Sony PRS-300 and PRS-600 ebook readers on sale in UK tomorrow

Sony’s two new ebook readers are old news by now, but the company has just announced that the Reader Pocket Edition (PRS-300) and Reader Touch Edition (PRS-600) will be on sale in the UK from tomorrow.

The news coincides with the announcement today of a third new Reader device in the US — the Sony Reader Daily Edition. This model has built-in 3G for free access to the Sony ebook store, which means it competes directly with the wireless Amazon Kindle.

More info on this, and the two models you will be able to buy in the UK, after the cut.

The Sony Reader Pocket Edition has a 5in e-ink display with an 800 x 600 resolution and can display eight grey scales. It has 512Mb of built-in memory, but no memory card slots, although Sony reckons that this is still sufficient for around 350 ebooks. Its lithium ion battery is supposedly good for 6800 page turns (e-ink displays only use power when refreshing an image) and the whole thing packs into 107 x 158 x 10mm, and 220g.

Step up to the Reader Touch Edition and you get a 6in screen with the same grey scale resolution, but it’s touch-sensitive for page-turning and note-taking with the supplied stylus. Battery life is a few hundred page turns longer and the memory capacity the same, but this model also has Memory Stick and SD Card slots. It measures 121 x 175 x 10mm and weighs 286g.

Both models will be available from tomorrow from the Sony online store and Sony Centres, but we have no idea how much. When asked, Sony told us that it could reveal pricing for legal reasons, so, go figure. The prices should appear on the Sony site at some point, but the US prices are $200 for the PRS-300 and $300 for the PRS-600. Swap the $ sign for a £ and we suspect you won’t be wide of the mark.

The Sony Reader Daily Edition has a 7in touch-screen that supports landscape of viewing of two pages side-by-side, though there’s no word yet on its resolution. A built-in 3G modem allows ebooks to be downloaded directly from Sony’s ebook store and it can also be used to “loan” ebooks from a selection of libraries who have teamed up with Sony for the launch. The $400 device will launch in the US in time for Xmas and its 3G access will be free.

[ Sony]

SONY UK ANNOUNCES TWO NEW ADDITIONS TO THE READER FAMILY
Available to pre-order tomorrow from sony.co.uk and Sony Centres
Sony United Kingdom Limited today continues to show its commitment to the digital reading revolution with the introduction of two new Reader models. The Reader Pocket Edition™ and the Reader Touch Edition™ aim to continue to expand the eBooks market and make affordable e-reading available to the masses. The Reader Pocket Edition and the Reader Touch Edition will be available to pre-order from tomorrow (26th August) from sony.co.uk and Sony Centres.

The Reader Pocket Edition sports a five-inch electronic paper display packaged in a stylish chassis and is available in rose pink and silver finishes. It is simple to navigate with one hand and easily fits into a handbag or jacket pocket, making it ideal for commuters. The diminutive device can store approximately 350 standard eBooks and provides up to two weeks of reading on a single battery charge.

The Reader Touch Edition features a responsive, menu-driven six-inch touchscreen panel that enables quick, intuitive navigation, page turning, highlighting and note taking with the swipe of a finger or by using the included stylus. Users can type with the virtual keyboard and make handwritten notes with the stylus, which can be exported and printed out for easy reference.

The Reader Touch Edition includes an onboard Oxford English Dictionary that allows you to look up the meaning of a word by simply tapping on it. The Touch Edition also offers five adjustable font sizes, as well as expansion slots for both Memory Stick® PRO Duo™ and SD cards, making your portable library virtually limitless. It comes in black or silver finishes.

Both models feature Sony’s award-winning industrial design and an E Ink® Vizplex™ electronic paper display that mimics the look of ink on paper. They will ship with an attractive protective sleeve and USB cable, and both models support EPUB, the industry-standard for eBooks.

Sony’s eBook Library software 3.0, which now includes support for many Apple® Macintosh® computers as well as PCs, makes it easy to transfer and read any Adobe® PDF (with reflow capability), Microsoft® Word®, BBeB® files, or other text file formats on the Reader.

Users can start to build their eBook libraries with the hundreds of free classic titles that will be available for download from sony.co.uk/reader once their Reader is registered after purchase. Titles include The Jungle Book, Pride & Prejudice, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Great Expectations, and will be grouped by genre for simple navigation and selection.

Sony is also committed to working with local libraries throughout the UK as they make the move to digital books. Both new Reader models are compatible with the industry-standard formats that libraries use for their digital collections, so users can easily download perennial favorites and new releases from their local libraries and enjoy them for free. A list of participating libraries from which members can borrow eBooks will be available at sony.co.uk/reader.

“Since last year’s hugely successful launch of our first Reader in the UK, we have watched the eBook market go from strength to strength” said Omar Gurnah, category manager for Reader for Sony UK. “We now have the most accessible devices on the market and our goal is to get these devices into the hands of as many people as possible, enabling them to read the content they want, when they want it - whether they buy it, borrow it, or get it for free.”

The Reader Pocket Edition and Reader Touch Edition will also have a full range of accessories such as AC adaptors, cases, and covers with reading lights.