Today is a busy one for Sony, but it hasn’t forgotten its little ebook reader. While unveiling a slew of new phones, cameras, tablets, and other gadgets at the IFA tech show in Berlin, Sony slipped in the latest version of its new E Ink ebook reader.
There are no huge surprises, but Sony has packed in a few extras:
- Quick Charge: If you charge the new Reader for three minutes, Sony claims the battery will last long enough to read a 600 page book.
- Screen: Like the Kindle Paperwhite, the new Reader has a 6-inch 1024 x 768 pixel E Ink screen.
- Storage: 2GB of onboard ebook storage (about 1200 books) with MicroSD card support.
- EPub: Sony supports the open EPub format, meaning you can get ebooks from anywhere, not just Sony’s store.
- Battery Life: Like usual, you can squeeze about 2 months of battery life out of a full charge, assuming you turn Wi-Fi off and use the Reader 30 minutes a day.
You can find a few more details in Sony’s full press release. The Reader comes in white, black, and red. You can also pick up covers for it from Sony. It doesn’t appear that Sony has included a back or front light, which means the Nook and Kindle are still better options for those who read in the dark.
The Sony Reader doesn’t yet have a US release date, but it will come to Europe in “September.”
