Contrast – The Sony Flex OLED Reader Of The Future?

Sony’s Contrast* Flex OLED Reader is a super-thin Reader product concept. We were able to catch footage of its introduction video at Sony’s exhibit during CES 2009. We are assuming that Sony is assuming OLED will be the preferable choice of display for future Reader devices instead of E-Ink. Bendable material simulates the flexible reading experience from a book. Could you imagine bending a Flex OLED display to quickly flip pages, or bend the corners of each page to go through more pages? This Flex OLED reader incorporates durable Flex OLED display and high performance bioplastic.

This is an electronic Reader that could happen in five to ten years, according to chatter overheard at CES. We have no idea if Sony is going to stay this course, but it is being prototyped in Sony labs so its a good indication that yes, we will have something very similar to this one day. We can assume that such a slim, almost paper thin design like this would be most certainly possible considering flash miniaturization and other component optimization. Enjoy.

* – A seldom discussed portion of Sony’s CES 2009 exhibit is a new series of products that is referred to as Contrast. This product line is the future of Sony, as it incorporates three main technologies: OLED, touch, and physical flexibility. There were three products displayed – a Flex OLED Walkman, Reader, and VAIO laptop. engadget had some real pictures, but they were just mockups. Now we’re bringing video to the table – video we were able to capture after CES was closed on day 2 that shows off the functionality of these new products. Keep an eye out tomorrow afternoon for the last video in this segment – the Flex OLED VAIO Laptop.

OLED display capabilities in terms of color reproduction are far beyond the average LCD, which means 100% color reproduction across a wider viewing angle. Want to learn more about Flex OLED? Watch this.

This video is a Sony Insider exclusive, brought to you here first. Props to engadget for the IRL pics though.

Red Reader now available in UK via John Lewis

The Sangria Red edition of the PRS-505 Reader will be making its debut in the UK very shortly courtesy of an exclusive deal with department store John Lewis. The red version of Sony’s second-gen Reader has been on sale in the US for a couple of months now and comes with a slimline red case  (shown above) or an alternative thicker red leather case available to purchase separately. The only color available to date in the UK has been the silver model. The retail price for the red edition will be £199 (the same price as the silver variant currently available).

Meanwhile in the US the exclusive 007 edition of the PRS-505 we announced a while back should now be on sale via SonyStyle. The Ian Fleming Limited Edition comes with an exclusive 007 embossed cover and a download code for two free ebook Bond titles in addition to the 100 free classics available with every edition of the Reader. The store link can be found here.

Debbie Macomber Special Edition Reader Digital Book

Available now, the Special Edition Debbie Macomber Reader Digital Book bundle includes two eBook coupon codes for eBook download discounts and a free download bundle from The eBook Store from Sony. It also includes a custom skin from SkinIt and access to download the Cedar Cove map, a letter from Debbie and two knitting patterns.

Bundle includes:

• Reader Digital Book
• An eBook code for one bundle download of the first six titles in the Cedar Cove Series from bestselling women’s fiction author, Debbie Macomber. Titles include: 16 Lighthouse Road, 204 Rosewood Lane, 311 Pelican Court, 44 Cranberry Point, 50 Harbor Street, 6 Rainier Drive
• An eBook code for 30% off of one download of each of Debbie Macomber’s three latest titles including: 74 Seaside Avenue, 8 Sandpiper Way, A Cedar Cove Christmas
• A protective skin from SkinIt that adds a unique look while reducing dust and scratches on your Reader.
• Access to download the Cedar Cove map, a letter from Debbie, and two of Debbie’s favorite knitting patterns.

Sony Reader PRS-700 Released

Since Sony launched its Reader Revolution campaign, they figured it is time to prep a new Reader and today a new model saw the light – PRS-700. A new touch screen has been embedded into its 6 inch LCD, so a book lover could easily flip pages as if it was a real book and also utilize its virtual keyboard to search for terms as well as highlight areas of interest. If this eReader really takes off in educational institutions and publishers would be willing to offer their texts in e-format, I could see a really bright future for students who are still carrying 5-10 pounds (compare it to 10 ounces Sony reader weighs) of books in their backpacks. I really think Sony needs to launch such initiative so colleges and universities could offer Sony Reader to their students for a fraction of its price tag (or follow a similar model of free iPod give away for new students).

According to the press release “The device still features high-resolution, high contrast electronic paper display technology which provides a reading experience very much akin to ink-on-paper. The result is crisp text and graphics that are highly readable, even in bright sunlight. For times when ambient light is not available, Sony is the first to offer a built-in LED reading light. Expanded memory offers enough capacity to store about 350 average digital books. Using optional removable Memory Stick Duo media or SD memory cards, this Reader can hold literally thousands of books and documents”.

“Readers now have another choice in digital books,” said Steve Haber, president of Sony’s Digital Reading Business Division. “This new model has the eye-popping design and intuitive functionality that people have come to expect from Sony.”

Let’s hope the next model will feature a color enabled e-Ink technology on OLED screen… I kid I kid, as that product would cost quiet a fortune, and folks will really stop reading at all!

Reader Revolution

It’s no secret that the world is reading less and less as the Internet becomes more prevelent – it’s truly pathetic that we are distancing ourselves more and more from the written word. Sony and Amazon are trying to change that by introducing books into the digital age, and have been somewhat successful in doing so. Sony’s Reader product has been overshadowed by the Amazon Kindle, and Sony is starting a new marketing campaign to put the Reader in the forefront once again. Sony is really trying to change the fact that half of people ages 18-24 don’t read books for pleasure, as proven by a 2007 National Endowment of the Arts study.

Sony is probably dishing out an obscene amount of money for this promotion, as they are enlisting Dave Farrow to read books on the Sony Reader around the clock in Sony’s Manhattan store. Sony writes, “For each page he reads, Sony will provide an eBook library of 100 classic titles to a school or learning institution. The goal is to give 15 million eBook titles by the end of the program. The first 100 schools to start downloading their selected classic titles will also receive and education pack of five Reader Digital Books.”

Interested folks can volunteer to give Dave Farrow a break by signing up for an specific time slot. Those who are chosen will be allowed to read a book on the Reader device in the display window at the Manhattan store. Various celebrities, authors, local dignitaries and other notables will step in and relieve Farrow throughout the month.

You are invited to join the cause by viewing Farrow’s progress online and taking the Reader virtual tour at www.sony.com/reader. They can also visit the store window in person at Datavision on Fifth Avenue at 39th Street in New York City, adjacent to the New York Public Library.

Sony Reader To Be Launched In The Netherlands in 2009

After a successful launch in the UK, the Reader continues it’s march across Europe over the coming months. Already due to hit France and Germany later this year, Sony’s PRS-505 will now be coming to The Netherlands in 2009 according to Dutch daily De Telegraaf. The article doesn’t give a lot of detail,  but the device will likely initially be sold through an exclusive deal with one of the large chains as has happened elsewhere. It will be interesting to see which chain that is as currently the largest bookseller in The Netherlands – Selexyz – which has stores such as Donner and Verwijs has an exlcusive deal to sell rival device the Iliad Irex. No news on the price, but I suspect it will be similar to that announced for other European markets (~ €299). We’ll keep you posted of any updates, but this is good news for Dutch ebook fans.

Target to Sell Sony Reader

Well, I suppose in a certain sense this is another one of those signs that tell you we are living in the preconcieved notion of the future. The Sony Reader (PRS-505) is coming to Target on September 14th, which will enable millions of consumers worldwide access to a device and therefore a technology that is absolutely brilliant. There simply isn’t enough people speaking about these devices. While Amazon’s Kindle has been more successful at gaining the public’s attention, I truly feel that if Sony was able to place this product in common stores like Target it will really establish consumer awareness. The only thing left for Sony to do is to make the software experience inside and out more enjoyable than the Kindle and provide the free wireless access.

Those who purchase the Reader at Target will receive a Sony eBook Store coupon code for a free, early download of “The Other Queen” by Philippa Gregory. The book is scheduled to hit store shelves on September 16. Target will also set up a display with Reader accessories like eBook Store prepaid cards, lighted covers, USB cables, AC chargers, and holders for those cables and chargers. Great job, Sony, set up more kiosks like this for Sony products; little touches like that really draw the consumer in.

Information courtesy of PCMag.

Sony Reader Event In NYC On October 2nd

CNet’s Crave gadget blog (who we love dearly for their consistent links to Sony Insider) left a note by their blog stating that they received an invitation to a special Sony Reader event on October 2nd in New York City. The image supplied with the invite simply states “Join Sony Electronics as we open a new chapter on digital reading.” Sony Insider has not recieved word of any new features that are set to debut with the device, so it may just be a lackluster re-run of the current features that seem to have been overshadowed by the Amazon Kindle. It would be really great if Sony would unleash something to put this device ahead of the Kindle, such as free wireless, which is totally possible as they offered such a service to Mylo users at Starbucks for a year. We’ll see what happens, so stay tuned to Sony Insider for all the deets.

Penn State University to pilot Sony Reader

Here’s a great initiative that caught my eye. Penn State University has teamed up with Sony to begin a year-long project that will start this fall, in which Penn State will pilot Sony’s latest digital book reader. Sony has donated 100 of the devices to the university libraries as part of the project which aims to “test the utility of e-books in a higher education environment”. The University is taking a fairly scientific approach to the project and will put the Reader to the test in a variety of different environments across campus, including in the libraries, in the classroom, as a tool for research projects and eventually also as a service for people with disabilities.

The leisure reading program is the first to kick off with five Readers available for borrowing by students. The devices will be pre-loaded with titles from five different categories. Each Reader may have up to fifteen books from a given category and can be borrowed for a month. The objectives of the project are not just to promote the device itself but also to allow the university and Sony to understand how people use the devices. Anne Behler, information literacy librarian says:

The Sony Reader and e-books have the potential to change everything from book acquisitions to the way patrons interact with library collections. It’s very exciting for the University Libraries to be at the forefront of this new, largely uncharted territory.

The aim is that by the end of the year both the university and Sony themselves will have a fuller understanding of how the devices have been used. Mike Furlough, assistant dean of Scholarly Communications explains that;

Libraries are moving rapidly towards the day when the majority of our collections will exist in electronic form, but while readers love the convenience of online search, they have been resistant to reading full-length books in electronic form.

I believe the Reader has great potential in the academic environment. If the relevant specialized content can be made available, I think this could take off. Being able to carry around all of your course textbooks, plus any related articles you have found on the internet for projects and assignments you are working on at the same time in a device the size of a piece of A5 paper would be amazing.

You can check out the full story at the Penn State site.

Reader Firmware Update Brings EPUB Support and PDF Reflow

Hot on the tail of the announcement yesterday by Sony that the Reader will be coming to the UK in September, we have more great news today for Reader owners or for those thinking of purchasing the unit. Sony USA today announced the release of a much anticipated firmware update for the PRS-505 that brings some great new benefits and with the newly introduced support for the EPUB format, in effect opens the Reader up to a lot more free, third party content. The other main feature of this update is new support for Adobe ebooks and improved PDF handling. Sony had this to say:

Starting next month, new Readers model PRS-505, will be able to access and accept secure and non-secure ebooks in the EPUB format. EPUB has gained acceptance among major trade book publishers, many of whom have committed to begin publishing forthcoming ebooks in the format.

Additionally, the device will support Adobe eBooks with digital rights management and have the capability to reflow standard text-based Portable Document Format (PDF) eBooks for improved flexibility and readability. These enhancements are now made possible with the support of Adobe Digital Editions 1.5 software, which is available as a free download at http://www.adobe.com/products/digitaleditions

The support for DRM-enabled Adobe PDF/Digital books is also great news and the new version of Adobe Digital Editions should support transferring titles directly on to the Reader for those who don’t wish to use the Sony Connect software (which although a little basic isn’t all that bad).

The update is available now at this page and includes the following benefits:

• Support for EPUB file format
• Support for Adobe® Digital Editions 1.5 or later and Adobe DRM-protected content Note: Requires installation of, and authorization with, Adobe Digital Editions 1.5 or later.
• Enables text within PDF eBooks to be “reflowed”. This will enlarge the text and improve the readability of text-based PDF’s
• Support for SDHC memory cards that have a capacity of more than 4 GB
• Delete eBooks directly on device
• General fixes to improve stability and performance

NB: Make sure to update the Connect software first using the link on the same page as the firmware download.

See below for the full press release.

READER DIGITAL BOOK BY SONY OPENS A NEW CHAPTER ON EBOOK FORMATS

New Format Support Paves the Way for Vast Amounts of New Content

SAN DIEGO, July 24, 2008. Sony today announced that its Reader Digital Book will be the first eBook reading device to support the EPUB format, the International Digital Publishing Forum’s XML-based standard format for reflowable digital books and publications.

Starting next month, new Readers model PRS-505, will be able to access and accept secure and non-secure ebooks in the EPUB format. EPUB has gained acceptance among major trade book publishers, many of whom have committed to begin publishing forthcoming ebooks in the format.

Additionally, the device will support Adobe eBooks with digital rights management and have the capability to reflow standard text-based Portable Document Format (PDF) eBooks for improved flexibility and readability. These enhancements are now made possible with the support of Adobe Digital Editions 1.5 software, which is available as a free download at www.adobe.com/products/digitaleditions.

“The Reader is an open device and we will continue to explore formats that will provide the widest variety of content for Reader users,” said Steve Haber, senior vice president of consumer product marketing for Sony Electronics. “This upgrade opens the door to a whole host of paid and free content from third-party eBook stores, web sites and even public libraries.”

Reader users can transfer these documents to their devices using Adobe Digital Editions software, or via the updated Sony eBook Library software that comes packaged with new Readers. Current owners of the PRS-505 model can upgrade their units now from the Sony support site:http://esupport.sony.com.

“We are excited about the support of the EPUB format, PDF reflow and Adobe Digital Editions in one of the most popular and advanced eBook reading devices,” said Dan Baum, vice president, New Business Initiatives at Adobe. “Adobe Digital Editions is transforming the digital reading experience through its support of open standards and broad content availability from retailers and libraries.”

PRS-505 model Readers will continue to support BBeB formatted eBooks offered at the Sony eBook Store.  Therefore, users can retain and grow their current collections of eBooks without having to reformat or repurchase them. All files are conveniently managed by the eBook Library software.

In celebration, Sony will introduce a limited edition red PRS-505 model. It will ship with EPUB and enhanced PDF support right out of the box. The red Reader will be available next month at SonyStyle stores and online at SonyStyle.com.