 | |
| Developer | Sony |
|---|---|
| Type | E-reader |
| Lifespan | 2006 to 2014 |
| Related | Sony Librie, Sony Digital Paper, Sony Tablet |
The Sony Reader (ソニー・リーダー) was a line of e-book readers manufactured by Sony. The first model was the PRS-500 released in September 2006 and was related to the earlier Sony Librie, the first commercial E Ink e-reader in 2004 using an electronic paper display developed by E Ink Corporation.[1] The last model was the PRS-T3, after which Sony announced it would no longer release a new consumer e-reader.[2]
Sony sold e-books for the Reader from the Sony eBook Library in the US, UK, Japan, Germany, Austria, Canada, France, Italy, and Spain. The Reader also could display Adobe PDFs, ePub format, RSS newsfeeds, JPEGs, and Sony's proprietary BBeB ("BroadBand eBook") format. Some Readers could play MP3 and unencrypted AAC audio files. Compatibility with Adobe digital rights management (DRM) protected PDF and ePub files allowed Sony Reader owners to borrow ebooks from lending libraries in many countries.[3] The DRM rules of the Reader allowed any purchased e-book to be read on up to six devices, at least one of which must be a personal computer running Windows or Mac OS X. Although the owner could not share purchased eBooks on others' devices and accounts, the ability to register five Readers to a single account and share books accordingly was a possible workaround.
- ^ "Sony LIBRIe – The first ever E-ink e-book Reader". Mobile mag. 2004-03-25. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
- ^ Hoffelder, Nate (August 1, 2014). "It's Official – the Sony Reader is Kaput". the-digital-reader.com. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- ^ Digital Library Reserve, OverDrive, archived from the original on 2010-12-25, retrieved 2010-09-27,
provides lending services for ebooks from over 9,000 libraries worldwide
.