The Sony Reader Rocks

OK, most readers know I love my gadgets.  And my wife will surely tell you that I have way too many of them.  But I can't help it.  I like testing the latest and greatest.  I especially enjoy it when I find one that revolutionizes how I live my life or do my job.  An example is the SlingBox which makes it so much more pleasurable for me when I'm on the road (which is something like 45+ weeks out of the year).

When the Sony Reader came out this fall, I knew I had to try it.  Actually, I put my name on the list before it was even available and bought it as soon as I could.  Most reviews that I have seen have been pretty mixed, but I must say that I'm very enthusiastic.

For those who are not familiar with the Sony Reader, it is an e-book reader.  It's about the size of a thin trade paperback with a screen that attempts to imitate real paper.  I like to compare it to an Etch-a-Sketch because it requires power only to realign the crystals on the screen so the battery life is tremendous.  In addition, it is not backlit which helps with eyestrain issues familiar to laptop users and also makes it very readable in sunlight or other bright situations.  Ironically, most reviews I have seen criticize it for not using a backlight, but that's the whole idea.

I have now read about a half dozen books on it and am so hooked I am beginning to make reading decisions based on what I can find available in the Sony CONNECT store (where you realistically have to buy your books to use the device).  To date, that's been the weakest link, although it does seem to be improving.  Certainly the selection in that store doesn't rival Amazon.com or even the local mom & pop shop, but I have found plenty of books I want to read.  I have found a good mixture of fiction and non-fiction, but I would still like to see the selection improve.  And the store interface leaves quite a lot to be desired.  It is slow and clunky with frequent bugs.

The other major criticism others have levied is that it is slow to turn pages.  And in isolation it certainly is.  It takes about a full second for the page to change and it is quite obvious, not the fast page turn that web browsers are used to, for instance.  But when you compare it to turning pages in a regular book, it seems about the same to me.  And even if the screen changed instantaneously, you still need to refocus your eyes at the top of the screen, so I'm not convinced the time lag is that significant.

In short, this is a great device for anyone who spends a lot of time on the road.  Tossing this lightweight device in my briefcase, I can have up to 80 books at the ready without breaking my back.  Just try that with paperbound versions.  And, oh yeah, if I get the urge to read a specific book in the middle of the night, I can have it on my Sony Reader in just minutes.  No need to run to the store or have Amazon ship it overnight. 

Bottom line: I enthusiastically recommend the Sony Reader.

Comments

[Bernard Goldbach]

Have you used your Sony e-book reader to listen to sound files embedded in Acrobat files?

[Chip Griffin]

I haven't used any audio features or the PDF capability.

[David Finch]

Chip, great review! I'll have to go check on out. On a side note, do you have a specific website you would recommend to purchase ebooks?

[Chip Griffin]

The Sony Reader works best with books from the Sony Connect store. You can also do PDF’s and I think Word DOC format but I understand the rendering is poor, though I have not tried it myself.