Sony e-books - the guarantor of quality or branded "trinket"?

World-famous companies such as Sony, which manufacture electronics for the consumer market, could not stay away from the release of gadgets that have been gaining popularity in recent times - e-books. Obviously, the “fans” of Sony considered it their duty to buy the goods of their favorite brand for a set price. But is he worth his money? What are the features of the technical characteristics of the virtual readers of the company in question? And also, what top models deserve special attention of buyers and what is the reason for it? Having learned the information below, users will have no questions about the acquisition of an electronic book from Sony, which best meets the expectations in the process of its operation.

About the manufacturer

The world-famous Sony Corporation, whose main activity is the production of electronic gadgets for home, work and leisure, was founded in Japan in 1946. Over the long time the company existed, its directors were able not only to create an image of "premium quality", but also to take possession of a record label and two movie studios. At the beginning of its journey, products manufactured by Sony were loved by customers due to the introduction of innovative ideas in appearance, design, and functionality. In addition to improving its products, the Japanese "giant" hit its "fans" with modified smaller and "lite" versions of the most popular gadgets released earlier.

In 2014, it became known about the decision of the manufacturer to leave the e-book production segment due to the insufficient profitability of this type of activity. The statement did not mean the "removal" of gadgets from sales. Speaking about "curtailing" the production of readers, the Japanese corporation had in mind the suspension of the release of new models. Given the painstaking long-term work of the world's largest organization on the development and direct creation of electronics, it would seem that there should be no doubt as the products it offers in the consumer market. However, are the e-books under the Sony label really the same “guarantors” as their “shop colleagues”? What technical characteristics did Sony reward its own “reader” in its time? Let's figure it out.

About product

The gadget from a world-famous company comes in a classic minimalistic cardboard packaging, designed in most cases in black and white colors. On the front side, the buyer will find an image of the appearance of the purchased device, on the back - technical specifications and options available to use. Depending on the version of the selected basic configuration, making a purchase, the user receives from the manufacturer:

• the e-book itself;
• USB cable for “recharging” the device;
• stylus for direct work with the gadget;
• Documentation
• flashlight to illuminate the display;
• "Smart" case for storage and operation of the reader.

The appearance of the Sony e-book in most cases is presented in 5 colors: black, white, gray, navy blue, pink. Thanks to the quality plastic or metal used by the manufacturer in creating the case, the reader is compact, has an acceptable weight, pleasant to the touch, and does not slip out of the hands. The company’s logo and function buttons (“back”, “search”, “home”, “page turning” “menu”) are traditionally placed on the front panel of the device, the order of placement of which varies from the selected generation of the gadget. The edges of the book are equipped with a power button, a port for a USB cable, and audio output (on some models).

Sony has used the most popular E-Ink Pearl and Vizplex technologies to create a screen for Sony e-books.Both options provide maximum image clarity on the device’s display, the gadget’s quick response to the user's “commands” and eye comfort for long-term use of the reader in imperfect lighting. The screen size in most cases is 5-6 inches, which is a convenient size for reading books, as well as for transporting the gadget in a bag or pocket. The touch screen with the built-in Clear Touch module is most sensitive and responsive to user touch, and turning and loading pages of documents does not take much time, which is a clear advantage of Sony gadgets.

In managing an electronic reader from a Japanese brand, it will also be difficult to find flaws. The manufacturer has made his product simple, easy to use, even for a novice user. Function buttons are located in a convenient place, quickly "grope", easy to press. The "home" page of the gadget contains information about recently uploaded documents; device status; The book the user last opened Reader menu options available, including built-in browser and dictionary.

Traditionally, to start reading, you must "click" on the selected file and wait for it to load on the device. After downloading the book, the manufacturer provides the opportunity:

• "Adjust" individually the font size and type, intervals;
• create comments, notes for individual fragments;
• "Move" between the pages of a book.

According to Sony, their product lines are able to function without “recharging” up to 2 months without using Wi-Fi and up to 1.5 months with regular work with a wireless connection. This indicator is one of the best for electronics in this segment.

To open files on Sony’s “virtual” books, it’s important to make sure that the document format can be supported. The most popular for use on readers are PDF, EPUB, FB2, TXT, JPEG, BMP, GIF, PNG extensions. Despite the small number of options, the user can convert any book into an accessible format and easily download it to the device.

Special attention should be paid to the dictionary built into the gadget system by the manufacturer, which provides the opportunity not only to translate words into, most often, English, German, French, but also to get an explanation regarding the meaning of what is written. In order to get a translation or interpretation of a necessary word, it is enough to hold a finger or stylus at the place of its location in the text. Next, select the desired function and wait for a response from the application. The ease of use of the option can not but rejoice the users who preferred the reader of the Japanese brand.

Based on the above information, the buyer will be able to reasonably formulate his desire to purchase a particular model of Sony e-book. It is important, before direct investment, to analyze the selected device for the presence or absence of the advantages and disadvantages most popular for this segment of goods.

Benefits:

• compactness;
• thoughtful context menu;
• convenient built-in browser;
• stable connection to a wireless network.

Disadvantages:

• limited number of supported formats;
• lack of ability to play audio (on some models);
• replacing the display backlight with a flashlight mounted on a protective case.

Top models

To gain an understanding by the user of the feasibility of choosing between the top models of Sony e-books, it is worth paying attention to their characteristics.

PRS-T1

• Screen Type: E-Ink Pearl, Touch
• Screen size: 6 inches
• Supported formats: TXT, PDF, fb2, ePub, JPEG, BMP, GIF, PNG, MP3, AAC
• Built-in memory: 2 GB
• Memory Card Slot: yes
• Weight: 164g
• Battery: 1000 mAh
• Additional functions: built-in Wi-Fi module, the presence of page turning buttons, standard dictionaries

PRS-300 Pocket Edition

• Screen Type: E-Ink Vizplex
• Screen size: 5 inches
• Supported formats: TXT, DOC, PDF, ePub, RTF, LRF, BBeB Book
• Built-in memory: 512 Mb
• Memory Card Slot: No
• Weight: 220g
• Additional functions: the ability to charge the gadget from the network; buttons for turning pages

PRS-900 Daily Edition

• Screen Type: E-Ink Vizplex, Touch
• Screen Size: 7.1 inches
• Supported formats: TXT, DOC, PDF, ePub, RTF, LRF, JPEG, BMP, GIF, PNG, MP3, AAC
• Built-in memory: 1.6 GB
• Memory Card Slot: yes
• Battery: 1400 mAh
• Weight: 360g
• Additional functions: buttons for turning pages, audio output, 3G (for American mobile operators)

PRS-T3

• Screen Type: E-Ink Pearl HD, Touch
• Screen size: 6 inches
• Supported formats: TXT, PDF, fb2, ePub, JPEG, BMP, GIF, PNG
• Built-in memory: 2 GB
• Memory Card Slot: yes
• Battery: 1000 mAh
• Weight: 200g
• Additional functions: buttons for turning pages, case included, built-in Wi-Fi module

PRS-600 Touch Edition

• Screen Type: E-Ink Vizplex, Touch
• Screen size: 6 inches
• Supported formats: TXT, DOC, PDF, ePub, RTF, LRF, BBeB Book, JPEG, BMP, GIF, PNG, MP3, AAC
• Built-in memory: 512 MB
• Memory Card Slot: yes
• Weight: 286g
• Additional functions: buttons for turning pages, the ability to charge from the network

All Sony e-book models are high-quality “representatives” of devices in their segment. However, along with durability, in the above article some shortcomings of the products of the world famous corporation were revealed. Based on this statement, the buyer before directly making a purchase should weigh the available positive and negative features of the selected device in order to avoid disappointment from unfulfilled expectations in the operation of Sony devices.

Title	PRS-T1	PRS-300 Pocket Edition	PRS-900 Daily Edition	PRS-T3	PRS-600 Touch Edition
Type of	E-ink, Infrared, Pearl, Touch, Grayscale: 16	E-ink, Vizplex, Grayscale: 8	E-ink, Vizplex, Touchscreen, Grayscale: 16	E-ink, Infrared, Pearl HD, Touchscreen, Grayscale: 16	E-ink, Vizplex, Touchscreen, Grayscale: 8
Options	6 inches, 800x600, 167 ppi	5 inches, 800x600, 200 ppi	7.1 inches, 1024x600, 167 ppi	6 inches, 1024x758, 212 ppi	6 inches, 800x600, 167 ppi
Built-in memory	2048 Mb	512 Mb	1638 Mb	2048 Mb	512 Mb
Battery capacity	1000 mAh	-	1400 mAh	1000 mAh	-
The weight	164 g	220 g	360 g	200 g	286 g
Price	from 11900 rub.	from 5600 rub.	from 7000 rub.	from 15800 rub.	from 6000 rub.