WHAT: Sony Reader Touch Edition
COMPARE TO: Amazon Kindle 2
PRICE: $299.99
FUN FACT: Sony will release a wireless Daily edition in December.
WHY COMPLEX IS CO-SIGNING: We've been waiting for Sony to drop an answer to Amazon's watershed digital reading device, the Kindle, since its release back in 2007. Although Sony was the first to market with an e-reader offering, Amazon's e-book device stole the show with its built in wireless connection that allowed users to download books directly to the device from Amazon's digital store. Last month, Sony finally upped the competition with a completely updated reader line that included a mini reader, a version with built-in 3G (that drops in December) and an all new version with a much welcomed, highly intuitive touch screen.
Very similar to the original Sony Reader, the all-new Touch Edition is smaller, thinner and lighter than its predecessor. In addition to being able to carry over 350 books (more if you use a Memory Stick or SD card) thanks to its 512 MB of onboard memory, the Touch can read a number of different formats: Microsoft Word docs, Adobe PDF's, ePub's and even MP3's if you want to listen to an audiobook. Great battery life will be needed for you to enjoy all those different formats. Luckily, Sony included a high-powered battery that, when fully charged, can run for almost two weeks, or just enough for you get through a 300 pg novel.
But the big news regarding Sony's latest Reader is the crisp and clear 6" E Ink touch screen. Thanks to the touch screen, readers now have a whole new set of options while reading books, magazines or newspapers. To turn the page, all you have to do is an Apple-esque finger swipe. Browsing through titles is made all the more easier and so is highlighting or underlining a particular part of a page. You can even take freehand notes, using the included stylus, on the page you're reading—perfect for those of you that just started school again. We would love all of Sony's e-readers to have built in wireless, but the touch screen capabilities of the stylish Touch Edition give this reader a cool on the competition.
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