Sony unveils new, lighter e-readers

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As Amazon shifts its attention to taking on Apple’s iPad, Sony has just unveiled its latest e-readers in a bid to occupy the space once dominated by the Kindle. Sony said it will release two new 6-inch ebook readers in Japan – Sony Reader PRS-G1 with 3G+WiFi and Sony Reader PRS-T1 with WiFi only.

Both devices come with 6-inch (600 × 800) 16-level gray-scale electronic displays using E Ink Pearl technology, designed to be read even under bright and direct sunlight. Both have 2GB built-in storage capacity from which 1.4GB is available for saving eBooks. Memory can be expanded up to 32GB by microSD card, rather than full-sized SD card like its predecessor the PRS-650.

The Sony Reader PRS-G1 is available in Black and White and has 3G and WiFi IEEE 802.11b/g/n connectivity. It weighs around 185g and its dimensions are 110 × 173.3 × 10.1mm. The device is expected to take about 3.5 hours to charge by USB and around 2 hours via AC Adapter. The battery can hold up to seven weeks, based on 30 minutes reading time per day without WiFi and about three weeks with wireless.

The Sony Reader PRS-T1 is to be offered in black, white and red, with WiFi and has a thin and light body, weighing just 168g and with dimensions of 110 × 173 × 8.9mm. The battery reportedly holds up to 5 weeks’ charge, on the basis of 30 minutes reading a day without WiFi and about 3 weeks with WiFi.

The Sony Reader PRS-G1 (Black/ White) will be available from Nov 25, priced at around 26,000 yen, while the Sony Reader PRS-T1 (Black/ White/ Red) will be available from Oct 20 and is priced at 20,000 yen.