Sony PRS-T1 Pearl Red 6" eBook Reader with Wi-Fi

by Sony

• Features -
• Wirelessly shop with easy access to 2 million titles at Reader Store. Borrow free books from your local public library or download Google public domain books. Plus, get immediate access to websites like Wikipedia and Google search
• With a crystal clear paper like screen, you can read for hours, even in direct sunlight. The screen has no backlight or flicker like a standard LCD screen and features 8 adjustable font sizes plus adjustable contrast and brightness
• Enjoy a whole library in your hands. Store up to 1200 titles on 2GB of included memory or add optional MicroSD media to expand your storage to 32GB. Customizable file management also lets you manage your ebooks and music from within your Reader
• Plug in your headphones to listen to audio books or to music as you read

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches ; 13.6 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B005MIZKXM
• Item model number: PRST1RC
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #41,972 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 12, 2011

Product Description

Sony PRS-T1 6" Pearl Red Digital Reader Wi-FiTreasure your favorite books, magazines and more on the paper-like touch screen of the world's lightest 6"e-Reader. Choose from over 2 million titles at Reader Store or borrow from your public library wirelessly.It's here: the world lightest 6" e-Reader with a lovably glare-free, paper-like display designed for hours of comfortable reading, even in direct sunlight. Use your fingertips to select a title, turn the page or zoom in and out. Select fromover 2 million titles at Reader Store or use the world's first e-Reader with wireless public library access to borrow books directly to the device for free. Features:* Line the shelves of your virtual library with the hottest new releases, page-turning bestsellers and classics close to your heart. Choose from over 2 million books, newspapers and magazines to download wirelessly at ReaderStore.* Want an eBook to read for free? Pay a virtual visit to your local library any time of the day or night without setting foot outside your home. Get the world's first e-Reader with the ability to wirelessly peruse, borrow and download eBooks from local public libraries directly to the device.* At less than 6 ounces and lighter than most paperbacks, the small, fiercely stylish Reader Wi-Fi is the lightest 6" e-Reader there is3. Simplypop it in a purse, pocket or bag and keep your reading material constantly close at hand.Specifications:DRM Text : ePub (OPS v2.0, .epub file extension, Adobe DRM protected), PDF (PDF v1.6 or before, .pdf file extension, Adobe DRM protected)Image : JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMPUnsecured Audio : Unsecured Audio: MP3 (Non encrypted), AAC (Non encrypted)Unsecured Text : ePub, PDF, TXTMemory Size : Internal: Approx. 1.3 GB after initial setting.External: Micro SD card up to 32GB.Wi-Fi: IEEE 802.11b / g / nAC Power : Built-in rechargeable battery: 3.7 V DCBattery Life (Approx): A single charge lasts over one month with wireless

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars The reader is mostly wonderful; its computer software is frustrating but you don't need it anyway November 15, 2011

By Jaylia3 TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

I had a rough honeymoon with this new ereader, but ultimately I've come to love it when I'm using it for its most important purpose, reading. The touch screen is very sensitive, it's beautiful and light weight, there are multiple fonts and text sizes to choose from, and the wifi feature, especially the ability to connect directly with my local libraries to borrow books, is a mostly wonderful option.

Maybe because this reader can do so many things, it's more finicky than my Sony 350 which is a generation older than the PRS-T1. I have never had my 350 freeze, but in the short time that I've had the PRS-T1 I've had to reset it 4 times. Usually it has happened when I'm flicking the "pages", something that works perfectly most of the time, which somehow sets off wild unstoppable page turning ultimately freezing the device.

If you are used to earlier Sony readers, this one requires a tap, tap-hold-for-2-seconds instead of a quick double tap to highlight or call up dictionary definitions, which was a little hard for me to get the hang of at first. The good news is that the new tap, tap-hold-for-2-seconds also calls up a menu with options for text word search, google, wikipedia and note taking--it's very exciting to be able to google or wikipedia right from the reader. The bad news is that if you are used to how a tablet can access the internet, the PRS-T1 will seem slow and clunky. There are multiple negative-to-positive page flashes when navigating down a page or sometimes even when typing, which is distracting and annoying. Also the stylus is much bigger on this model and doesn't slide into the reader the way the 350 stylus does. I'm afraid of losing it so I keep it in a safe place which means I never have it on hand when I'm using the reader so my tapping is all done by fingernail which so far has worked just fine.

Books from your local library and free books from sites like Project Gutenberg and ManyBooks can be downloaded directly onto the reader when there is available wifi, but books bought from Google, Smashwords, or any site other than Sony need to be added via a USB link from a computer. There is new Sony software for the computer to use with this reader, but for me it has been unreliable, buggy and ultimately a nonfunctioning drag. After sort of working some of the time it now crashes every time it opens itself up on my computer--it comes alive automatically whenever the reader is connected to the computer. Fortunately books can be added directly to the reader through My Computer, a method the Sony User Guide describes but doesn't recommend--it's worked perfectly for me, unlike the Sony software.

Another problem with the new Sony computer software is that each time you connect it to your reader it syncs everything, which is time consuming and just gives the software more reasons to choke and stop responding. It's not possible to drag and drop a single book onto the reader they way you could with the older version of the software. Also, if you organize your books into collections on your computer using the Sony software, you cannot then move the books around on your reader, it will only be possible to delete books or move them in or out of collections using the Sony computer software and then re-syncing your entire collection. It seems a strange choice to me, creating new software with less options and less flexibility. I ditched the software and do everything right on the reader, which functions much more smoothly.

Early on I was having so much trouble getting everything set up and working--the biggest problem was trying (and ultimately failing) to get the new Sony computer software to work with my 350 reader--that I spent hours on the phone with Sony help personnel. They meant well, but maybe because the PRS-T1 reader was brand new then they didn't completely know what they were doing and their help caused me to lose the User Guide that came pre-loaded on the PRS-T1 (fortunately I had already read it and it can also be accessed on line) as well as all of the highlighting and notes I'd done on my 350. Even worse, all of the 350's 200-some books were tossed out of their well-organized folders into one mass list--a time consuming mess.

Now that the early problems are in the past I absolutely love this reader. I don't use the Sony computer software, but it's not necessary anyway. The new Kindles also have touch screens and the ability to borrow library books making them a good choice too, with any ereader 600 page books weigh only ounces and a massive collection of reading material can fit in a pocket or purse. For now I prefer the aesthetic of the Sony.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best of its Class December 9, 2011

By T_Squared

I looked at all of the e-readers in this price range (the new Kindles, the Nook Simple and the Kobo). I had the Sony PRS600 before and really like the additional features (i.e. Notes, Audio). This new Wi-Fi version offers that in a smaller, lighter package and now that the price is down to $99 it was a no brainer.

Physically, the Reader Wi-Fi is very lightweight but easy to hold thanks to the matte finish along the back. The screen is much more readable & crisper (with no glare) than my old PRS600. The frame around the screen is a little glossy but this does not bother me as much as some people have commented. (I have the red version.)

I especially like the multiple fonts and font size selections that are now included. The older Sonys' font choices were either too large or too small. The additional options for handling PDF's also looks like it will make reading those much easier. The "pinch to zoom" feature works well in conjunction with this.

I would say that the greatest upgrade is the Wi-Fi feature. The browser works well and I was able to use it to log into my local library very easily to download books without the use of the computer. I was also able to download books directly from such websites as feedbooks.com.

The only problem I have had so far is that the USB/charging port for the new Wi-Fi is a different size than my older PRS600 so I cannot use my older cables with the new device. The new Wi-Fi seems to use a "micro" USB port vs. a "mini" USB port that the older Sony used.

So far, in the short time I have had it in my hands, I have really enjoyed it.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great e-reader October 30, 2011

By Malboo

Bought this e-reader 3 days ago and have found it to be everything I needed very clear screen wi-fi easy to set up, using the browser isn't that great not very clear but I didn't buy it to surf the web mp3 nice and clear sound.
When loading books make sure your tags are correct to make it easier to keeps books in order.
Pages turn nicely,also bought the book cover with light works well but havn't really needed it.
Very light to hold and books converted from PDF and mobi to the epub format works very well using softare called Calibre which is a free e-book management programme.
I like the buttons too at the bottom of the e-reader so you can choose what to turn your pages with,best of both worlds.