BIOS: Technology Means Business

At BIOS Towers we really do believe that e-books are worth getting excited about, just for the fact that you can read in bed without the full-glare of a main light. So it’s with great enthusiasm that we write about Sony’s plans to transform the electronic reading experience with its lightweight Reader (124x14x176mm, 250g).

Coupling an innovative electronic black-and-white display (800x600 pixels) with precise one-handed navigation and a stylish, durable design, Sony’s Reader will allow active readers to carry as much as they want to read whether they are travelling on the road or just around the corner.

Roughly the size of a paperback novel, but thinner than most (about 12.7mm 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’s PDF format, favourite Web content like blogs or news feeds, and JPEG photos. With a seemingly limitless battery life equivalent to roughly 7500 page turns, avid readers can devour a dozen bestsellers plus War and Peace without ever having to recharge.

In recent years millions of people have become comfortable downloading and enjoying digital media, including e-books. But until now, there has not been a good device on which to read. Sony’s research has shown that people are looking for a device designed exclusively for immersive reading. The Sony Reader with its electronic paper display, thin format and decent battery life may just fit the bill.

Part of the ‘magic’ behind the Reader’s viewing experience is the high-resolution electronic paper display technology, which promises a realistic print look that rivals traditional paper. The result should be readable text and graphics from a variety of viewing angles, even outdoors in bright sunlight.

Since there is no backlight, you should 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 appreciate the Reader’s fully adjustable text size, which can be magnified or reduced on demand. Unfortunately, there's no headphone jack for listening to audio books.

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 you to search and browse through thousands of downloadable e-books, manage purchased e-books and easily transfer them to the Sony Reader device.

From 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).

"Reading books is a vital part of the overall reading experience, which also increasingly consists of written content from online news sources, blogs and other forms of web content," said Lee Ali Shirani, vice president of Sony Connect. "Connect will allow users to take eBooks, news feeds and other online media and enjoy that portably, thereby making the Reader the portable device for all things text."

E-books already available for purchase and download are already available from Random House, HarperCollins Publishers, Penguin-Putnam, Simon & Schuster and Time Warner Book Group. All have said they will support Sony’s e-reading initiative.
Many independent and specialty publishers will also have e-book titles available for purchase and download to the Sony Reader. Manga comics and graphic novels from innovative houses such as TOKYOPOP are rendered beautifully on the device and will also be available for download.

The Sony Reader will be available this spring and can be purchased at select retailers, online at SonyStyle.com or at SonyStyle stores in high-end fashion malls. More information about Sony Reader is available at www.sony.com/reader.

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