OU Zone

[~ Susan ~]

Sony unveils Reader Digital Book in Canada
April 14, 2008


Features Ground-breaking Technology and Access to More Than 40,000 Book Titles

TORONTO – The wish of avid readers and technology buffs comes true this month with the debut of the Reader Digital Book from Sony in Canada.

The Reader (PRS-505) fulfills the promise of electronic reading in a way that no other device does; coupling an innovative electronic paper display with simple on-screen controls and stylish design. The Reader's controls closely mimic paper page turns and allow for quick, intuitive navigation. The high-resolution electronic paper display with its fast response and high contrast ratio, delivers a realistic print look that rivals traditional paper and results in crisp text and graphics that are readable even in direct sunlight. And the option to magnify the text in three sizes offers an easy to read experience.

Travelers can carry as much as they want to read whether they are traveling across the globe or just around the corner. With the capacity to store up to 160 typical eBooks, and expansion slots for Memory Stick Duo™ media or SD memory cards, the Reader acts as a practically limitless mobile library. And with battery life equivalent to approximately 7,500 continuous page turns, readers can devour multiple bestsellers without having to recharge.

"The Reader allows people on the go to carry a wide variety of reading materials whether they are on a flight, in a waiting room, or outdoors," said Gabrielle Holmes, Director of Marketing, Portable Audio, Sony of Canada Ltd. "The Reader can handle a stack of books as well as other documents, yet offers a ‘book-like' reading experience unavailable with other electronic devices."

The eBook Store from Sony
Sony's online eBook store offers a broad and growing selection of fiction and non-fiction, bestsellers, well-known authors, classics and more, with rich descriptive content in the form of author biographies, expert book reviews and reader commentary. Close to 40,000 eBook titles are available to download to the Reader via the companion PC software, with new ones added daily. Explore the eBook Store at http://ebookstore.sony.com

In addition to electronic books, the Reader can also store and display personal and business documents in Adobe PDF format, RTF, text and JPEG images. The USB-based mass storage capability allows the device to be used as a portable drive for the direct transfer of documents, images and other files. An auto sync feature also lets users set up folders with books and documents that can be automatically synchronized when the device is connected to a PC.

Pricing and Availability
The Reader comes complete with USB cable, soft protective cover, and eBook Library software and will be available for sale at the end of April at www.sonystyle.ca , and at Sony Style retail stores across Canada (excluding Quebec) for an MSRP of $299.


About Sony of Canada Ltd.
Established in 1955, Sony of Canada Ltd. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Corporation, of Tokyo, Japan, a world leader in High Definition. Sony provides end-to-end solutions through products that include the market-leading Blu-ray player, BRAVIA televisions, Cyber-shot digital cameras, Handycam Camcorders, VAIO computers, broadcast cameras, IPELA security cameras and video conferencing and many more products that deliver the true entertainment experience.

Sony is one of the most comprehensive entertainment companies in the world with a portfolio that includes electronics, music, movies, games and online businesses.

With headquarters in Toronto, sales offices in Vancouver and Montreal and distribution centres in Coquitlam, British Columbia, and Whitby, Ontario, approximately 1,200 employees support a network of more than 500 authorized dealers and 79 Sony stores across Canada.

Sony Canada is proud to support the communities in which it operates through corporate sponsorships of organizations that include the Make-a-Wish Foundation Canada, the United Way and Earth Day Canada.

For more information contact:
Sony of Canada
Candice Hayman
Public Relations Specialist
[phone]
[e-mail]