Tonight:
4°c
First review: E-book that turns pages with a touch
Mark Prigg, Science and Technology Editor26 Aug 2009
An electronic book that allows readers to turn pages by flicking a finger across the screen is to go on sale in Britain next month.
The Sony Reader Touch is the first e-book to use a touchscreen, and can store up to 350 books.
Readers can make notes on pages using a stylus or their finger, and can save them for printing. The e-book also includes a dictionary, so users can see the meaning of a word by tapping it.
Sony hopes that by launching the e-book in Britain it can head off competition from Amazon, which is believed to be planning to launch its Kindle e-book here later this year.
Apple is also believed to be readying a table computer that can work as an e-book. However, Sony said it currently has “no plans” to release a larger reader with wireless capabilities in Britain, despite announcing its American launch yesterday.
In the US, the firm has deals with 46 newspapers, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today, for the seven-inch screen gadget, which will cost about £249.
In Britain, the electronics giant has joined Waterstone's to supply books for the reader, and is working with local libraries to allow users to borrow works. It has put hundreds of out of copyright books, including The Jungle Book, Pride And Prejudice, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland and Great Expectations, available for free download online.
“From a standing start, e-books have become a multi-million-pound part of Waterstone's business, and the fastest growing area of the book trade in less than 12 months,” said Neil Jewsbury, Waterstone's commercial director.
He believes e-books will soon rival their paper counterparts in terms of sales: “We are approaching a time when it will be as normal to be able to buy an e-book from Waterstone's as it is to buy a hardback or paperback.”
Sony also unveiled a smaller, cheaper version of the original reader at £179, although it has no touchscreen, and just a five-inch screen.
“Since last year's hugely successful launch of our first Reader in the UK, we have watched the e-book market go from strength to strength,” said Omar Gurnah of Sony UK.
First review
Sony reader touch £249
3/5
Sony's new e-book is a huge improvement on its predecessor, and is fast and simple to use.
The screen is superb, and the e-ink technology means battery life is pretty decent. For students, the ability to take notes is also a real winner — if you can get textbooks electronically.
Sony has also wisely opened up the device to more book formats, so getting hold of new books should be far easier.
Overall, the reader is the best e-book on sale in the UK today. However, it is still sadly lacking the real killer feature — a wireless connection allowing you to read magazines and newspapers, as well as download new books on the go.
Reader views (2)
Great idea but why are ebooks so expensive when there are no paper, printing, shipping and store costs involved?
- Terry, Ealing, UK, 26/08/2009 23:33
Report abuse
No more worries about reading under the duvet after lights out then! 
- Isabel, Woking, 26/08/2009 16:44
Report abuse
