Sony PRS-700 Ebook Reader

Ebook Reader - Sony PRS-700 Digital Book Reader Review

How good is the Sony PRS-700 Ebook Reader?

Sony's Ebook Reader upgrade, which is the main competitor to the Amazon Kindle Ebook Reader, is the RPS-700. It is small and lightweight, weighing only 285 grams. Like other portable ebook readers, also called digital book readers, it is the size of a paperback book.

The Sony PRS-700 Ebook Reader has the touchscreen functions that people have come to expect from portable ebook readers and are similar to those on the iPhone. To flip a page for example you slide your finger across the screen. The screen measures 6 inches and has zoom in and out features. For the text you can choose between 5 options.

It has a built-in LED light, support for memory cards – SD and Memory Stick Duo, and the option to write notes.

The PRS-700 can store approximately 350 ebooks and more if you use the Memory Stick or SD Card. The battery will allow up to 7,500 pages of continuous reading.

It has been available since October and costs US$400.

Sony timed the launch to coincide with a month-long ebook promotional campaign related to National Book Month. Ebook sales teams were deployed across the U.S. to promote the PRS-700 ebook reader and at one event in New York, Dave Farrow, a memory expert and speed-reader, lived in a shop window for a month reading ebooks using the Rs-700. Sony donated a library of 100 electronic books to a school for each page that Farrow reads.

According to Sony the PRS-700 features "high-resolution, high contrast electronic paper display technology" which means it is almost like reading ink on paper.

According to Gizmodo, however, the "improvements" that Sony made to their ebook reader have "taken away the very essence of the Reader—the easy-on-the-eyes screen" which they say is a fatal design flaw, and in certain conditions the screen picks up so much ambient light it becomes impossible to read.

So it would probably make sense to actually check out the screen on the PRS-700 before buying one. The Amazon Kindle Ebook Reader has not had such criticisms levelled at it, but at the moment it is very hard to find a new one as Amazon did not order enough of them and they are sold out, largely as a result of Oprach calling it her "favorite gadget".

There is also the Onyx Boox to consider which is due to be shipped in April 2010.

2009 Year of Ebook Reader

Ebook Readers - 2009 the Year of the Portable Ebook Reader

Amazon Kindle Portable Ebook Reader

Chris Andrews over at Gutenberg.com has written an excellent article on why 2009 will be not only the Chinese Year of the Ox but also the year of the Ebook, and consequently of the Ebook Reader.

In the US the average weight of the textbooks carried by high school students in their backpacks is 20 pounds. A Portable Ebook Reader such as the Amazon Kindle Ebook Reader on the other hand can contain hundreds of books and allow instant access to hundreds of thousands more, and weighs less than one pound.

(Sony Ebook Reader)

Backpacks will not disappear overnight but the writing is on the ebook wall for heavy backpacks.

Chris Andrews gives 20 reasons why 2009 will be the Year of the Ebook, in no particular order.

1. " NEW EBOOK READER WILL MAKE LAPTOPS AND IPHONES LOOK OLD"
   In 2009, the Ebook Reades will be more durable, lighter and versatile, They will be mobile, office-friendly, home-friendly, and café-friendly.
2. "CRITICAL MASS HAS BEEN ACHIEVED, NOW ITS ABOUT GROWTH "
   (Papyrus Ebook Reader)
   
   
3. "MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WILL EXPERIENCE DIGITAL INK FOR THE FIRST TIME AND THEY WILL LOVE IT "



4. "IF THERE’S ONE THING EVERYONE WANTS NOW, IT’S COMFORT "


5. "WHAT YOU WANT, WHEN YOU WANT IT? – NOW THAT’S PRACTICAL "


6. "DO YOU WANT TO DOWNLOAD 1 MOVIE OR 1,000 EBOOKS? "


7. "THE MONEY PEOPLE: COST OF ENTRY IS STILL LOW, POTENTIAL HIGH"


8. "A MILLION EBOOKS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS: IT’S THE “OTHER INTERNET""


9. "THE BOOK IS JUST A FORMAT, NO DIFFERENT THAN A CD, VHS, OR DVD"


10. "ONE WORD: POWER"


11. "AUTHORS, PUBLISHERS, AND DISTRIBUTORS BENEFIT FINANCIALLY"


12. "PLAYING AROUND WITH BOOKS IS OK, READING THEM IS BETTER"


13. "A TRULY GREEN TECHNOLOGY – WITHOUT EVEN TRYING"


14. "WITH A CHALLENGING ECONOMY, COMPANIES WILL LOOK TO ENTER EBOOK BUSINESS"


15. "TRY IT ONCE, YOU’RE HOOKED FOR GOOD"


16. "THE IPHONE, NINTENDO DS WILL INSTANTLY EXPOSE AND PROMOTE EBOOKS"


17. "RIGHTS FIGHTS: IT’S ALL-GOOD WITH EBOOKS"


18. "THE HUGE NUMBER OF FREE EBOOKS AVAILABLE"


19. "A NEW GENERATION OF INDEPENDENT AUTHORS WILL NOW COME FORWARD"


20. "IT’S THE CONTENT, STUPID"
    
    Let us not forget also that there are lots of countries where some digital book readers, such as the Amazon Kindle are still not available. Eventually of course they will be a worldwide phenomenon not just a US phenomenon. Chris Andrews also failed to mentioned the Oprah effect! The Amazon Kindle is after all Oprah's favorite gadget.
    He also forgot to say that an Ebook Reader makes a great gift. Useful and intriguing and valuable. I predict that girlfriends will love it, I'm not so sure about boyfriends however, you need to tread carefully. Boys will still prefer video games I suspect, unless there are naked women inside the Ebook Reader of course.

One final point - the price needs to come down ! At the moment it may be cool to spend a big wodge of cash on an Ebook Reader, and they can always be sold on for more than they cost, but sooner or later price is going to become an issue.

Finally it may be worth buying a few shares in Amazon see - Is the Amazon Kindle Ebook Reader the New iPod?

Kindle Ebook Reader Amazon Bestseller

Ebook Reader - Amazon Kindle Digital Book Reader is a Best-Seller

If you have managed to get hold of an Amazon Kindle Ebook Reader then you might want to consider selling it on as apparently they are very difficult to get hold of and are selling on the second-hand market for more than they originally cost. This only applies if you live in the US of course, as they are not for sale in Canada or the UK yet.

On Amazon's site you can see that the Kindle digital book reader is in fact their best-selling electronic device, ahead of the Canon PowerShot A590IS - one of the best digital cameras around.

For a very good review of the Amazon Kindle Ebook Reader and the Sony PRS-505 Reader (which does work in Canada) check out http://www.thestar.com/business/article/560601#

If you want to buy a Kindle Ebook Reader from Amazon there is a 2 month wait at the moment and they are said to be bringing out a new version soon. The new ebook reader Amazon Kindle 2 should be with us in early February in fact.