Sony has announced the Sony Reader Wi-Fi (PRS-T1) at this year’s IFA in Berlin; following a leak earlier in the week, this release has been expected.
Hoping that the lure of Harry Potter can do wonders for business, a limited edition version of the new Reader will come with a voucher that enables Harry Potter fans to download the first Harry Potter eBook title, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, from Pottermore.
Those not interested in Harry Potter will be able to get a normal version as well.
The new eReader claims to be the world’s lightest 6-inch eReader (168g) and comes with a touchscreen display and stylus.
Now with Wi-Fi, the new Reader will ape the Amazon Kindle in allowing you to buy, borrow or get eBooks for free wherever there’s a wireless connection available.
Users will be able to touch the screen to choose a book. Swipe a finger to turn the page, or zoom in and out by pinching your fingers together or apart.
They will also be able to tap on a word and hold to find its meaning from two built-in English language dictionaries. Words can also be translated to and from English using ten built-in translation dictionaries. You can even write notes on the page or highlight text with a finger or the supplied stylus.
As with previous eReader devices from Sony, the new Reader Wi-Fi handles a wide range of digital formats, including the popular EPUB eBook standard plus PDF and TXT documents.
With a capacity of 2GB - enough to hold around 1,200 eBooks - internal memory space is easily expanded with an optional microSD card to hold tens of thousands more.
Reader Wi-Fi (model: PRS-T1) by Sony is available in Europe from October 2011, depending on country.
The Reader Wi-Fi will cost around £130 in the UK.