Here’s a really good high-def, informative video from ARMdevices.net of the new Sony PRS-650 that’s expected to be released around the 16th of September. Make sure to visit the recently-updated Sony Readers page to find specs and other videos and photos of the new devices.

Filed under: News, Sony | Tags: prs-650, sony touch | 2 Comments »

Now that the new Sony Readers were officially announced a couple of days ago, more details about the technology used for the touchscreens are coming out, along with the user manuals and videos for both the PRS-350 and PRS-650.

If you missed the details about the new Sony Readers, the big news is that they use the new high contrast Pearl screens from E Ink.

But the bigger news is that they feature touchscreens that don’t have an added layer over the top of the screen like Sony’s previous touchscreen ereaders. The added layer reduced contrast and caused quite a bit of reflection and glare, so now that they’ve removed that, the new Sony Readers’ display should look just as good as the new Kindle 3.

Neonode’s zForce Touchscreen Technology

The answer to the question about Sony’s new touchscreen comes by way of Neonode’s zForce eBook technology. From the press release:

Neonode’s patented touch screen technology, zForceTM, supports high resolution pen writing in combination with market leading finger navigation including gestures, multi-touch, sweeps and much more. zForceTM uses no overlay (like resistive and capacitive touch screens) on top of the e-ink display thus creating a 100% clear window free from reflexes and parallax effects and produces a true paper like experience.

The press release basically repeats that same exact paragraph 3 times without going into any specifics on how the technology works. More information can be found on the Neonode website, but there still isn’t much explaining how it works. Guess we’ll have to wait and see.

User Manuals: Sony PRS-350 and Sony PRS-650

Sony has put up the user manuals for two of the new readers. Here they are for the PRS-350 and the PRS-650.

Some new features mentioned in the manuals:

• User changeable screensavers for when the device is sleeping.
• Fixed Zoom setting can be locked so that it doesn’t reset when changing pages.
• Page mode: margin cut, 2 and 3 column split mode.
• Adjustable brightness and contrast settings.
• Change dictionaries while looking up a word.
• Word log saves previously looked-up words.
• Create and manage collections from the device itself.
• Clock added to menu.

Sony Reader for iPhone and Android

The last bit of news is that Sony is finally working on applications for iPhone and Android for their Reader store software so that users can read and sync ebooks on multiple portable devices. Given the fact that Amazon, B&N, Kobo, and even Borders have reading apps, it’s about time that Sony started working on them too.

New Sony Readers Country List

With the release of these new readers, Sony plans to expand their market for the PRS-350 and PRS-650. The PRS-950 remains US-only at this time because of the 3G wireless (Sony’s ebook store is Canada and US-only so marketing their wireless ereader in other counries doesn’t make much sense—you’d think they’d at least sell it to Canada though).

As for the PRS-350 and PRS-650, these are the countries that it will officially be available to: US, Canada, UK, Germany, Australia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Austria, Japan, France, Italy, China, and possibly others.

Sony’s New eReader Video

Sony LearnTV – The New Sony Reader PRS-350 and PRS-650

Filed under: New eBook Readers, News, Sony | Tags: prs-350, prs-650, sony pocket, sony touch | 1 Comment »

The picture shown above is from Engadget. If it is indeed authentic, then we’ve got some really big news about the new Sony Readers, most notably the touchscreen.

If Sony has managed to find a way to remove the additional layer over the E Ink screen, then the new PRS-350 and PRS-650 could be huge. The main thing holding back Sony’s previous touchscreen ebook readers from wider acceptance was the fact that the added layer required for the touchscreen functions caused them to have noticeable glare and reflection—not a good combination for prolonged stretches of reading or reading in certain lighting conditions.

So the big question is will the new Sony Readers require the use of a stylus? There are currently no ereaders that have a finger-friendly touchscreen without an added layer over the E Ink display. All the ones that are touchscreens and don’t have an added layer require a special stylus to operate. Either that or Sony’s come up with a completely new touchscreen technology. I guess we’ll soon find out.

While on the topic of the screen, the picture oddly does not mention anything about using the new higher contrast Pearl screens from E Ink. If Sony doesn’t get the new screens then that will be a huge blow to them and a major win for Amazon, who is currently the only company using the better screens. However, the picture does say improved page-turn speed and the battery life is considerably better, both indicators of the new Pearl screen.

Another thing that Sony needed to improve on over previous models was the fact that the Zoom function reset with each page turn. Perhaps “Intelligent Zoom” is the solution for this. Can’t wait to find out more.

Filed under: News, Sony | Tags: prs-350, prs-650, sony pocket, sony touch | 1 Comment »

The prices of ereaders are dropping all the time. Sony Style now has the refurbished PRS-300 marked down to $99 and the refurbished PRS-600 marked down to $119.

Refurbished products are often items that have been returned or ones that have had minor fixes, so they’re generally a good deal and this time, for an ereader under $100, it’s definitely a good deal.

The Sony Pocket is available in all three colors: silver, navy blue, and rose. And the Sony Touch is available in both silver and black, the red must have already sold out because it used to be listed.

The price cuts on these devices most certainly strengthen the rumors that Sony is about to unveil the new Sony PRS-350 and PRS-650, the two updated versions of these ereaders. The new version of the PRS-300 is expected to have a touchscreen, so if that’s something you don’t like, now is probably the best time to get a PRS-300 before it is replaced by the PRS-350.

Filed under: Sales and Discounts, Sony | Tags: prs-350, prs-650, sony pocket, sony touch | 1 Comment »

Over at SonyInsider, there’s an interesting article about two new Sony Readers set to launch soon, the PRS-350 and the PRS-650. Both are upgraded versions of the current 5 and 6-inch models.

Given Sony’s history of releasing new ereaders at this time of year, expect an official announcement within the next few weeks.

According to sources, the Sony PRS-350 and PRS-650 will both feature touchscreens, will both be thinner and lighter than the current models, and will likely have improved contrast and faster page turns. Hopefully Sony will opt for the new Pearl displays with 50% improved contrast like the new Kindle 3 and Kindle DX; they would be stupid not to.

The PRS-650 will have WiFi and possibly free 3G like the PRS-900 Daily Edition, while the PRS-350 is not expected to have any wireless capabilities.

For the PRS-650, it looks to come with 2GB of internal memory instead of the standard 512MB of the previous models. The PRS-350 may have 2GB of memory as well, but it’s not certain.

Aside from adding WiFi, improved contrast, more memory, and a touchscreen to the 5-inch model, the user interface is said to be updated for both models with a new homescreen, and both will have note-taking capabilities as well.

That’s all the information available on the two new Sony Readers for now. Stay tuned for the latest updates.

Filed under: News, Sony | Tags: prs-350, prs-650, sony reader | 2 Comments »