Sony has issued another firmware update for the Sony PRS-T1 that enhances performance and addresses an issue that some folks have when turning pages using the touchscreen and having it mysteriously activate the dictionary instead.

This update is the second in the past two months. In the past Sony was notorious for seldom releasing firmware updates for their ebook readers; it’s good to see the PRS-T1 getting more attention.

Filed under: Sony | Tags: firmware update, sony prs-t1 | 11 Comments »

If you saw the video I posted the other day showing the partial refresh trick on the Sony PRS-T1, you probably noticed the modified homescreen on my PRS-T1 that looks just like the regular homescreen but adds some nifty new features.

The new homescreen has three pages instead of two. The third page is an app drawer that list the Android apps installed on the PRS-T1. The second page consists of shortcuts to certain apps and the first page lists recently read titles instead of the default recently added.

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The Amazon Kindle is no longer the only major E Ink ereader to have text-to-speech. The Sony Reader PRS-T1 is now capable of offering TTS as well, but there are a couple of catches, 1) the PRS-T1 has to be rooted and 2) text-to-speech will only work with DRM-free ebooks.

The minimal rooting package for the PRS-T1 comes pre-loaded with two ereading apps that have TTS capabilities built-in, FBReader and Cool Reader. All you have to do is download the TTS data package to enable text-to-speech on the Sony PRS-T1.

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Yesterday, thanks to a tip via MobileRead, I discovered a simple trick to get the Sony PRS-T1 to enter into a semi-permanent partial page refresh state. This is very handy for scrolling through lists like with the Dropbox app and root explorer, and makes some games and other Android apps work better too.

This probably works on non-rooted Sony Readers as well but it’s only going to be useful on a rooted Sony PRS-T1 because using the Sony apps (the browser, homescreen, and Reader app) resets the partial refresh back to normal.

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The Sony PRS-T1 comes with seven font choices, but the selection doesn’t end there. Like the earlier Sony Readers, you can add OTF and TTF fonts of your choice to a font folder on the PRS-T1 and have your ebooks use those fonts instead of the default.

The process of setting up and using custom external fonts on the Sony PRS-T1 is pretty much exactly the same as the older Sony Readers, there’s just a different file path you need to use for the fonts to work properly.

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If you’ve got a rooted Sony Reader PRS-T1 in hand, you can now add the Android Market to it in just a few minutes. And if your Sony PRS-T1 isn’t rooted yet, that takes just a few quick minutes as well, if you’ve got the need for it.

I just tested this out, and even though I think adding the Android Market to the PRS-T1 is somewhat superfluous at this point since its app storage space is so limited, it does seem to work as advertised. I was able to successfully download and install a couple of apps without a problem.

Filed under: How To, Sony | Tags: android market, sony prs-t1 | 8 Comments »

This post consists of a list of shortcuts for the Sony PRS-T1 ebook reader, along with helpful tips and tricks and how to tutorials.

It covers the basics for those just getting started as well as more complex details for advanced users, and includes a list of places to get free ebooks and where to buy ebooks compatible with Sony Readers.

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One of the annoying things about the Sony PRS-T1 is the homescreen isn’t customizable. It always insists on showing the last three ebooks you added to the Reader. Who cares about recently added titles? A list of recently read titles would make more sense. Luckily, there’s a fix for that.

A crafty developer named “mrspaceman” has created a new homescreen for the Sony PRS-T1 that lists your ten recently read titles with a carousel to scroll through them. It also shows collections on the homescreen and you can even specify which collections to show.

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For this review I’m going to compare the Kindle Touch with the Nook Touch and Sony Reader PRS-T1. I’ve already compared the Nook and Sony head-to-head, both stock and rooted, so this review is going to focus on comparing each of them with the Kindle Touch specifically.

On the surface all three ebook reader are very similar. They have the same 6″ E Ink Pearl displays and the same infrared touchscreens. When you start to analyze their features, however, they are all very different. Each one offers advantages the others do not.

Filed under: Amazon Kindle, Nook, Reviews, Sony | Tags: kindle touch, nook touch, sony prs-t1 | 10 Comments »

I’ve tested and reviewed a number of tablets and ebook readers in 2011, and as this year comes to a close, I decided to write down a list of my favorite tablets and ereaders of the year, the ones I personally use the most.

I’ve broken down the rankings into three categories: 10″ tablets, 7″ tablets, and 6″ ebook readers, with a couple of honorable mentions thrown in for good measure. So here it is, my favorite ebook readers and tablets for 2011…

Filed under: Amazon Kindle, Nook, Sony | | 9 Comments »