PRS-T1 Sony T1 is Android

[sonyreaderfan]

From Engadget

http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/31/s...inch-e-reader/

"Update: We now have confirmation that this reader is running on a heavily disguised Android (which is somewhat hinted by the buttons, anyway), so yeah, let the rooting begin!"

Wasn't there some debate in this forum by an author of a ereader blog saying that a competing blog that scooped this rumor is unworthy, untrustworthy, etc. ?

I guess that author has to eat crow

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by sonyreaderfan

From Engadget

http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/31/s...inch-e-reader/

"Update: We now have confirmation that this reader is running on a heavily disguised Android (which is somewhat hinted by the buttons, anyway), so yeah, let the rooting begin!"

Wasn't there some debate in this forum by an author of a ereader blog saying that a competing blog that scooped this rumor is unworthy, untrustworthy, etc. ?

I guess that author has to eat crow

Not really, no. Goodereader.com turned out to still be liars when they were caught with a sockpuppet here on MobileRead. I may have been wrong about one detail but goodereader.com were still caught in a major lie.

[trekchick]

Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

[Ashjuk]

Originally Posted by sonyreaderfan

...Wasn't there some debate in this forum by an author of a ereader blog saying that a competing blog that scooped this rumor is unworthy, untrustworthy, etc. ?

I guess that author has to eat crow

What is they say - "People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones!"

[gardenstate]

I currently do not own a device with Android and wondered....

If the new Sony reader could be "rooted" for the Android OS,
-could it allow access to all or just specific apps that are available?
-it's advantage over the current crop of tablets would be long battery life through the use of grayscale eink and wi-fi?

Any other advantages/disadvantages?

thanks.

[The-eBook-Reader]

Originally Posted by gardenstate

If the new Sony reader could be "rooted" for the Android OS,
-could it allow access to all or just specific apps that are available?
-it's advantage over the current crop of tablets would be long battery life through the use of grayscale eink and wi-fi?

Any other advantages/disadvantages?

thanks.

Basically the main benefit is that you can install a bunch of other ereading apps like Kindle, Nook, Aldiko, etc. Plus any other apps that don't require a lot animations or screen refreshes like note apps, news apps like Google Reader, web browsers, some games. I've gotten a bunch different apps to work on my rooted Nook Touch. But it doesn't have multi-touch or audio support. I'm hoping that the new Sony runs Android 2.1 or higher like the Nook so it would be even better. For one, Aldiko needs pinch-to-zoom to work for PDFs. Plus the new Sony has the extra hardware buttons that will come in handy too.

[Rand Brittain]

If this were so, would it mean that "What version of ADE is it running?" would not be a valid question?

[Kolenka]

Originally Posted by Rand Brittain

If this were so, would it mean that "What version of ADE is it running?" would not be a valid question?

Still a valid question. The RMSDK runs on multiple base OSes. Sony has been using Linux in the past, and Android is really a flavor of Linux. The Nook, despite running Android still uses the RMSDK as far as I can tell. I don't see why Sony would be any different.

[readingglasses]

We don't know that it is android. Just the word "confirmation" on that engadget article. No official or reliable anything, all rumor.

What a non plus update of their line up it is! It fixes the most glaring problems with the earlier firmware (improves font handling, wifi) which ALL the competitors had already solved.
If it's rootable, and if android apps work nicely on it, then it'll be killer. Naturally we all want it to be easily rootable.
If not and if it just makes the prs+ project harder, it's almost worse than nothing. 50 grams less in my pocket, yay.

If it is rootable, then just really, really dumb of sony not to make it android app compatible from the get go. It's not a phone and it can't replace/threaten their xperia offering. But it would be an obvious attraction over anyone, even the nook, if it could be sold as "easy to add a thousand apps, except gps or photo based activities". And it doesn't threaten their tablet because it's comparatively small and black and white and slow.
They aren't selling at a rich man's price point anymore anyway, esp. in america. So long as they're going to try to be popular, why miss out on this, what the heck?

[readingglasses]

the kindle has an sdk and runs more "apps" than the sony. the kindle is a kludgey, format crippled, proprietary piece of crap compared to the sony and yet amazon can give it software that is more functional than sony, a microprocessor manufacturer.

What the heckarooni is going on?

[Scarpad]

The only real benefit to Android is rooting and thats if you need to run other reader apps. Since I remove the DRM off of everything I buy it doesnt matter much to me I buy my readers to be readers not tablets

[Kolenka]

Originally Posted by readingglasses

the kindle has an sdk and runs more "apps" than the sony. the kindle is a kludgey, format crippled, proprietary piece of crap compared to the sony and yet amazon can give it software that is more functional than sony, a microprocessor manufacturer.

What the heckarooni is going on?

It's all about focus and priority. I care about a solid reading experience above all else in a reader. Make it an iPod of eBook readers and you have my money. So throwing an SDK at something might make some to say "more functional", but others will say, "it still doesn't do what it should do as well as it should" and call it "less functional".

[jshzh]

Does Android mean there is possibility to have customized dictionaries and support for more ebook formats, for instance, djvu?

If so, my pocketbook 602 might need to retire.

[kartu]

Going android is VERY different from what has been done in previous models.
Kinoma (company that has actually developed software for the readers) has its own framework with a lot of existing code that was updated when going from model to model, but never rewritten from scratch. That code would not benefit in any way from "going android".

I don't see any rationale of doing it, besides having flashy marketing buzzword.

(which is somewhat hinted by the buttons, anyway

[Kolenka]

Originally Posted by kartu

Going android is VERY different from what has been done in previous models.
Kinoma (company that has actually developed software for the readers) has its own framework with a lot of existing code that was updated when going from model to model, but never rewritten from scratch. That code would not benefit in any way from "going android".

I don't see any rationale of doing it, besides having flashy marketing buzzword.

One benefit is that Android is mobile-oriented with a larger set of developers working on the foundation of it. This means potential access to more mobile drivers, more chipsets and so on without sinking as much effort having to do all the integration yourself.

And I'm not sure it'd all have to be written from scratch to go to Android, since Linux is the foundation for both. As an OEM, they aren't exactly restricted to Java apps like Google does with ISVs to get onto the Google Market.