Sony's Reader lineup was in dire need of a shakeup. The company's prices on the three models introduced around this time last year were grossly out-of-whack with the reality of reduced e-reader pricing over the past year, which occurred in response to Amazon's pricing of the Kindle. And the consolidation of the lineup from 5-inch, 6-inch, and 7-inch models to a single 6-inch model makes sense: The 5-inch display was less about anyone clamoring for a smaller screen than it was about hitting a price point, while the larger 7-inch display cost more and became an outlier because of that.
The moves were also necessary. Early in the summer, both Barnes & Noble and Kobo Books released significant, lightweight e-reader refreshes that were priced to compete with Amazon's dominant third-generation Kindle, even as Amazon lowered its pricing via its Kindle With Special Offers on-unit advertising.
Using the PRS-T1
The new Reader Wi-Fi weighs 5.9 ounces--which makes it more than an ounce lighter than Kobo's eReader Wi-Fi (7.05 ounces), Barnes & Nobles' Nook (7.48 ounces), and Amazon's Kindle 3 Wi-Fi (8.4 ounces) and 3G (8.7 ounces). The Reader Wi-Fi's reduced weight is a noteworthy improvement, considering that even last year's Sony Reader Pocket Edition PRS-350 (which had a 5-inch E Ink screen) weighed 5.6 ounces.
The case design is smooth, with piano-black plastic edges; a soft, rubberized finish along its curves and edges; an angled-in 0.5-inch bezel; and metal accents on the front that complement the display. The interface is cleaner-looking, too, with better-designed menus and icons and easier navigation than on previous models.
Touch Interface and Display
Sony says that the battery will last about 30 days, or three weeks with wireless on, between charges. That's the weakest battery life in the Reader Wi-Fi's competitive set among E Ink readers, which makes me wonder whether the company sacrificed some battery life to achieve the Reader's lighter weight. The Kobo eReader Wi-Fi, the next-lightest e-reader, has about a one-month battery life, while the Barnes & Noble Nook and the Amazon Kindle each deliver a battery life of up to two months.
State of Sony Reader
As part of his update on the state of Sony's Reader efforts, Phil Lubell, vice president of the Networked Technology and Services Division at Sony Electronics, noted that the company continues to invest in Reader hardware, and in its Reader store, which now carries more than 2.5 million titles, a "good number"” of which are free. The Reader store will also feature heavily in Sony's coming Android tablet efforts, with Reader coming preinstalled on the Sony S1 tablet.
In addition, the Reader platform differentiates itself by supporting the public library system's e-book lending, with over 11,000 libraries on-board. The new Reader Wi-Fi is the first to support direct downloads from the public library to the device, and Reader continues to strengthen its position there.