Sony Readers 2009 lineup Video
Sony Readers 2009 lineup Video Transcript
[ MUSIC ] ^M00:00:02
>> [John Falcone:] I'm John Falcone from CNET.com. We're here at the New York Public Library where Sony has just launched its three Sony Reader products for the fall of 2009. Here we have the first two. This is the Sony Reader Touch Edition. This is the PRS600 that costs 299. This one's called the Touch Edition because it has a touch screen, allows you to both make text memos and drawings on the screen. Also has an on-screen keyboard that you can use to make notes. All those notes and notations on stuff you're reading can be exported to PCs and Macs. This does not have built-in wireless, but you connect it to a PC or a Mac, transfer the titles via USB to the reader. Over here is the smaller and less expensive Sony Reader Pocket Edition, the PRS 300. The smaller one loses a lot of features of its big brother. It does not have audio support. It doesn't have a touch screen, and it doesn't have support for additional flash memory. But the big story here is it's 199, so it's the most affordable mainstream e-book reader we've seen to date. The big upgrade to both these readers, and a big distinction from the Amazon Kindle, is you can get a lot of free content for these. Both the Sony Readers access up to a million free Google books. These are older, public-domain books. In addition to the Google books support, the big news here is that the Sony Readers support checking out free books from libraries that support the e-pub book format. That means you can check out the book, read it for 21 days, and it doesn't cost you a dime. The other product not shown here is the just announced Sony Reader Daily Edition. That has a 7-inch wide screen, and it also has a built in 3G wireless. They're going to have periodicals, newspapers, haven't announced which one yet but obviously that's Sony's big challenger to the Kindle which also has built-in 3G wireless. I'm John Falcone for CNET, and this is the Sony Reader 2009 line-up. ^M00:02:15 [ MUSIC ]
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Sony Reader Pocket Edition PRS-300 (blue) Review
The good: With its sharp 5-inch screen, the Sony Reader Pocket Edition is much more compact than the Kindle 2 and fits comfortably in one hand when reading; font size is adjustable; decent battery life; Sony's eBook Library software is now both Windows- and Mac-compatible, with best sellers costing $9.99 (just like Amazon); Epub file compatibility lets you access thousands of free classic Google Books and loaner files from many local libraries; also displays Word and PDF files.
The bad: No expandable memory; battery is sealed into unit; screen may be too small for some people; limited zoom function with PDF files; cannot display JPEGs or play back MP3 files; not as zippy as the step-up PRS-600; USB charging only works from PCs.
The bottom line: While Sony Reader Pocket Edition PRS-300 has a basic feature set, its $200 price tag, compact size, and Epub file compatibility make it an appealing e-book reader.
Sony Reader Pocket Edition PRS-300 (blue) Specs
Manufacturer: Sony
Part number: PRS-300BC
Sony Reader Pocket Edition PRS-300 (blue) Prices
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