Sony Reader Daily Edition - Black ( PRS900BCKIT )

by Sony

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 5 x 8.1 x 0.6 inches ; 12.8 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B002YC0N4K
• Item model number: PRS-900/B U8 AC100V-240V
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #16,999 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 22, 2009

Product Description

With the all new Sony PRS-900BCKIT Daily Edition e-Reader - you can download books and periodicals wirelessly. Experience the freedom to wirelessly browse, purchase and download books and periodicals from the Reader™ Store with free 3G wireless access11. Measuring just 0.6" thin8 and weighing only 12.75 ounces, the Reader Daily Edition™ also features a 7" paper-like display and touch screen navigation. With six adjustable font levels you can be sure to read easy in either portrait or landscape format. Plus, the Reader supports multiple formats including ePub and PDF while giving you access to over one million free public domain titles from Google Books.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

332 of 337 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superior screen, inferior content availability and higher cost of content, December 26, 2009

By 

Mahlers2nd "Mom of Many Interests" - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Sony Reader Daily Edition - Black ( PRS900BCKIT ) (Electronics)

Edited 1/2/10: In the comments, someone pointed out that if you already have several books on one platform or another, that is a big motivator for staying within that platform for now. He is absolutely correct and should be a major consideration to anyone looking to upgrade to a larger screen. THANKS TO EVERYONE who has read and commented on my review!! I really appreciate it.

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I am an ereader freak -- I started out with the Cybook Bookeen, then moved onto the Sony PRS-505. Next came a Kindle 2, and then a Kindle DX. I've also played with the Cybook Opus and Sony PRS-700 and PRS-600.

Of those 4 readers, I have always felt that the Sony PRS-505 had the best screen of any ereader I have seen. Once Sony introduced the Sony 700 with their first touch screen, they took a HUGE step backward in terms of screen clarity. Since their bookstore was inferior to Amazon's, I felt like they gave up their marketing advantage.

When the Kindle DX Wireless Reading Device (9.7" Display, U.S. Wireless, Latest Generation) came out -- I reluctantly shelved my Sony Reader Digital book - Red (PRS505RC) despite still having a superior screen. There were 2 reasons for this:

1. Size of the screen -- I really like having more words per page and larger choice of fonts that the larger format reader affords

2. Content -- Amazon's content still can not be beat in terms of newer releases and cost of books.

However, I remained a Sony girl at heart at eagerly awaited the larger screen Sony PRS-900 dubbed the "Daily Edition".

Sony has come along way since their first dismal foray into the Touchscreen arena -- the clarity of the Sony PRS-900 is nearly as good as the PRS-505 and, in my humble opinion, even superior to the recently released PRS-600. The glare issue which the touchscreen seems to introduce has somehow been minimized and improved and therefore, those (including myself) that would never consider a touchscreen are eating a bit of crow now that Sony appears to have done a good job improving the screen clarity. The fonts associated with the Sony PRS-900 are better than the 505 which may have something to do with the perceived readability.

Sony has also included wireless access this time around -- ostensibly to compete with the Kindle. To me, the wireless access isn't that big a deal since I'm almost always near a computer and therefore, "sideloading content" is not burdensome to me. However, some consider this a big deal and the wireless does work as promised.

The Sony Store recently completed its conversion to EPUB -- Adobe's PDF-like DRM'ed reader format. EPUB is quickly becoming the defacto reader standard and with that comes some advantages:

1. Public Libraries have ebooks available for free using the EPUB format -- that means you can check books out for free and read them on your Sony -- something that is not available to Kindle users. (I don't know about the Nook since I believe they use a slightly modified version of EPUB DRM).

2. Many bookstores carry EPUB books so you are not locked into buying content only from the Sony store -- competition is good.

Now the not-so-good:

1. EPUB tends to have display issues that make it annoying to use. For example, page reflow and justification are often issues. However, on the larger format Sony -- some of these issues (like page numbers showing up to the side of the text instead of at the top or bottom) appear to have been corrected.

2. Even though there are LOTS of ebookstores out there that sell EPUB format books, the prices are still significantly higher and the availability of content for modern (i.e. copyrighted) titles still is not competitive with Amazon's Kindle.

The larger format of the Sony Reader is a welcome addition to the eReader world. Again, it makes a big difference (to me) being able to display more words per page and have a better choice of fonts. The touchscreen interface of the Sony PRS-900 is better than the Kindle interface. It is more portable than the DX -- however technical documents will still be better on the Kindle DX. For reading regular fiction, though, I think many people will find the 7.1 inch screen a good compromise between portability and use of real estate.

So should you buy a Kindle DX or a Sony PRS-900? (I'm assuming you are looking for a larger-screen reader so I'm not addressing Kindle 2, Sony PRS-600, or even the nook).

Like everything in life, the answer is "it depends"? What is more important to you?

1. Screen clarity and quality? Answer: Sony
2. Cost of purchasing newer copyrighted content? Answer: Kindle
3. Cost of device? Answer: Sony
4. Cost of maintenance? Answer: Sony (Sony has a user replaceable battery which is a good thing)
5. Ease of use? Answer: Its a push -- you'll quickly adapt to whatever reader interface you choose
6. Wireless access? Answer: Kindle -- mainly because having access to Amazon's bookstore is better than having access to Sony's bookstore and Kindle DX does give you a browser which can be very handy
7. Ability to display technical documents? Answer: Kindle
8. Ability to borrow books from the library? Answer: Sony
9. Ability to subscribe to periodicals? Its a push though the larger Kindle screen probably gives you a bit of a formatting advantage
10. Looks? Answer: (in my opinion) Sony
11. Do you already have a lot of ebooks in Kindle or Sony format? Answer: Stick with the platform you already have since converting is really not an option (unless you want to throw away your investment or learn python or several other non-kosher alternatives out there) (This one is a biggee and I appreciate the commenter that pointed this out!!!)

At this point, purchasing an eReader is a very personal decision and it will depend on what factors are most important to you. At this point, both the Sony and the Kindle provide excellent eReader experience and the good news is that you will probably quickly bond with whichever you choose (or if you don't, you probably aren't the type of person who is going to embrace eReader technology in the first place).

In the end, figure out those features that are most critical to you and pick your reader based on those features. Hopefully, this review gives you some idea of the pluses and minuses of the 2 primary large format readers currently on the market.

Oh, and if this isn't confusing enough for you -- wait until 2nd quarter of 2010 -- there are going to be some more excellent choices so if you can't make up your mind between Kindle vs Sony -- you'll really have fun going around in circles within the next few months. Just for fun, try googling iRex dr800sg (8.1" touch screen with a stylus interface and really gorgeous design) and Plastic Logic's Que e-reader (8.5 x 11 plastic screen with touch screen interface, ability to edit Office documents directly on the reader, and bigger and lighter than anything we've seen so far -- will be formally announced January 7th at the Consumer Electronics Show)

[NCJAR]

112 of 116 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Ebook Reader on the Market (from former kindle user), January 2, 2010

By 

Kevin Currie-Knight "Education Grad Student" (Newark, Delaware) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Sony Reader Daily Edition - Black ( PRS900BCKIT ) (Electronics)

I owned a Kindle Wireless Reading Device (6" Display, Global Wireless, Latest Generation)for about a year and a half. When I bought a Sony Digital Reader Touch Edition - Black (PRS600BC), I kept my kindle but found myself reading the sony most of the time. Now that this daily edition is out, I bought that and sold both other devices. The sony is quite superior for several reasons (and this is a turnaround from when I gave the sony touch a 3 star review a few months ago).

First, many folks have noticed the increased resolution of the new sony screen. The daily edition recognizes 16 shades of grey and the print is simply much more defined than either the sony touch or the kindle. Yes, the touch screen necessitates a bit of shininess on the screen, causing occasional glare, but I have never really had a problem with this. Nothing a small turn of the wrist can't easily solve.

What really sold me on the daily edition, though, was the bigger screen. I could have spent more for the kindle DX, but the device is really large and not very portable. This 7.1 inch screen is a good sized screen, big enough to be more like the size of a "trade paperback book" (the size larger than the supermarket paperback), but small enough to be portable and feel good held with one hand. The screen recognizes about 32 lines of text - again, about as much as a "trade paperback."

And those who read PDF files will really like this machine. While the screen is still a bit small to read a pdf regujlarly in portrait mode, it is a perfect size for reading PDFs in landscape mode. The only drawback is that it takes three "pages" to equal one PDF page (each real page is broken ino three thirds). But this is not a problem for me, and I read PDFs a lot. And unlike the kindle and even Kindle DX Wireless Reading Device (9.7" Display, U.S. Wireless, Latest Generation), one can annotate, zoom in on, and look up words in, PDFs with the sony. One can even change the font size albeit with mixed results.

As with past devices, one key benefit of the sony is its open format. Neither the Barnes and Noble NOOK ebook reader nor the kindle support the industry standard EPUB format, but the sony does. This allows you to buy from many online ebook stores and even borrow ebooks from libraries (all of this is readily available in EPUB). It also gives you ready access to the entire googlebooks public-domain library.

The wireless access is decent, but is not a huge selling point for me. The wireless cannot be used as a web-browser and only accesses the sony ebookstore, which is just as easily accessed by computer with a USB cable (the way the previous sony devices operate). While it is nice to be able to order books without the hassle of being at your computer, I hoped that Sony would follow amazon's lead in allowing you to store not only your books but your annotations on the software via wireless syncing. In order to sync (thereby saving your annotations), you must still do it the old-fashioned way: with a USB cable.

One last "pro" needs to be noted about this stellar device: it comes with EVERYTHING! The PRS900 comes not with one, but two cases: a travel case and a leather case reminiscent of the kindle 1 case. [Contrary to a review below, the leather case removes from the sony daily edition; it "unhooks" from the notches on the back of the device.] It also comes with a charger that plugs into a wall outlet. And unlike the kindle 2 and the previous sony's, the battery for the PRS900 IS user-replaceable.

The only real "cons" that I can think of is that the books still tend to be more expensive for the sony (which lacks the pull with publishers of amazon or barnes and noble). Even with the ability to shop at multiple sources, sony readers will still often pay a few dollars more for their books. Another slight con is that while sony's customer service is decent, it is nowhere near amazon's first rate service. Lastly, I will caution that page turning is slightly awkward if you hold it in your right hand: the 'page turn' buttons are on the left of the device, and the touchscreen "forward page" swiping motion is a swipe to the left that is a bit awkward when one is holding and turning the page with the right hand. Small matter, though.

Conclusion: while I really wish sony would ease up on the price, this is simply the best ereader on the market. It does most of the things any other reader can do, but is still the only one to have a touch screen and the really awesome PDF capabilities. It is also the only reader to have the open file format, allowing the owner to get many files from many different sources. If you have the means, why not get the best reader out there?

73 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Problems in sunlight kill usability, April 4, 2010

By 

Mohit Sharma (Ridgeland, MS) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sony Reader Daily Edition - Black ( PRS900BCKIT ) (Electronics)

I bought the PRS-900 mainly for documents in pdf or doc (MS-Word) format. I really like some of it, but as the problem issues added up, I have decided to return it.
Here are the things I liked the most:
1. Excellent metal body with good tactile feel. Included cover (leather?) is good quality.
2. Stylus is useful when using the touch screen, and you want to not use oily hands.
3. Pretty good pdf reader (though it had problems in zoom mode).
4. Portrait and landscape orientations, including 2 page view in landscape.
5. Screen, and reading experience is better than computer screen, with little eye fatigue. Not as good as a book though, this is probably because of lower contrast between text and background.
6. Extensible storage using SD card.
7. It has many other features like note taking on books, search, dictionary, a collection of memos, a collection for b&w pictures, an audio player.

Here are the negative issues that I encountered:
1. a. The pdf software has zoom mode, where you can slide to the zoom that suits you best. However in the zoom mode there are always 4 arrows and the zoom slider on the screen. This distracts from the text, and gives the ambiance of a "preview mode".
1. b. As I moved from page to page, the zoom shifted to smaller text size. It seems the zoom was remembered only at the page it was set.
2. The audio player can be played while reading. It froze at some stage, and the document also got stuck to the current view. I think this happened when using the zoom on pdf document.
3. I could not find a way to organize the audio into playlists. This could be because I did not use Sony software to transfer my audio files from the PC (instead used regular drag-and-drop).
4. The device is advertised to be readable in sunlight. However in direct sunlight, the ink thins out, making the text hard to read. This can be avoided by having the reader under a shadow. Simply resetting the page by the power button, or up/down page navigation restores the ink. But neither is a practical solution. Please see the customer photos for the sunlight issue.

As for the glare, the best lighting for the reader is bright and coming from one of the sides. The worst lighting position is from the top.