I happened upon this press release at ANN regarding the release of a new e-reader by Sony, given the uncreative, yet easy to remember, name: Sony Reader. Of course the only reason why ANN is documenting something like this is because of the #1 US manga publisher, TokyoPop, announcing that they are procuring manga titles over to Sony for this e-reader. Sony is clearly attempting to make an effort to rise up even further in the ranks by getting in on the rapidly growing market of manga by appealing to not just the well-read, but also to the graphic novel readers, like myself.
What makes this e-reader so special from the others though? I’ll share a few features that I personally like. According to the main site and an article from Gizmodo, it utilizes a revolutionary system called e-Ink that is said to even rival the reading clarity of paper. It is compact (“roughly about the size of a paperback novel”), is said to have a long-lasting, rechargable battery life (about 7,500 page turns & recharges in about 3 hrs.), doesn’t use backlight (no reading in the dark), and if you forget your glasses, you can zoom in up to 200%. This reader even has the option of listening to mp3s, slots for USB & memory sticks for obtaining files from the Internet, and can hold “a library” of titles, blogs, and PDF files. The writer from Gizmodo even said that “it was the first e-reader that was easy on my eyes.”
So why do I think that the Sony Reader is a megane-ko’s dream? I consider this innovative tech item is great news for any megane-ko who tends to be forgetful of his/her glasses or just has more books than they know what to do with. This could greatly reduce the number of books one owns and makes for a great traveling companion when it comes to on-the-go reading. This handheld reading device has no backlight, so late night reading would always have to be done with sufficient light. That really would keep our eyes from getting worse, right? Anyone who loves to read, megane-ko or not, and just doesn’t have the space to keep so many novels/manga/etc. on hand would truly benefit from this item. I think I should mention though that this cute, paperback-sized gem will be ranging between $300 – $400. Quite an investment for a college student like me, but depending on how much wear-and-tear you would be willing to put on this thing would really be the major pro or con for any consumer.
The Sony Reader is said to be released in the Spring of this year. There’s no doubt that this will be a hot item on the market for readers of all tastes, and quite possibly a huge money-maker for Sony. Though I’m blogging about how much I like this thing, I’m not positive if I would purchase it myself. I do have my reservations about its level of convenience and the relentless push that society is placing on numerous “revolutions” in technology in general. My next entry will be a telling of my opinions from a -con point of view.
Oh, and I changed my blog title to just Megane-ko Musings. The word “fated” in there was starting to make me feel unnecessarily emo all of a sudden. None of us need to feel emo, after all. So I got rid of it post haste.
// ::Meganekko-Tune Now Playing [ (I’VE) Orido Shinji – Kanon Original Arrange Album – anemoscope – “Umarete no Kaze” ]:: \\
Meganekko Memoirs 