I just posted a review of the new PRS-T1 Reader Wi-Fi ebook reader from Sony, and I mentioned that you have to have a light to read in dim or dark rooms.  That’s the nature of eInk screens – they have no backlighting, so you’ll need an external light of some sort.  I’ve had lighted cases for all my Sony readers starting with the PRS-505.  I knew I’d want one for the PRS-T1, so I ordered a Sony Reader Wi-Fi Cover with Light (model PRSA-CL10) at the same time as the reader.  Let’s give it a look.

Some of the pictures in this review can be clicked for a larger view.

The Reader Wi-Fi Cover with Light comes in black, red, and white to match the colors of the PRS-T1 readers.  I toyed with the idea of a contrasting color, but I finally decided to go with white to match my reader.  I was a bit afraid that the white would show dirt easily, but it’s stayed clean for a week now.

The cover is actually two-toned.  The front of the case has a pearlescent panel that’s shiny and smooth with a slight lined-pattern.  The Reader logo is embossed into the bottom right of this pearlescent panel.  The left quarter of the front is covered with a matte vinyl with a rubbery feel and a velvety texture.  This matte vinyl continues around the spine and covers the entire back.  It’s also found on the inside of the case.  There is no closure mechanism on this case.

The cover is about 6.75″ tall X 5.2″ wide X 0.5″ thick.  The empty cover weighs about 4.75 ounces on my digital kitchen scale.

Try as I might, I couldn’t adjust the color with my Photoshop Elements 9 program to render the colors perfectly.  The color of the rubbery vinyl is actually a cream color.  The pearlescent panel can look darker or lighter, depending on the angle of the light.

The back of the case is plain, except for the embossed Sony name.

The inside of the front flap is covered with the same matte vinyl used on the exterior.  The PRS-T1 is held in a molded plastic form that’s attached to the back cover.  This form is a light tan-colored plastic with a piece of plush fabric lining to protect the back of the PRS-T1.  The reader snaps into place and is held very securely.  To the left of the reader is an LED light on a gooseneck.  Below the light is the battery compartment.  You receive your first AAA battery with the purchase of the reader.

The reader is completely covered on the left and right sides.  The top and bottom has openings molded into the plastic form.  The bottom one allows access to all the bottom connectors and controls on the PRS-T1.

The physical buttons are easily accessible when the reader is in the case.  I find the tri-tone look of the case a bit displeasing.  I might have been happier if I had gotten a black or red case, so I wouldn’t have been expecting a better color match with the reader’s plastic chassis.

A closer look at the light shows three LEDs.  The lens has some patterning, and the LEDs seem to be inserted at different angles.  I assume this is designed to better spread the light over the surface of the reader’s screen.  Sony doesn’t give details about the LEDs, but they say you’ll get 19 hours of reading time from a single AAA battery.  Lifting the light out of the storage silo automatically turns on the light.  You use the gooseneck to position the light head over the center top of the reader.

I took this picture in a dark room using only the light from the case – no flash.  You can see that the reader’s screen is pretty evenly lighted. It’s easy to see to read the PRS-T1 for hours without eyestrain using the lighted cover.  You can adjust the position of the lighted head to put the “hot spot” up on the reader’s bezel instead of on the screen.

The front cover is just the right thickness to clip the reader’s stylus on.  The stylus is held into place well enough that it’s not going to drop off, but it can get pushed off.

I love the lighted case for my PRS-T1.  I wouldn’t be able to use the reader in a lot of places without the extra light.  I like holding the case open like a book, but you can fold the front all the way to the back if you prefer to hold the reader in one hand.  It adds weight to the reader, but it’s still light enough to hold comfortably.  I like that I can leave the case on my reader all the time, so I don’t have to dig out a clip-on light and attach it to the reader when I need some extra illumination.  I do wish the case drew its power from the reader’s battery so I wouldn’t have to carry some spare batteries around with me.

Unless you read exclusively in the direct sunlight or in extremely well-lighted places, I think you’ll want to add the Sony Reader Wi-Fi Cover with Light to your PRS-T1.  You’ll find it’s a nice cover all the time and a good source of light when you need it.

Filed in categories: eBook Readers and Gear, Reviews

Tagged: Lighted cover, Sony Reader

Sony PRS-T1 Reader Wi-Fi Cover with Light Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 29, 2011 at 8:00 am.

Sony is taking pre-orders for the new Touch (PRS-650) and Pocket (PRS-350) Edition readers.  The new readers will have “optical touch screen technology customized for Sony and licensed from Neonode Inc.”  This touch screen technology is supposed to be crystal clear, so I’m hoping the 650 model won’t be as reflective as the 600 model I reviewed last year.  The Touch model is selling for $229.99, and the Pocket Edition is selling for $179.99.  Both models show a ship date of “on or about September 16.”  I’ve ordered a Touch Edition in red (of course!) that I’ll be reviewing soon.

Filed in categories: eBook Readers and Gear, News

Tagged: Sony Reader

Sony Taking Pre-Orders for New Touch and Pocket Readers originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 7, 2010 at 1:00 pm.

Sony Touch, Daily Edition, and Pocket Readers

The Sony Style website has been updated to show three new eBook readers.  There’s no release date yet, but you can leave your email address to be notified when they are released.  All three Reader models have been updated to use the latest E-Ink Pearl technology, which offers higher contrast because of its whiter background.  There are no prices shown for any of the Readers.  All three Readers now have touch screens, and the Pocket Edition has lost its big navigation buttons.

Both the 6” Touch Edition (PRS-650) and the 5” Pocket Edition (PRS-350) offer two built-in English dictionaries and ten translation dictionaries.  Both will have 2GB internal memory, and the Touch will allow the use of SD and Memory Stick PRO Duo cards.  You can enter freehand notes with the included stylus or use the virtual keyboard in both units.  Both Readers use USB to add content, and it seems they will work for the same type of ebooks as the current Readers.  The Touch Edition will be available in black or red, and the Pocket Edition is available in silver or pink.  You can learn more about the Touch Edition and the Pocket Edition Readers at the Sony Style site.

The 7” Reader Daily Edition features built-in WiFi and free 3G mobile broadband connection to the Reader Store.  It will also have a touch screen for note-taking and highlighting.  It will be available in silver.  Few details are available at Sony Style for the new PRS-950 version of the Daily Edition.

Filed in categories: eBook Readers and Gear, News

Tagged: Sony Reader

Sony Introduces New eBook Readers originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 1, 2010 at 10:00 am.

A few weeks ago, I reviewed the new Sony PRS-600 Touch ebook reader.  The reader did not come with the book-style cover that I prefer.  I found the 600 would fit into the Sony lightwedge cover I had been using, but the lightwedge itself didn’t line up properly with the screen on the 600, and it would have covered the touchscreen.  I can’t live without a book light.  Not only do I use it at night, I also use the book light even when I read during the day or in well-lighted rooms.  I find the extra light helps my older eyes read longer without eye strain.

Since Sony cases for the new readers weren’t released simultaneously with the readers, I had to find another solution to meet my needs.  I ended up with an M-Edge Executive case designed for the 505 reader and a Mighty Bright 3-LED book light.  I love the look of the M-Edge case, so I was happy with it after I made a small adjustment to one of the straps to stop it from pressing the volume button on the 600.  The Mighty Bright provided a lot of light for reading, but I found it a bit awkward.  The book light was big and heavy and made the case feel unbalanced.  It also was a fairly large item I had to fit into my bag along with my reader.  I really missed the convenience and form factor of the Sony case with integrated light.  When the new one finally arrived at the local Borders, I decided I’d try out the Sony lighted cover for the 600.

The Sony Reader Cover with Light seems to be made of black, pebbled leather, but I can’t find any documentation to confirm that it is leather, not vinyl.  At $59.99, I prefer to think that it IS leather.  The word “Sony” is embossed on the front cover and “Reader” is embossed on the back cover.  The case has some sort of stiffener between the leather outer cover and the plastic suede-textured inner lining. 

Inside, there is a stationary plastic bar with a battery compartment that holds one AAA battery (included).  The standard Sony attachment points on the bar hold the reader in place.  The book light attaches to this bar at the top of the reader.  The attachment point allows the light to pivot up for use or down to store the flexible neck and the little lighted head.  The neck is very flexible, which makes adjustment very easy.

The lighted head holds two LEDs behind a lightly frosted, textured plastic lens.  The lens helps scatter the light a bit, but there is still a great deal of glare and reflection on the 600 screen if the book light isn’t adjusted properly.  The power switch offers two brightness levels.  There is a slightly perceptible difference in the brightness between these two levels, but I couldn’t get this slight difference to show up in pictures.

Picture taken in a darkened room.

Either brightness level is sufficient to illuminate the entire reader screen for reading in a dark room.  However, battery life is about 40 hours using the lower level; you get about half that with the brighter level.  I found with the lightwedge case that the brightest level quickly dimmed, and the rest of the battery life at the brightest level was equivalent to the low level anyway.  This new case behaves similarly, and I just use the light always at the lower level.  It is sufficient to light the page, and I think it will work well for people who have a bedmate who is particularly sensitive to light.

I still haven’t found the perfect case for my Sony 600 reader.  I love the size and weight and the convenience of the Sony all-in-one lighted cover.  I miss the amount of light that I got from my Mighty Bright book light.  And I miss the beauty of the black and gray M-Edge Executive case.  Hopefully, M-Edge will soon have one of their exclusive e-Luminator lights for their Sony cases.  Until then, I’ll keep hunting for my perfect case.

Filed in categories: eBook Readers and Gear

Tagged: Cover, Sony Reader

Sony Reader Cover with Light for the PRS-600 Touch Reader Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 3, 2009 at 4:26 pm.

M-Edge has some beautiful new leather covers for the Sony PRS-300 Pocket Reader available now on their website.  There are three styles available to ship in 7-10 days.  All three hold the 300 reader with leather straps on the bottom corners and elastic and leather straps on the top corners.  The Executive Jacket is a book-style cover with a strap closure available in eleven colors.   The Platform Jacket opens like a stenographer’s pad, and its strap closure can be used to hold the jacket open to form a stand for hands-free reading.  It also comes in eleven colors and costs $29.99.  Finally is the GO! Jacket, another book-style cover but without a strap closure.  It comes in 8 colors for $24.95.  M-Edge says both the Platform and the Executive jackets will be compatible with their exclusive e-Luminator book light, which should soon be available for the Sony reader cases. (Note from Julie – I really liked the M-Edge Kindle Covers that I reviewed)

Filed in categories: eBook Readers and Gear

Tagged: Cover, ebook, Sony Reader

M-Edge Covers for the Sony PRS-300 Pocket Reader originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 25, 2009 at 10:11 am.