Last Updated
July 8, 2010

Editor's Rating

• Wireless 3G downloading
• Large built-in memory & expansion
• Touch screen 7.1" display

• Pricey
• Touch screen isn't sensitive enough
• Screen needs more contrast

The all-new Sony Reader Daily Edition PRS-900 eBook reader improves upon the previous Sony Readers by adding one huge feature: wireless downloading. Some of its other features include a 7.1-inch touch screen, expansion slots, an included stylus, but it does have a few downfalls, from the high price to image contrast problems.

The Sony Reader Daily Edition PRS-900 is a sleek and professional looking device that measures 5 x 0.6 x 8-inches (wdh) and weighs a decently light 12.75 ounces. If you've used a previous device, you will probably feel that the PRS-900 is slightly thicker, and you would be correct, especially with the included imitation leather cover on the device. The aluminum body is painted a very nice looking matte black.

With regards to inputs and "nooks & crannies" of the PRS-900, along the bottom edge is the power port, 3.5mm headphone port, a mini-USB port, volume toggle, and the wireless on/off switch. The right side houses the two expansion slots, which accepts SD and Memory Stock cards up to a maximum 32GB. The top edge is where the power button and stylus compartment are location and the front has five horizontal "bar" buttons along the bottom of the 7.1-inch touch screen.

Speaking of the touch screen, the monochrome 7.1-inch screen is a huge step up from the previous model, which measured 6-inches and with a lesser resolution of 800 x 600 compared to 1024 x 600 on the PRS-900. The new model uses the exact same display technology the previous one did, the E Ink Vizplex touch screen. This type of screen can be easily read in bright sunlight, but requires a light for reading in a dark setting. On that note, it's too bad there isn't a side or back light that can be used to illuminate the screen when needed. The screen is extremely dim in certain settings where light in your environment is faint or limited, so reading in bed is difficult to do without using a light. On a positive note, the device can be rotated 90 degrees in landscape mode to view two book pages side-by-side (in most cases).

As with the previous models, you interact with the device solely through the touch screen and five front buttons as there is no physical QWERTY keyboard. The PRS-900 includes a stylus for more accurate interaction with the touch screen, and it works extremely well. Pressing the touch screen using a finger requires a very firm, hard press for it to register, so quick input is mostly out of the question.

One huge advantage to the Daily Edition over other Sony Readers is the ability to wirelessly download books and other content directly to the device for free using the AT&T 3G cellular network. Sony's eBook Store offers over one million book titles, over a dozen newspapers, but sadly, no magazines. Browsing the online store was slow, and we aren't sure if it is because of AT&T's network or Sony's own store, but downloading a book/content went very fast most of the time. Content can also be purchased and downloaded via your PC or Mac using the included Sony Reader software, which will sync it with your PRS-900 via USB.

The Sony Reader Daily Edition supports many different file formats, including PDF, Word docs, Adobe Digital Editions, Google Books, ePUB, BBeB books, and unprotected MP3/AAC files for audio playback as well. There is 1.6GB of built-in memory, which is fairly large.

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