Posted on Saturday, January 07 2006 @ 0:03 CET by Thomas De Maesschalck
Coupling an innovative electronic paper display with precise one-handed navigation and a stylish, durable design, the Sony Reader will allow active readers to carry as much as they want to read whether they are traveling on the road or just around the corner.
Roughly the size of a paperback novel, but thinner than most (about .5 inches thin), the device can store hundreds of books in internal memory with the addition of an optional Memory Stick or Secure Digital (SD) flash memory card.
The Reader can also store and display personal documents in Adobe PDF format, favorite web content like blogs or news feeds, and JPEG photos. With a seemingly limitless battery life equivalent to roughly 7,500 page turns, avid readers can devour a dozen bestsellers plus War and Peace without ever having to recharge.
Part of the magic behind the Reader's viewing experience is the high-resolution electronic paper display technology, which delivers a realistic print look that rivals traditional paper. The result is readable text and graphics from a variety of viewing angles, even outdoors in bright sunlight. Since there is no backlight, readers will not experience the fatigue associated with long term reading on an LCD. And, as the technology renders each page as a static image, there is no flicker or constant screen refresh to add to eyestrain.
Users with impaired or limited eyesight will enjoy the Reader's fully adjustable text size, which can be magnified or reduced on demand.
Sony Connect will support the launch of the Sony Reader by providing an online store integrated into an easy-to-use desktop application called the Connect Reader. The software will allow users to search and browse through thousands of downloadable eBooks, manage purchased eBooks and easily transfer them to the Sony Reader device. At the outset, the Connect Store will offer a broad selection of fiction and non-fiction, bestsellers, well-known authors, classics and more, with rich descriptive content in the form of author biographies, expert book reviews and reader commentary.
Additionally, the Connect Store will offer online content sourced via RSS (Really Simple Syndication).
