Many months ago when we broke the news Sony was working on a new 6 inch e-reader to replace the aging PRS-650, we reported that it would have Wi-Fi and connect up to the Sony e-Reader store. We also reported it would be running the Google Android OS. It turns out we were right on both fronts and the new Sony PRS-T1 e-reader is in fact running the Google Android OS.
Engadget was on the scene at IFA in Berlin today and reported that the new Sony Reader Wi-Fi has a heavily disguised version of Android OS. This follows in a similar vein from industry stalwarts like Barnes and Noble, whose e-readers have been running Android since the beginning.
The new Sony Reader has a six inch Pearl display with IR technology that allows you to pinch and zoom on any text. It has a resolution of 600×800 pixels and has 16 levels of gray scale. It has 1.3 GB of internal memory and you can further expand it up to 32 GB via the Micro SD card.
You will get some bonus content and features as well! The big one is being able to borrow books from the library right off of the device via the wireless connection. Most library books you borrow have to be sent to your PC first and then transferred to your reader via Adobe Digital Editions. With this new Sony Reader you can have the books sent right to your device, making it very easy for people new to e-readers. It will also come bundled with a gift voucher for a free ebook from Pottermore.com and it also has access to Wikipedia and Google Books.
It will be out in October in the USA, Canada, Japan, and the UK for around $139, which keeps it competitive with Amazon, Kobo, and B&N.
via engadget
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.
