Literary Therapy

Enough about my love life; I shelled out of my own pocket to get one of these babies because I like to read a phenomenal amount of books and have managed to already accumulate a small plantations worth of wood pulp. Time to bring things into the 21st century!

(Click the above image for the large version)

Jacking this in with the supplied mini-USB cable to my computer and installing the supplied Sony software, I can register my e-book purchase with their online store which grants me the 100 free classic novel titles to choose out of over 900 (limited time offer at the time of writing).

The software is easy enough to use, but lacks the flow of something like iTunes purchase management. I have found it is easier to transfer any open format reading material using a memory card over using the software.

Once the reader was charged up and loaded with some reading material, it was time to hit the hay with my new sleek and silver beauty.

Bedside lamp reading conditions usually spell doom for any non-backlit device with awkward glare and poor contrast ratios, but not for the e-ink display! This thrives in just about any lighting condition, thanks to the completely different way in which e-ink and e-paper displays work.

If you want to find out more details on how it works, check out these sites:

- How It Works - E-Ink

- E-ink official website

(Click the above image for the large version)

I'll spare the technicals with regard to how the screen operates here, but I will tell you it looks like you are reading a printed page! The background of the display is off-white with a clear crisp black text on top, making it easy on the eyes and feeling just like reading a paperback.