Sony has announced two new variables to the eBook equation: they have the Reader Pocket Edition and the Reader Touch Edition. Both use the E Ink Vizplex electronic paper display technology, and run Sony's eBook Library software 3.0 (with support for Apple Macintosh as well as PCs, supporting Adobe PDF, Microsoft Word, BBeB files, or other text file formats on the Reader).
The Reader Pocket Edition (pictured) has a five-inch electronic paper display, in a chassis available in rose pink or silver finishes. Aimed at commuters and readers on the go, Sony states the device can store approximately 350 standard eBooks, providing up to two weeks of reading on a battery charge.
The Reader Touch Edition features a responsive, menu-driven six-inch touchscreen panel that is intended to enable quick, intuitive navigation, page turning, highlighting and note taking (via swipes of a finger or the included stylus) via the virtual keyboard. It also includes an onboard Oxford English Dictionary that defines a word with one tap. tapping on it, and there are expansion slots for Memory Stick PRO Duo and SD cards. It comes in black or silver.
See also: Electronics Weekly's guide to the iPhone 3G
"We now have the most accessible devices on the market and our goal is to get these devices into the hands of as many people as possible, enabling them to read the content they want, when they want it - whether they buy it, borrow it, or get it for free," claimed Omar Gurnah, category manager for Reader for Sony UK.
In terms of availability, you can pre-order them from sony.co.uk and Sony Centres. There is no word on pricing. More information from the Sony eBook reader website.
iRex, Elonex, Nintendo and, of course, Amazon's Kindle, are other competitors in the marketplace.