Gadgets & Gear: March 2007

As a man who needs pretty much every gadget as soon as it comes out, just for the sake of having said gadget, this was a no-brainer for me. I was really looking forward to getting this gadget though, because my other love – other than gadgets – is reading.

So, tell me I can have something that combines both? I’m in heaven.

Actually, I already had one of the older digital readers, the Rocket eBook, but it never really “took off” (pun not intended). If there is any device that has the possibility of putting a digital reader in the hands of millions of people though, it is the Sony Reader.

Incredibly svelte at 6.9 inches tall, 4.9 inches wide, 1/2 inch thick and less than 1/2 pound, the Sony Portable Reader makes taking a virtual library on the road an almost stylish task.

It comes with a satin-like black cover that does a great job of protecting the Reader (it has a little magnet in the corner that sticks the cover down when it is closed, a nice touch), but you can replace it with a leather cover in three different colors if you so choose.

The Reader is a marvel of engineering.

It uses the new E-Ink technology that makes the screen look just like a printed page. This is because the E-Ink system uses little microspheres that are embedded in the screen and when voltage is applied, each ‘pixel’ turns either white or black. This system gives the Reader its top notch clarity and contrast.

Another benefit is its minimal battery useage. It only uses power when you turn the page. You can get over 7,500 page turns with just one charge, which will come in handy when you feel like reading War and Peace five times.

Also, when reading a book on your Sony Reader, you can walk away from the reader; come back a week later, and the same page you left will still be there on the screen.

The Sony Portable Reader can also play music (either in MP3 or unencrypted AAC format) though this will drain the battery much quicker, and the headphone port is on the bottom of the device. The reader has about 64MB of internal memory which won’t hold much music (but it will hold a ton of books), but it supports both Secure Digital memory cards as well as the Memory Stick so you can add a lot more space for music or books. The reader can also show off pictures if you so choose but they are in black and white and it is not really the Readers’ strong suit.

This thing really is the ultimate beach reader. You can just imagine yourself sitting on a beach somewhere in the world with a good book on the screen, some great tunes through the headphones, and a beautiful view all around you.

If there are any drawbacks with the player, that would be in the content area. You download books from Sony’s Connect store through the software that comes with the Reader (this is also how you transfer music and pictures to the Reader) but the selection on the site, while good, is not like going to your local Borders and picking up any book you want. Though, with the way this device has been selling out, more and more publishers are bound to take notice and make sure they get a lot of their catalogs on the Connect site. The eBooks are typically priced much less than their paper counterparts and once you download them, you own them forever, even if your computer crashes or you lose your Reader. You can also import Word documents and PDF files, though the formatting of some PDFs may or may not look so good on a 6-inch screen. Also, when the Reader is ‘turning’ pages, the entire screen will flash black and then display the new page. Frankly it doesn’t bother me a bit, but my wife thought it was a tad annoying.

So if you are looking for the ultimate gadget for the person who loves to read, this is it. If you yourself are an avid reader and you always weigh down your suitcase with tons of books, this device can solve that for you. You can purchase the Sony Reader at either your local Sony Style store (if they are in stock) or you can order it online from www.sonystyle.com. It isn’t cheap at $349.99, but you will be the coolest bookworm on the beach.