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With the Sony Reader, Sony is either bravely or foolishly taking a stab at improving a product that has been resistant to change for hundreds of years: the book. Sony isn't the first company to attempt bringing the book into the electronic age, but it could be the most successful, thanks to the glare-free, almost paper-like look of the screen.

Sony's Reader uses a new on-screen printing technology called E-Ink, which gives letters the crispness of printed fonts and the rest of the screen the matte look of paper. Sure, you always know you're looking at an electronic gadget, but the effect is calm and readable, much better than browsing text on a PDA.

The device measures 6.9 x 4.9 x 1/2 inches and features a large six-inch diagonal screen. It comes with a smooth leather-like cover—you'll want to use this because it make the Reader feel more like a book and it protects the device from scratches. Anyway, it only adds a hair to the overall size. It weighs 9 ounces with the cover.

Its 64 MB of integrated memory is enough to hold a few books as well as songs and photos. Sony says the battery is good for 7,500 page turns, which is a little difficult to quantify. We're not sure how many hours of average reading that translates into, but the battery gauge on the lower left of the screen lets you know when you’re running low. Expect the Reader to last for several long reading sessions before needing a charging. Getting a full charge takes four hours.


Sony Reader's Main Menu Features
Sony has kept the controls minimal, to keep the device simple, nearly as simple as an actual book. The Reader fits into the soft cover with a snap on the back, and you hold it like an actual book. You can hold it two-handed or fold the front cover back and hold it with one hand.

The device has two sets of page turn buttons, one on the mid-left side and one on the lower left. Also on the left front is a Size button that lets you alternate between three sizes of text. If you hold the Size button down for five seconds, the screen changes from portrait to landscape orientation (in other words, from vertical to horizontal). Just beneath the lower page turn button, you'll find a button for marking pages on the screen. When you hold the Mark button down, you fold a virtual corner.

On the right front, you'll find a tiny joystick that moves your onscreen selection arrow. Click the lower right part of the ring around this joystick to go up one level in the menu structure. Ten numbered buttons in a row underneath the screen let you quickly select from on-screen lists.


Text is crisp and readable.

System controls are located on the left side of the device. You'll find volume buttons and an on/off switch. Be sure to turn the Reader off when you're not using it, as it doesn't turn off automatically after a certain amount of time.

The top left side holds a flap which covers the memory card door. You can save a whole library on it if you plug in a Sony Memory Stick Pro or Duo (with an adapter) up to 4 GB or an SD memory card up to 2GB. Memory cards aren't included.

Sony Reader's bottom edge holds the mini-USB port for transferring files, the power jack, and the headphone jack. The Reader doesn't have a speaker, so you'll need to use headphones if you want to listen to music. The bottom also holds a dock connector, for those who purchase the optional dock. There are no controls on the top or right edges. That makes the Reader a little easier to hold if you're right handed; there are no buttons to push accidentally.


Sony Reader also plays audio tracks.

The main menu lists 10 options, which you select with the joystick or the numbered buttons. The top six deal with electronic books, letting you continue reading where you left off, view your books by title, author, or date added, or view a list of bookmarks that you've created. The lower options let you open a song or photo, or change the Reader's settings.

The cursor moves slowly, which forces you into a relaxed mood. Ghosting often appears on the screen, even after you turn the Reader off, although it's not a problem with the screen, just a side-effect of the E-Ink. It goes away the next time you turn a page.

Software
You get new books on your Sony Reader by buying them from the Sony Connect online store ebooks.connect.com, which is accessible through the included software. The store offers over 12,000 titles in all genres, with prices ranging from a few dollars to the high teens. You'll find new releases slightly cheaper than physical versions.


Pictures display in black and white on the screen.

The included software lets you organize your books, as well as music tracks and text documents that you want to load on the Reader. The software is a too basic, however, forcing you to drag and drop items, rather than offering synchronization controls. The online store also shows little design, and is little more than an illustrated list of titles you can purchase.

Performance
Reading from the Sony Reader is easy, thanks to the crispness of the text and the easy button layout. The screen flashes black whenever you change pages or menus, which is jarring at first, but you'll quickly get used to it. The Reader isn't for dimly lit conditions, though, as it lacks backlighting. We're surprised the developers left out something so obvious. Maybe they couldn't get backlighting to look good with the E-Ink.

You can load PDF, TXT, or DOC files into the Reader, as well, although PDFs are typically created as 8 1/2- by 11-inch sheets, and reproduce too small to be readable on the device. Text documents come through just fine. Audio (MP3 or AAC) sounds surprisingly good on the Reader, with a good tone only slightly lacking in bass. Photos come through in black and white, so they're not that impressive on the Reader's screen.


Sony Reader with the optional cover closed.

The Sony Reader performs well, but it faces two big hurdles it may never overcome. One, it's expensive at $349. That's a lot for a book replacement. And two, dedicated readers will probably always prefer the feeling and romance of a book. While the Reader is well done, some things just can't be replaced.