The Sony PRS500 e-book reader is the latest for those into the growing phenomenon of e-books. The screen carries a six-inch display with 160 DPI. This is more than enough to give any reader clarity of words without squinting.

Even though the reader does not have any color, it is capable of playing all sorts of text formats including RTF and PDF. It is very good at converting color items into Black and White or Grayscale items. A reader can bookmark his or her page with the “Mark” button, and then come back to it just like a regular book. Other controls are two sets of Page Up/Page Down triggers, as well as a line of numerical keypads that correspond to menu options.

You can save and replay files using a memory stick or SD card. The PRS500 reader can also save replicated images as JPEG files, and can even play audio files in MP3 and AAC format. A reader is able to charge from a USB port for six hours or a power adaptor for four hours. A full charge is good enough for up to 7,000 pages worth of reading, but it will drain faster when it comes to audio files.

If that isn’t enough to make you rush out and buy this device, here’s another motivation: it donates money to a good cause. That’s right, Sony Electronics has stated that for every e-Book reader sold through October at SonyStyle and other online shopping web sites, $10 dollars will be donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF). Apparently, Sony found out that most of their e-book readers were purchased by women, who are avid supporters of BCRF.

The device should retail for about $350 and includes $50 worth of material from Sony CONNECT, an online store where you can purchase e-books. On the site is about 10,000 books all available from publishers worldwide.

It’s always nice when we remember the forgotten heroes who played an important part in world’s history. One must applaud O.Soft for remembering Dorothy Thompson by dedicating their new mobile E-Reader to her. For those who are not aware Dorothy Thompson was the legendary female Correspondent who first warned against Hitler and the Nazi Party. Inspired by her, O.Soft has named their new e-book reader, dotReader after her which also supports shared annotations and will be showcased at Book Expo America.

The dotReader is a pretty advanced software tool and can work with many e-book formats and is also compatible with Open Reader. This tool would also be loved by the professional writers and content creators but is simple enough for the average Joe to understand too. It is compatible with most of the available hardware, is also able to read multiple formats and has very intuitive DRM for making like easier for the publishers and other users. Thus one very easily can embed annotations, forums, blogs and other forms of online tools inside books and read them offline or online. No word on pricing or availability. See it at Dotreader.com

Sony Electronics has announced a collaboration with Borders Books stores to sell it's new updated Sony Reader at Border stores. As the name suggests, the Sony Reader is a reading device for e-books and text documents, however this one promises to be innovative and take E-Reading to the next level. The new book format is targeted at voracious readers whose appetite for reading is insatiable and who would appreciate new ways of reading. The Sony Reader will debut in all Border stores and would include a custom designed display for easier access and will include a high-contrast, high-resolution electronic paper display.

The Sony Reader would be very light weight and durable and will let users carry as much as they want to read, no matter where they are. Size wise, it would be equal to a standard paperback novel and would be about 5 inches thin. Though awfully small, this little baby would be able to store hundreds of books and other documents, thanks to the internal flash memory which can be extended via SD Cards or a Micro Stick. Borders would help Sony garner support and would make it available to all the potential buyers.

Borders customers can also buy prepaid cards redeemable online for e-books at the Sony CONNECT service. Users will have access to thousands of titles on the online store at competitive prices. The Sony CONNECT service will also offer access to web content in the form of blogs, news feeds and online magazines, and the Reader would also display documents in Adobe PDF format as well as JPEG photos. So if you are at Borders check it out.
Web site: It is also at http://www.sonystyle.com/ http://www.bordersgroupinc.com/

Sony has just launched a new line of e-readers that aims to revolutionize the way we read books electronically. They expect their new Sony Reader to bring a whole new meaning to "book smart".

The device has an almost iPod-like theme to it, allowing the most bookish of people to bring along as many books as they would want to carry. It is designed in such a way that users can read and navigate with only one hand and is roughly the size of a paperback novel that is only half an inch thin.

We're happy to see that aside from their proprietary Memory Stick, the device also supports the SD card for expanded memory. Aside from BBeB Book files, it can read Adobe PDF files, web pages and JPEG photos.

And what set's this device apart from other e-book readers? Well according to Sony their Reader has a display that looks can display pages as if it were paper. The result is readable text and graphics, without flickers or distracting glares. Text can also be resized depending on preference.

The Sony® Portable Reader SystemPRS-500 will be available in the US this spring. More info at the Sony Reader website.

Panasonic Prototypes eBook Reader that is Able to Display Full-color Pictures.

Check it out at Gizmodo.com