Sony Reader Daily Edition Reviewed, Mixed Response To Interface

The Sony Reader Daily Edition combines a 3G wireless connection with a 7-inch touchscreen display larger than that on Amazon's Kindle 2 or Barnes & Noble Nook ereaders.  It has been put up to the test by Laptop Magazine, and its interface has been praised as "well-designed", although giving a somewhat "sluggish performance".

At $399, the Sony Reader is priced approximately $150 above its competition, and the reviewer set out to see if it's worth the premium.  The interface is simple, and "had no trouble navigating and understanding how to use the Daily Edition right out of the box. As is appropriate for a device designed for touch navigation, all of the elements were a bit oversized, so we never had to struggle to click the element or text we wanted with the pad of our finger, but "after tapping an icon or other selector, the Daily often took a few seconds to respond".  3G connection to AT&T's network dropped several times, and download speed was a bit behind the Kindle 2, both beaten by the Nook.  With wireless on, battery life held up to 5 days.

It appears that the final verdict is that the extra viewing area over Amazon's and Barnes & Noble's offerings isn't worth it, because of the slowness of the interface.  Sony needs to step up their game if they want to stay up at the head of the ereader competition; the market's not exactly getting smaller.

[via Laptop Magazine]