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Tuesday July 25, 2006
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 Although what appeared to be a perfectly functional Sony Reader was on display at CES six months ago, the actual product won't ship until late September. I am a big fan of ebook readers, as a concept, and I convinced Sony to let me try out a production sample for a few weeks. You can read my hands-on Sony Reader Preview on PCmag.com, but don't expect a verdict on the product or a complete answer to the question posed in the headline of this post. The reason? Most of the product most interesting and promising features were disabled.
There was no way to connect it to a PC, no way to load ebooks, and of course no way to connect to Sony Connect to get content. Even the Memory Stick and SD slots were deactivated. I also really wanted to check out how RSS feeds look on the Reader, which I think is a killer app of this device. As frustrating as this was, I am cautiously optimistic about the device. It is slim, super-portable, and the electronic ink display looks great. The reported $250-$300 price seems a little steep, but if the company makes it as format-agnostic as they have said (supporting PDFs, Word doc, and most other text files) they could have a winner. I can't wait to test a model that I can actually load content onto. Sony better hurry it to market, because Apple seems to have ebook plans for the iPod as well. More power to them! The more ebook reading devices there are out there, the more ebook readers there will be. And I am sick of trying to read ebooks on my Treo 650.
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July 25, 2006 3:33 PM
The last I heard (and I hope it is no longer true) is that the Sony device does not support .txt files. Since .txt format is the "mp3" of ebooks, it seems as if Sony once again, in its overweening propriatorial greed, has outfoxed itself, and doomed what otherwise might have been a noble product to failure.
July 26, 2006 11:36 AM
According to Sony's website, the reader requires "These formats require file conversion to BBeB using supplied software." (Note 7: http://products.sel.sony.com/pa/prs/index.html?hqs=explore) If true, keep in mind this is the same SONY that screwed up its mp3 players and minidisc players by forcing conversions to ATRAC format. How much time does Sony expect people to spend converting formats after spending 300 dollars on the device? If the reader can't just load a txt file or a pdf and display it, Sony is sending their e-reader down the same path as their bungled media players. No one should give Sony money to make their lives more complicated.
July 26, 2006 4:59 PM
I am still mad about the Sony DRM rootkit fiasco. There will be no Sony products in my house. I purchase one or two ebooks a month, so I am their target market, but until they learn to stop treating me like a criminal, I will continue to read them on my Treo 700p.
July 26, 2006 5:47 PM
I can't believe this concept has not caught on yet. I'd love to be able to load up a bunch of books on one lightweight, easy to tote and easy-on-the-eyes to read device and take it with me almost anywhere I go. Going to the beach? No problem, I don't need a separate suitcase for my summer reading - just stick my ebook reader in my bag. A laptop is overkill and a Palm is too small and not easy enough to read in daylight. I want something the size of.... well a book.
July 26, 2006 5:59 PM
Sony is accumulating an impressive history of screwing up their own products, apparantly though sheer greed. From the Betamax to the rumored crippling of the PS3, Sony is rapidly becoming a Vorpal Rabbit: "Run Away!!! Run Away!!!..."
July 28, 2006 8:24 PM
I'm really excited about the Sony Reader. i read a lot of books on my daily commute by train, and sometimes when I finish one, I'll forget to bring a new one with me. And then i have to pass the time on the hour ride some other way. I'm just confused on why Sony stuck mp3 capabilities on it. i don't usually listen to music while i'm reading because it distracts me. And i'm sure anyone would prefer listening to their standalone mp3 player. Still, e-ink technology is just plain cool. i hope it does really well.
August 10, 2006 4:05 PM
$300 is about half of the price of laptop. Now, if one compares what one can do on a laptop, the technology (colour lcd, strorage, wifi, internet,...), it does not seem that the ebook from Sony is good value. It can be used as an MP3. It looks like it has a good size/weight/screen resolution, but it does not even have a colour screen for heaven's sake (monochrome) for that price and like a previous poster mentioned, if one has to convert PDF files before using them,... give me a break! SONY, you need to do better than that or lower the price. I hope Apple creates an ereader.
August 26, 2006 5:09 PM
I've been waiting a long time for something like this to come along. Unfortunatly it looks like I'll have to keep on waiting. The problems 'The Sony Reader' has I'm afraid just will not make me part with my hard earned dollers.
September 22, 2006 6:14 PM
Sony: rootkit, Betamax, expensive memory sticks, DRM......Hmmmmm. Maybe not.
September 27, 2006 1:36 PM
An eBook reader that can not read mht, htm, lit, prc, txt, and pdb formats ... and can't zoom in / out for pdf. Sigh..., I had so looked forward to this device - and now find it useless unless I start a new library or convert everything I already own.
September 30, 2006 1:31 AM
I bought a first generation ebook reader from sony. The product is called "Librie" and it basically does the same thing as the upcoming Sony Reader. It does have a beautiful screen and it is easy on the eyes. But, please be aware, Librie runs really really slow; uploading or deleting ebooks to and from librie takes forever. You'll be really frustrated waiting, waiting and waiting for the device to perform even the simplest task like opening and closing ebooks. On the top of that, they only run DRM which "expires" after 60 days... I spend over $300 U.S. for this fu*king garbage so the dumbass sony fags can make my life more complicated than ever? I don't think I wanna shell out another $300 to those idiots, so that I can spend all my free time converting stupid ebooks rather than actually reading them. Truly Gay Ass Chink of a product! I expect the Sony Readers would be just as homo as a 13 year old gay chinese boy.
October 9, 2006 8:09 AM
Yo, some dude, I find it incredibly offensive your use of gay and fags and homo as derogatory terms to describe Sony and the ebook reader. Find some other terms less offensive, or come out of the closet and accept your latent sexual orientation.