Sony Reader PRS-505 - Press Release

[NatCh]

Official Sony PRS-505 Press Release

As of this moment, there is no place to link to this which I can find, so I post it here.

SONY UNVEILS SECOND EDITION OF READER DIGITAL BOOK

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 2, 2007 -- In its version of a literary sequel, Sony Electronics is taking the cover off a new edition of its ground-breaking Reader Digital Book this month.
The new Reader (model PRS-505) features a svelte body design and is available in two colors – silver and dark blue. Re-styled controls more closely mimic paper page turns and allow for quick, intuitive navigation.
A next-generation electronic paper display delivers faster response and a higher contrast ratio for easy reading even in bright sunshine. Eight levels of gray scale provide for crisp and clear text, images, and graphics.
"For people on the go, this device is compelling because it allows them to carry a wide variety of reading materials whether they are on a cross-country flight, in a doctor's office waiting room, or at a beach resort," said Steve Haber, senior vice president of Sony's Digital Imaging and Audio Division. "The Reader can handle a stack of books and other documents that people would rather not carry, yet offers a 'book-like' reading experience unavailable with other electronic devices."
With the capacity to store up to 160 typical eBooks, the Reader can act as a mobile library. Expansion slots for Memory Stick Duo™ media or SD memory cards make the device's library potential practically limitless.
More advanced users will appreciate the new USB-based mass storage capability that allows them to use the device as a portable drive for the direct transfer of documents, images and other files to the Reader. A new auto sync feature also lets users set up folders with books and documents that can be automatically synchronized when the device is connected to a PC.

A Growing Online Store

Since Sony's launch of the CONNECT™ eBooks Store last year, the number of downloadable eBooks offered has expanded to more than 20,000 titles with new ones added weekly.
Grove/Atlantic, Harcourt Trade, Kensington, Pearson Education, The Perseus Books Group, Regnery Publishing, Taylor & Francis and W.W. Norton have joined the ranks of publishers such as Hachette Book Group USA, Harlequin, HarperCollins Publishers, Holtzbrinck Publishers, Hyperion, McGraw Hill, Penguin Group, Random House and Simon & Schuster in their commitment to electronic publishing.
Recent newcomers to the store include Reader's Digest, the first magazine to produce content for the Reader and Dorling Kindersley with titles coming soon. The site also boasts a number of Rough Guide travel titles.
The New International Version Bible by Zondervan® (a unit of HarperCollins Publishers) quickly rose to the top of the eBook store's bestseller list after it was added to the collection last month. And blockbuster authors such as Dean Koontz and Mitch Albom recently debuted electronic versions of their work to an enthusiastic response.
For a limited time, when a Reader is registered on Sony's CONNECT eBooks Store, customers will receive a credit good for the purchase of 100 available CONNECT Classics titles, including the works of William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, H.G. Wells and more.
"Since launching almost a year ago, we've confirmed that Reader owners are avid book readers and great customers of our growing selection of book titles," said Lee Shirani, vice president for eBooks at Sony CONNECT. "Publishers are responding by making more electronic titles available, and, increasingly by making them available at the same time as print versions are released.
"As a result, at any given time, we carry a majority of what's on the New York Times Bestsellers list and our weekly top downloads closely track with the most popular print titles."
The CONNECT store offers a broad selection of fiction and non-fiction, bestsellers, well-known authors, classics and more, with rich descriptive content in the form of author biographies, expert book reviews and reader commentary.

Benefits Remain the Same

The Reader's high-resolution electronic paper display delivers a realistic print look that rivals traditional paper and uses minimal power. A single battery charge provides up to 7,500 pages of continuous reading. The option to magnify the text in three sizes offers a distinct advantage for sight-impaired readers. Switching the Reader to landscape mode offers yet another level of magnification as well as a wider page view.
In addition to electronic books, the Reader can also store and display personal and business documents in Adobe PDF format (best when formatted for the Reader's display), RTF, text and JPEG images.

Pricing and Availability

The new Reader will retail for about $300 and come complete with a USB cable; eBook Library PC companion software; and a color-coordinated, protective soft cover. The Reader and optional accessories such as pink or black leather covers and an AC wall charger will be available this month direct through www.sonystyle.com, at SonyStyle® stores nationwide, Borders stores and at authorized retailers across the country. More information about Sony Reader is available online at www.sony.com/reader.

# # #

Editor's Note:. For additional information about the Reader digital book, your readers can call (888) 315-SONY, or visit Sony's web site at: www.sony.com/reader. For complete specifications and digital images, members of the news media are invited to visit Sony Electronics' news and information web site at www.sony.com/news.

Posted on behalf of Bob Russell, Alexander Turcic, and myself, by virtue of the fact that I'm in the latest time-zone so I have the easiest time staying up for the Midnight EDT deadline

[HarryT]

Excellent news that direct USB mass storage support has been added - that's a huge benefit.

Somewhat disappointing to see that there's still no word on international availability.

[Alexander Turcic]

Harry, I just replied here. As someone from the "old continent" myself I'd be more than happy if the Reader became available outside North America. But it's not something Sony seems likely to do in the short run.

[FangornUK]

What a relief it is available in a colour other than silver, shame it isn't in black! Nice to see the iTunes-like autosync feature.

[Huyggy]

Originally Posted by Alexander Turcic

Harry, I just replied here. As someone from the "old continent" myself I'd be more than happy if the Reader became available outside North America. But it's not something Sony seems likely to do in the short run.

But aren't there some solutions like the postal boxes ?
I think it's 50$ max for one month box and if I include the shipping: with the
exchange rate of the dollar, it's still interesting maybe...

[HarryT]

Oh, it's not a problem to BUY one. Lots of ways to do that - eBay, companies who ship internationally, etc. The problem arises if it goes wrong; if you live outside the US you effectively have no warranty.

[guguy]

But isn't there some solutions like the postal boxes ?
I think it's 50$ max for one month box and if I include the shipping: with the
exchange rate of the dollar, it's still interesting maybe...

Do you mean you want to receive it in a US postal box and then it will be
automatically re-sent in Europe ? How ?

[igorsk]

Here's a bunch of such services:
http://www.myus.com/
http://www.usa2me.com/
http://www.usglobalmail.com/

[Huyggy]

Thanks igorsk for the links !
But without warranty indeed you must *REALLY* trust Sony about their products...

[chatlumo]

Hello,

Do you know the customs (for duties) code for this kind of product ?
So, i would like know how could i pay as duties for France.

Thanks.

[NatCh]

It seems to get classed as a computer or a PDA most times. From comments here, I'd guess you want it classed as a PDA.

[chatlumo]

ok thansk

[jsnowden2]

I have a US address with http://www.BongoUs.com
Plan to order the silver PRS-505 in silver and have it sent out to me next week
I have always had Sony products and never a problem. They last forever.

[randyveach]

I bought a PRS-505 for my wife and I'm looking for a good library to join where I can download e-books (opposed to buying them). Any help would be appreciated.

Randy Veach
Believe in your dreams.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by randyveach

I bought a PRS-505 for my wife and I'm looking for a good library to join where I can download e-books (opposed to buying them). Any help would be appreciated.

Randy Veach
Believe in your dreams.

Where do you live? That's the big question to start with.