We had highly praised another eBook before Christmas, namely the iRex “Iliad”, which is, like the Sony device, boasting an E-Ink “ePaper” screen. Iliad’s specifics looked promising with 8.1-inch ePaper screen, 1024X768 resolution and 160dpi fidelity, against 170dpi and 600X800 resolution for the defunct Librié. The Sony Reader, as it is dubbed, will replace the Librié that had received a cool welcome because of its poor readability and a then very restrictive DRM (Digital Right Management) policy.
A good resolution, but...
The size of the Sony Reader is equivalent to that of a paperback book, 6.9X4.9X0.58 inches (175X124X14 mm). For the launch of the Librié, Sony had managed to secure deals with a throng of Japanese publishing giants, resulting –that was our guess then- in these poor DRM restrictions.
Sony is obviously dreaming of an “iPod-like” success story for its newborn. After all, not every questions regarding DRM, copyright, piracy and the “well understood” interests of industry giants were solved or even wisely and fairly appraised when the iPod was launched. However, consumers are what they are, a volatile concept, as unpredictable as the weather in Scotland…
Can this device match your daily paper? Well, your eyes are your zoom, while you can zoom up to 200 percent with this beast. The Reader weighs about 250g and, unlike your Daily Mirror, comes with a rechargeable battery pack. You cannot find it in newsstands. An estimated 64MB memory can store up to 80 (average size) books; there are optional SD cards or MemorySticks as well. So that, like its iRex competitor, it’s more than a newspaper: you can read your Harry Potter collection while on the tube using the same device - Sony has dealt with big players like Penguin, HarperCollins, or Random House. In addition, MP3 (not encrypted) capability is present –as everywhere- and also PDF, at long last.
Use the Sony "Connect Software", browse the "Connect Store" and transfer to the Reader. So for the time being, it is not provided with a true autonomous download capability –it could have been a 3G phone or a mobile connected device. But no, not yet. In addition, there’s a file conversion to the in-house BBeB format when you download your personal documents, blogs, and others…
...Will this be your next book or newspaper?
Now the big question: so far, so bad for eBooks or ePapers in the marketplace. The reason? Well, apart from the fact that it’s difficult to stir up mentalities and customs just by snapping fingers, and the looming question of DRMs is hanging around. People will want to be able to freely read whatever, whenever. One of the paradoxes of this CES 2006 is that, while technical and commercial offers from the PC and the Media worlds converge, and lines are blurred, what is inside the pipes, i.e. the content is subject to a media moguls' ultra-defensive, short-sighted approach that is translated into a lack of confidence of consumers.
We’ll know soon, probably before the end of 2006, if these –otherwise technically amazing- gems can make their way through our little, scary brain cells.
Visit Sony website here