By Lorna Brett
 www.connectedaustralia.com reported yesterday that Sony was in the process of developing e-readers for the Australian market, and today it can be revealed that the devices have officially arrived in the country.
In what is a new category for Sony Australia and still a fresh market in this country, the e-reader has been steadily growing in popularity since it hit shelves earlier this year. Sony’s offerings promise to boost this popularity ever further, with the first two models to be available in stores within a week.
“The digital reading revolution has come to Australia and will change the landscape of our local reading industry. We’re anticipating strong consumer demand for e-books and look forward to launching our reader devices, which are lightweight, portable and provide a comfortable reflective display for the most natural reading experience,” Sony ANZ managing director Carl Rose said.
The Reader Touch Edition and Reader Pocket Edition both feature full touch screens with e-ink pearl technology which is designed to look similar to ink on paper to be readable even in direct sunlight. The touch screens mean users are able to turn the page with the swipe of a finger.
Both models have two English and ten translation dictionaries in five languages. Users will never get stuck on a word meaning as they only need to double tap it to call up the dictionary feature.
Never be short of something to read
As part of its efforts to ensure extensive content for users of its devices, Sony has partnered with REDgroup Retail in order for its e-reader users to have direct access to online bookstores such as Borders, Angus & Robertson and Whitcoulls.
Tech Talk
Sony Reader Touch Edition is available in Pink, Silver and Deep Blue for RRP$299
· 6” full touch e-ink screen (16 levels grey scale)
· High contrast, anti-glare technology
· 2GB internal memory, expandable up to 32GB with SD/MS.
· Maximum battery – 10,000 page turns
· Supports multiple file formats including ePub
· Audio player and picture viewer
· Embedded multilingual dictionaries
· Mac and PC compatible
· Intuitive Reader Library Software, including note taking function
Sony Reader Pocket Edition is available in Pink, Silver and Deep Blue for RRP$229
· 5” full touch e-ink screen (16 levels grey scale)
· High contrast, anti-glare technology
· 2GB internal memory
· Maximum battery – 10,000 page turns
· Supports multiple file formats including ePub
· Embedded multilingual dictionaries
· Mac and PC compatible
· Intuitive Reader Library Software, including note taking function
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