? I’d buy this thing in a millisecond if I could read my Russian e-books on it.
I also am an e-book fan, having bought every widely-distributed device since the SoftBook. The new technology looks like a winner. But it looks as though Sony has learned absolutely nothing from the experience of its predecessors. Sony is trying to monopolize content for the platform, and that’s the kiss of death.
As much as I’d like to see e-books prosper and become widely available, I’m rooting against Sony. If you read the fine print on their web site, you realize that Sony doesn’t have the least respect for the free interchange of ideas.
For example, you’ll see that Sony reserves the right to edit or delete reviews submitted by users according to its “review guidelines”, but that you can’t even see these guidelines until you’ve submitted a review. Extrapolating from Sony’s privacy statement (which itself might be summarized as “Privacy: none, except as absolutely required by law, and maybe not then”), it appears that this policy allows Sony to edit or delete reviews for any reason, and that all reviews become the absolute property of Sony. As far as I can tell, this would allow them to change the tone of a review completely, and if you dared to challenge them by posting a statement somewhere to the effect of “that’s not what I wrote–this is what I really wrote:”, you’d be violating Sony’s rights because you’d have absolutely no right to quote your own text.
The Sony Reader is not only NOT being sold in Europe, when you register at the content site you have to verify that you are a resident of the U.S. This strikes me as overkill if all they’re trying to do is rationalize their distribution. Perhaps they do it because they can’t do business this way in any country that has real privacy laws.
Does this make you feel good about the possibility of Sony guiding the future of reading? I find it a terrifying possibility.
Fortunately, the lack of content for the new platform (and the appallingly bad access it provides to the content it does have) make the possibility of success very remote. But this will be one more failure, and so it will be even longer before we have a real, sensible e-book platform to use.
The thing that most people miss is the difference between this screen and any LCD.
I’ve used many ebook readers — have read many books on my palm and clie (also REB 1200), and I’m looking for the ideal reader. I went to Sony Style the other day and spent a long time with the Sony Reader, but I was completely disappointed. The “paper” looks like very bad quality newsprint — it’s greyish, and the black print doesn’t contrast very well. A good ereader needs to be flexible — you have to be able to read word files, text files, pdf’s, html files, and several DRM’ed files. The Sony doesn’t do this — apparently pdf’s are pretty much unreadable on the Sony. I’ve just started using a Nokia 770 with fbreader, which I like a lot (backlighting is important for me), but of course you can’t read any DRM’ed stuff on it (yet?). But it DOES show how good a small backlit device with very high resolution can be for ebooks. My own opinion — epaper is not the best way to go. A very high quality backlit screen is much easier to read. Advantages of the Nokia? 1. Better size; 2. vivid color, very high resolution; 3. more formats (except DRM) — very easy to load material; 4. backlit — can read it in a dark room or in bed; 5. also a browser, photo viewer, movie viewer, etc. But even just as an ereader, the Nokia 770 blows the Sony away. They’re both about the same price. And Nokia is coming out with an updated model that will include a camera.
It’s like the difference between a real painting and a video of a painting, the light characteristics are completely different.
I guess the question is do people want a hand held just for reading books?
OK, I’ve got one, $297.99! One of the best electronic buys I’ve ever made and I’ve been into computers since the early 70′s (can you say 8086 and AppleII?). I cannot read ten pages on an LCD screen, I can read for hours on this thing! Battery life isn’t as good as advertised but still plenty for a short trip. Those of you who keep comparing them to PDAs, no comparison, these just blow away PDAs – FOR READING EBOOKS. Yes, they are uni-taskers but you get what you pay for. I love reading and this is definitely the tool for me. Now, if they would just handle PDAs better…
How do you load magazines or smaller PDFs on this thing? They come out too small to read and it would greatly enhance its utility for me if I could read PDFs at larger size – a lot of my journal articles, etc., are PDF… Thanks!!
I am going to get one but before I do. I just want to clear 1 thing. Can I load my own ebooks and other pdf file without converting it? or does have to be converted