Bonnie Cha

Recent Posts by Bonnie Cha

New Sony Reader Gets Social

Sony has returned to write a new chapter in its e-book reader series, and it’s a tale the company hopes readers will find more social and immersive.

Available today for $129, the new Sony Reader PRS-T2 features an improved touchscreen and Facebook and Evernote integration.

Like the previous model, the Reader has a six-inch, E-ink touchscreen, but Sony has enhanced the display to offer more fluid page turns and smoother zooming capabilities. The device also has a revamped book layout that makes it easier to organize and find books.

If you want to let your friends know what you’re reading, you can now log on to Facebook and post a short excerpt, as well as the book cover, from any title purchased at the Reader Store. With the inclusion of Evernote, you’ll also be able to clip and save any articles viewed on the Reader’s Web browser. You can add notes and annotations using the included stylus or your finger and then sync it back to Evernote to read later on your smartphone, tablet or computer.

The Sony Reader continues to offer access to library books. With a valid library card, you can borrow books for free from more than 15,000 public libraries in the U.S. This is in addition to the Reader Store, which offers thousands of ebooks, newspapers and magazines. You can purchase and download books right from the device via Wi-Fi or through the Web-based Store.

The Sony Reader is available at Sony stores and online, and comes in black, red or white. Customers who purchase the black model will receive a voucher for a free download of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.”

Despite the improvements and new features, Sony still faces some stiff competition from the likes of Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The Amazon Kindle Touch costs about $30 less and includes text-to-speech technology and a book-lending feature. Meanwhile, the $100 Barnes & Noble Simple Touch has access to a catalog of more than 2.5 million publications.

I’m hoping to get my hands on the Sony Reader shortly, so we’ll soon see how this story plays out.

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There’s a lot of attention and PR around Marissa, but their product lineup just kind of blows.

— Om Malik on Bloomberg TV, talking about Yahoo, the September issue of Vogue Magazine, and our overdependence on Google