Sony just made the announcement today officially revealing the new Sony TRS-T1 e-reader! It will be hitting the USA at only $149, which should make it ultra competitive with Amazon, Kobo, and Barnes and Noble. The one thing Sony does well is offering its technology in many international markets, where its competition mainly focuses on the US. Sony will be offering not only its new e-reader internationally, but also its bookstore.
Sony will be opening up a new bookstore in the UK with around 100,000 ebooks to start this October. They will then be launching their German store with both English and German book titles available in November, and then available to Austria soon thereafter. Next year they will be opening stores in France, Spain, and Italy.
The strategy of Sony entering many European markets is much akin to Canadian based Kobo, which we reported on earlier this year. The big battleground for e-readers and bookstores is Europe.
We reported on the official Sony unveiling of their new e-reader a few days ago, but due to demand we are including the official specs below.
- Price: $149
- 6-inch Clear Enhanced touch screen (16-level grayscale E Ink Pearl V220 screen)
- Neonode infrared touch-screen technology (same as Nook Touch)
- 1GHz Intel processor
- Weighs 5.93 ounces
- 6.8 x 4.3 x 0.35 inches (HWD)
- MicroSD expansion slot for adding additional memory
- Built-in Wi-Fi (no 3G)
- 2 GB built-in memory (stores around 1,200 e-books)
- Text and handwritten note-taking capabilities
- Up to 5 weeks of reading on a single battery charge
- 12 embedded multilingual dictionaries (2 English language and 10 translation dictionaries)
- Six adjustable font sizes to customize
- USB 2.0 data and power connection (micro USB)
- Supports PDF, Microsoft Word, and other text file formats, as well as EPUB/ACS4 and connection with Adobe Digital Editions
- Supports public library lending in U.S. and Canada
- Reads JPEG, PNG, GIF, and BMP image files
- Reader Library software for PC and Mac
- Plays back MP3 and AAC audio files (headphone jack on board)
- Available in black, red, and white
- Limited edition PRS-T1HBC (also $149) includes a voucher to download free “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” e-book from Pottermore Web site
- Shipping in October
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
