On the road again? No problem.
If you're following Willie Nelson on tour, or, you know, doing some other sort of traveling, you might want to bring a book with you. If it's a cross-country tour (or an extra-long layover on your business flight), you might want to bring several. You need an e-reader. These handy devices let you fit thousands of books in the space taken up by one hardback. But, there's a fatal flaw with most e-readers. What happens if you're four days into your tropical getaway, and you finish your book? Sure, you could choose a new book, but the one you just finished was so good, you need the sequel. With most e-readers, that means digging out your laptop, finding a Wi-Fi hotspot, going to the online bookstore, buying the book, downloading it your computer, then finally transferring it to your e-reader for reading. Too much, says Sony. Their Reader Daily Edition lets you find that book you're craving without ever leaving your beach chair (or the autograph line). The PRS-950 includes free 3G access (through AT&T), allowing you to access the Reader Store to download your favorite free or for-purchase books while you're mobile. That's right, FREE 3G. It's a huge step forward for e-readers. With the new Reader Daily Edition, you won't be able to wait to get on the road again.
Fear not!
After reading that you can access the Reader Store while on the road, you might find yourself suddenly scared. What if you're in the mood for some obscure reading? Or perhaps, you're looking to put your textbook on your e-reader, but it's not available from the Reader Store. Not to worry. The Reader Daily Edition should have no problem reading the text of your choice. If the book you want isn't in the Reader Store, you'll just need to transfer it to your Reader Daily Edition from your computer instead of downloading it wirelessly. Since there are millions of books available from the Reader Store, chances are that this is a problem you'll never have, but you never know. Maybe your friend wants to have you read a copy of her latest writing project, and you don't want to lug around a hard copy. You can simply upload it to your PRS-900BC and put it in your pocket. After all, the Reader Daily Edition supports ePub and PDF documents protected by Adobe DRM as well as Unsecured ePub, PDF, TXT, RTF, and even Word documents if you convert Word from your PC to the Reader. This means that it can read practically any English publication, so whatever you want to read, you can with the Reader Daily Edition. On top of the words themselves, images for covers and illustrations are supported in the JPEG, PNG, GIF, and BMP formats. And on top of that, you can play back non-encrypted MP3 and AAC files, so just hook up a pair of headphones and you can jam out to Rob Zombie while reading Pride and Prejudice if you're of a bent to. Whatever you feeling like reading, the Reader Daily Edition's got you covered.
Your daily dose
However, books aren't the only thing you read in your day-to-day life. You may also be interested in getting the morning news, stock reports, and editorials on the latest political happenings. And you'd rather not lug around traditional newspapers and magazines next to your digital book collection. So, Sony has teamed up with a wide variety of publishers to allow you to purchase subscriptions to your favorite periodicals. And here's the best part: many of those publications will update automatically with your 3G coverage, so you can get up-to-date news without having to link up to your computer. There are plenty of publications available. In fact, Sony has teamed up with the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post to make Reader the premier carrier of their digital content. With a subscription to their publications and a Reader Daily Edition, you can get up-to-date news delivered right to your e-reader wirelessly. Now that's cool.
Days on end
Truth be told, though, a wireless e-reader could be a very pointless invention, if not designed carefully. After all, what good would an e-reader that can download books wirelessly be if you had to charge it every five hours? You might as well just update it when it charges! However, Sony's Reader Daily Edition is not a pointless invention by any stretch of the imagination. Its rechargeable battery can last up to two and a half weeks when the wireless connection is turned off. That's around 12,000 page turns! With wireless turned on, you can still get up to a full week of reading without having to plug in. So if you're on a weekend excursion, there's no need to even bring your laptop with you. The Reader's battery will last. Just remember though, battery life will depend on several factors, like the how many times your battery has been recharged, how much wireless service you have, and how often you read. But even for voracious readers, chances are that the PRS-950's battery can keep up with your perusal of fine literature.
Two weeks? How?
If you've got a laptop or a netbook, you may be wondering how on earth the Reader Daily Edition is able to achieve such astounding life spans without needing recharged. After all, your computer's screen isn't much bigger, and it never lasts a full day of use, much less a week. Surely, these numbers are made up or manipulated by placing the Reader under perfectly ideal conditions, like never being turned on, right? Good guess, but no. The numbers are realistic. Here's what separates the Reader Daily Edition from your notebook: the screen. While computers use bright, backlit LED screens, the Reader Daily Edition has no backlight, and it uses a totally different display technology. It's called E Ink Vizplex. Here's how it works: instead of using energy to constantly display the image while it reads, and a backlit to make the image visible, E Ink actually uses energy to rearrange tiny ink particles to form the display you see. Once it's set, it stays until it's moved again without using additional energy. And it doesn't require a backlight. Pretty clever, huh?
Just like the real deal . . .
Of course, E Ink Vizplex isn't just good for prolonging battery life. Most backlit displays are a serious eyestrain. E Ink, on the other hand, provides a natural, high-contrast picture without putting your eyes through unnecessary trials and tribulations. And since it's not backlit, it's easy to read in naturally-lit environments, like that beach chair we were talking about. And unlike some e-readers, the Reader Daily Edition has quick page turns for a more natural reading experience than the multi-second delays on some models.
. . . or even better!
Sure, the natural contrast of the E Ink Pearl v220 display makes the Reader Daily Edition as easy to read as a standard paperback, but in a lot of ways, the experience is actually better on the PRS-950 than with a traditional book. For example, with the Reader, you get to choose to read in portrait, or landscape. And with landscape, you can view a comfortable two-page layout. You can also choose your font size from six different sizes. With a bound book, you can hold it closer, or hold it farther away. You won't have to worry about one side of the book blocking the light on the other page, either, so you can read comfortably from any position you choose. Plus the Reader Daily Edition will display book illustrations in up to 16 shades of grey. And perhaps best-of-all, the Reader Daily Edition has built in copies of two different English dictionaries and ten different international dictionaries. so you can look up words any time without toting a dictionary. If you thought that the digital Reader couldn't match the ease-of-use for a good-ol' paperback, think again.
CAN touch this
The Reader Daily Edition isn't for everyone though. For example, M.C. Hammer probably isn't a fan of the 7" touch screen. The display makes it easy to flip pages with the swipe of a finger, browse books quickly, and much more. The PRS-950 includes a stylus, which is great since a virtual keyboard is available for things like searching the Reader Store. But even better than that, you can add notes to the margins just like with a real book, or highlight passages. You can even upload your notes to your computer with the included software. With the Reader Daily Edition, you CAN touch this.
It goes without saying, but why not be redundant?
If you've ever looked into e-readers, you probably already know the biggest advantage they have over books, but it doesn't hurt to reiterate. A single e-reader, like the Reader Daily Edition from Sony can hold thousands of books while taking up the space of one. It's less than an inch thick, and under a pound, but it has about 4GB of built-in memory to hold thousands of books, even long ones, plus a music mix for your reading. However, if you've been reading chapter books since kindergarten, or you have an extensive music playlist for your literary pursuits, you'll want to store even more. The PRS-950 still has you covered. It offers dual expansion slots for Memory Stick Duo and SD cards up to 32GB. That's enough to hold more than some people will read in a lifetime!
System requirements
General: OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Basic/ Home Premium/ Professional/ Ultimate. Microsoft Windows Vista (32-bit or 64-bit) Home Basic/ Home Premium/ Business/ Ultimate with Service Pack 1 or later. Microsoft Windows XP (32-bit only) Home Edition/ Professional/ Media Center Edition 2004 & 2005 with Service Pack 2 or later. Mac OS X version 10.6, 10.5.6 or later, 10.4.11 or later. CPU: 800 MHz Celeron class processor or better for Windows. Intel, Power PC G3, G4, or G5 processor for Mac. RAM: 128 MB or more (minimum 512 MB for Windows Vista). Free space on hard disc: 20 MB or more, but depending on the content amount, more space may be required. Monitor: High Color or more, 1024 x 768 pixels or more (True Color, 1280 x 1024 pixels or more recommended). Other devices: USB port (High-Speed USB Compatible). Internet connection (broadband recommended, some fees may apply) is also required on your computer.
What's in the box?
Included with the Reader Daily Edition is the Reader Daily Edition, a USB cable and quick start guide.
Sony Reader PRS-950 SC (April 05, 2011)
| Ease of Use |
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(4/5.0) |
|---|---|---|
| Value |
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(4/5.0) |
| Performance |
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(5/5.0) |
| Overall Rating |
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(5/5.0) |
Reviewed By: Jerry S. - West Allis, WI
Reader is as listed, had some problems with wifi staying connected, had to change channel due to local interferince. Sony book store & software are not so usable. Limited extras for this model, Now only 1,book cover from sony and no choice of color??? do not know why, no answer reason from Sony Style. wanted a cover WLight . disc.....
awesome e-book reader (February 21, 2011)
| Ease of Use |
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(5/5.0) |
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| Value |
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(5/5.0) |
| Performance |
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(5/5.0) |
| Overall Rating |
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(5/5.0) |
Reviewed By: Charlie - Buffalo, NY
I shopped around for a few months, reading reviews, and looking at readers in stores to compare them. Deciding on the SONY Reader 950 was the best decision ever. The battery life is superb, reading non-stop for 3 weeks without a recharge, with quick page turns and bookmarking. I have it linked to my wireless router at home as well as at work. I have a few sites set up in favorites for quick internet browsing. They work great once you get past the black and white. The software has also recently been updated. I like that I can obtain e-books from a wide range of places. Currently, I have books from SONY, Kobo, Barnes and Noble, many online e-book sites, the public library 14 day automatic return, and various audio book sites. My newspapers get delivered wirelessly to me and they read well. The range of reading options help with reading many of the pdf documents, journal articles, and pdf books which I also have saved. Initially I used the SONY reader library software, but then I discovered Calibre which is great for those who want more options for managing their e-books. There is no screen glare unlike the previous version which I was initially considering. I also got the built in book light case which makes it great for reading in the dark. So far I have a little over a hundred books on the main memory and I am not even close to maxing it out. I have an external card on which I have pictures and music albums saved. Music sounds well and I use it at airports etc where I drown out peoples chatter when I am trying to read. Three months now and no problems. This is a great device.
Sony E-Reader, Daily Reader (December 29, 2010)
| Ease of Use |
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(4/5.0) |
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| Value |
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(4/5.0) |
| Performance |
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(5/5.0) |
| Overall Rating |
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(4/5.0) |
Reviewed By: nick g. - hyde park, NY
top nothch ,,easy to read,, sony quality all the way around,, great gift,,!! would highly recommend over the Nook or Kindle black and white,
For all Gadgetholics! (November 29, 2010)
| Ease of Use |
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(5/5.0) |
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| Value |
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(5/5.0) |
| Performance |
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(5/5.0) |
| Overall Rating |
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(5/5.0) |
Reviewed By: Marie R. - Smyrna, GA
Anyone who hasnt seen or played with the Sony eReader needs to take some time to get their hands on one and fool with it! These are amazing little gadgets for the always-hungry book reader. You can download and read anywhere...in any light...and there are so many ways to access something new to read!
Very Pleased (November 24, 2010)
| Ease of Use |
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(5/5.0) |
|---|---|---|
| Value |
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(3/5.0) |
| Performance |
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(5/5.0) |
| Overall Rating |
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(5/5.0) |
Reviewed By: judy w. - circleville, OH
I have been very pleased with the new Sony e-reader. It is very easy to set up to use. I download a lot of books from my Public Library and the ability to listen to music while I read a book is a nice plus. Once they have the update available to download from the Library directly to the e-reader it will make downloading even faster.
Comparison Specifications
- High-quality aluminum body
- 24% lighter than its predecessor
- Anti-glare touchscreen; finger- and stylus-enabled user interface
- 7" high-contrast E Ink Pearl V220 display
- Wi-Fi and free 3G wireless connectivity (Limited browser Wi-Fi only)
- Newspaper clipping feature
- Wikipedia (Wi-Fi only)
- 2GB internal memory stores up to 2000 books
- Memory Stick PRO Duo and SD memory card slots for expanded storage
- Audio playback capability
Additional Specifications
- Embedded multilingual dictionaries (2 English and 10 translation dictionaries)
- Text and handwritten annotation features
- Intelligent zoom (Instand zoom; multiple page creation)
- Customizable content collection management
Dimensional Specifications
- Dimension: 6.38" W x 2.28" H x 9.84" D
- Weight: 1.23oz
Sony PRS950SC Reader Daily Editon Warranty Details
Limited manufacturer's warranty: 1 year parts, 90 days labor
