Sony PRS 700

In october 2008 Sony launched the latest incarnation of their eBook Reader (PRS 700) on the american market. And just as with previous models, it is more than difficult for non-americans to get hold of one.

The largest innovation was the touch-screen. That feature allows better interaction with the text. For example it is now possible to write notes in the books. However as its done by tapping on an on screen keyboard, it fails to impress compared to the iRex. The number of buttons has been reduced, but the interface is still intuitive and accessible. The screen appears more fuzzy - a consequence of the touch screen solution chosen. As a small compensation reading lights has been added. It reduces the battery lifetime significantly, and the announced battery lifetime must have been measured under very ideal conditions. The build in memory is a bit larger than the previous device, 384 MB, which is an increase of 174 MB. Books do not take up much space, but in a world with cheap 8 GB SD-cards, it does feel a bit cramped.

Facts:
Display: 6", 600x800 pixels (167 ppi) eInk with 8 grey levels
Battery Life: 7500 pages
Memory: 384 MB
Size: 175x128x10 mm
Weight: 283 g