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Sony Reader PRS-T2 review

Our Rating :
Price when reviewed : £119
inc VAT

Sony's latest Reader is well designed, but it can't compete with newer backlit models

We were hoping to review the Sony Reader PRS-T2 a few weeks back, but we couldn’t get our hands on a review sample. Now that we have one, the new eReader is up against some stiff competition from rivals – namely the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite and Kobo Glo – both of which have backlit displays.

Sony Reader PRS-T2

FRONT COVER

The new Reader certainly doesn’t suffer in terms of appearance, our review model may be a rather sombre black but it’s also available in white and red. The soft finish plastic shell is pleasing to the touch, but we found it picked up and showed greasy fingerprints very easily. It’s thin and light though, weighing just 164g (compared to 213g for an Amazon Paperwhite), though both are around the same size.

There are no audio capabilities on the PRS-T2, and we’ve never found eBook storage to be a problem on eReaders, as we simply use ours to read novels, and don’t feel the need to carry every book ever written around with us. If you do like to carry a reference library with you, though, then the new Reader is highly suitable. It has 2GB of built-in memory and the option to expand on that hugely via a micro SD card slot.

Sony Reader PRS-T2

As with the current Kindle range the power button is on the bottom beside the micro USB port. It makes it a bit awkward to get to, but then you’re unlikely to hit accidentally either. The five silver buttons beneath the screen are icon-shaped and therefore obvious in their functions. The sheer fact they’re there is unusual though, as most design have eschewed all but a single button in preference of touch screen controls. We like the buttons though, as you don’t have to remember which corner of the screen you need to tap to get up a menu.

Sony Reader PRS-T2

Of course, as with the majority of eReaders now, input is largely done through the touchscreen. Swishing your finger across the screen turns the page – or you can use the left and right arrows button below if you prefer, though these are only easy to reach if holding the device left-handed. Swiping for page turns is reliable anyway, so it’s not a big deal. Page turns are rapid, but not quite as quick as the newest Kindles.

The screen itself is the same 800×600 E Ink Pearl display we’ve seen on numerous readers, it’s still a great display for reading, but it’s no longer the best. The Paperwhite’s display is the same size and uses the same technology but has a higher 1,024×768 resolution, in addition the backlight actually improves readability, even in well-lit conditions.

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Details

Price £119
Details www.sony.co.uk
Rating ****

Hardware

Viewable size 6.0in
Native resolution 600×800
Touchscreen y/n yes
Capacity 2,048MB
Memory card support micro SD
Size 110x173x9.1mm
Weight 164g
Battery and charge options Li-ion, USB
eReader Battery life N/A
Wireless networking support 802.11n
3G? no
Ports micro USB

Format Support

eReader TXT support yes
eReader HTML support yes
eReader RTF support no
eReader PDF support yes
eReader ePub support yes
eReader MOBI support no
eReader Amazon AZW support no
eReader Microsoft Word support no
Audio MP3 playback No
Audio WMA playback No
Audio WMA-DRM playback No
Audio AAC playback No
Audio Protected AAC playback No
Audio OGG playback No
Audio WAV playback No
Audio Audible playback No
Image BMP support Yes
Image JPEG support Yes
Image TIFF support No

Buying Information

Price £119
Warranty one year RTB
Supplier http://www.shop.sony.co.uk
Details www.sony.co.uk

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