Sony’s New Reader PRS-700
Sony revealed a new version of its e-book Reader PRS-700, adding interactive features include letting users flip pages with the swipe of a finger or zoom in to text by tapping the screen. The PRS-700 has a 6-inch display and an on-screen electronic keyboard for creating notes. One negative is the device not having wireless functionality. Full press release after the jump.
Sony eBook Store Offers Enhanced Functionality
With the latest edition of Sony’s
Reader Digital Book, announced today, readers can truly let their fingers
do the walking.
An interactive touch screen display allows for the most intuitive
digital reading experience to date. The new model, PRS-700, will join the
PRS-505 model in the Reader family to give consumers a choice of how they
would like to read electronically.
Svelte and stylish, the newest Reader still sports the dimensions of a
slimmed down paperback book. The textured black casing and soft black cover
contribute to its envy-inspiring design. And, at about 10 ounces, it’s the
perfect way to carry all of your favorite books with you wherever you go.
A sizeable six-inch display with touch screen capability allows
booklovers to flip pages with the slide of a finger. In addition, readers
can easily search terms within a document or book, create notes using the
virtual keyboard and highlight text with the included stylus pen.
Five pre-set text sizes are available so readers can find the one most
comfortable for them and for those who need an even closer look, zooming in
is as easy as tapping the screen.
The device still features high-resolution, high contrast electronic
paper display technology which provides a reading experience very much akin
to ink- on-paper. The result is crisp text and graphics that are highly
readable, even in bright sunlight. For times when ambient light is not
available, Sony is the first to offer a built-in LED reading light.
Expanded memory offers enough capacity to store about 350 average
digital books. Using optional removable Memory Stick Duo media or SD memory
cards, this Reader can hold literally thousands of books and documents.
“Readers now have another choice in digital books,” said Steve Haber,
president of Sony’s Digital Reading Business Division. “This new model has
the eye-popping design and intuitive functionality that people have come to
expect from Sony.”
Family Resemblance
Like its close relative the PRS-505 model, the new 700 model uses
minimal power and can sustain up to 7,500 pages of continuous reading on a
single battery charge. It supports multiple file formats for eBooks,
personal documents and music. With the included eBook Library 2.5 PC
software, you can easily transfer Adobe PDF documents with reflow
capability, Microsoft Word documents, BBeB files and other text file
formats to the Reader. The device can store and display EPUB files and work
with Adobe Digital Editions software, opening it up to almost a limitless
quantity of content.
Improved Sony eBook Store
Sony’s eBook store will also have a new face. This month, a re-designed
page layout with more prominent book cover art and flash-based promotions
will improve the overall visual appeal of the site. A streamlined checkout
process along with updated search and discovery make finding and purchasing
an eBook a breeze.
Pricing and Availability
The new Reader will be available next month for about $400. It will
come complete with a USB cable, eBook Library PC companion software and a
color- coordinated, protective soft cover. Both the PRS-505 and the PRS-700
models along with their optional accessories can be purchased direct
through http://www.sonystyle.com, at more than 40 SonyStyle(R) stores
nationwide and at authorized retailers across the country.
Source: Sony Press Release
