Sony Reader's second big weakness compared to the Kindle has been access to content.
The common format would give Sony Reader owners much more choice about where they get their e-books from.
Sony Reader customers can use the company's Library Finder software and check out e-books with a valid library card.
We snagged some details on the Sony Reader we've been spying as well as some precious one-on-one time with the device.
On the review front, we put the Canon EOS-1D X and the Sony Reader PRS-T2 through the wringer and offer our detailed analysis.
There is a bookmark feature on the Sony Reader such that you can mark multiple passages and pages for later reference, but there's no on-board search capability.
As such, dedicated monochrome E-Ink devices like Kindle and the Sony Reader will be forced even deeper into the niche they now serve as the year plays out.
It's going to be the first time, staying with our accessibility and transparency, it will be available in electronic form for your Kindle and your Sony Reader and whatever.
Look, the new Sony Reader PRS-505 isn't perfect -- it's only the first device among the second generation (ok, technically third generation) of e-ink based eBook readers.
ENGADGET: Sony Reader PRS-505 (second gen) hands-on: we're in love
Since the device first appeared 14 months ago, Amazon's digital book selection has swelled from around 90, 000 books to over 230, 000, far more than are available for competitors like the Sony Reader or the book-reading applications for the iPhone.
It took so long for electronic ink screens to finally hit the market we feel a bit silly getting impatient for the next-generation, but the Kindle has been on the market for a year and a half now, Sony Reader models for twice that long, and still we're dealing with the same crummy 7:1 contrast ratio, 16 shade grayscale, and .74 second refresh rate.
ENGADGET: E Ink shows off next-gen displays: high contrast, fast refresh, and rugged (video)
While we're on the topic of Sony's Reader Store, we feel compelled to do some slight comparison in terms of selection.
For more dedicated e-readers, Sony has its Reader and Amazon its Kindle.
The Pocket doesn't have WiFi or 3G, so yes, getting books onto the device requires you to get out the USB cord, download Sony's Reader Library software for Mac or PC, and transfer books over through its iTunes-like interface.
As well as being used for in-store signage, E Ink's technology powers Sony's e-book reader, and in April, Seiko, a watchmaker, unveiled a digital watch built around an E Ink display.
Sony has introduced an e-book reader that uses electrophoretic materials to provide a high-resolution, high-contrast display.
Sony's Daily Edition e-reader will also have to contend with newer rivals vying for a piece of this fast growing segment.
On Wednesday, Sony announced a new version of its Reader line-up of E-ink devices including its standard six-inch Touch Edition, the diminutive five-inch Pocket Edition, and larger seven-inch Daily Edition, each thinner, lighter, and featuring a more attractive display than the last version of those gadgets.
FORBES: Sony's Latest Reader Release Cedes Price War To Amazon
Regardless of that user experience, Sony faces major challenges in the e-reader market.
FORBES: Sony's Latest Reader Release Cedes Price War To Amazon
Sony said it will launch a wireless e-reader device that can download "daily content, " and is currently in talks with publishers.
Amazon has kept prices low in order to boost demand for its Kindle, which dominates the e-reader market but faces stiff competition from Sony and others.
ECONOMIST: The future of publishing: E-publish or perish | The
Earlier this month, for example, Sony said that demand for its new Daily Edition Reader is so strong that while it hopes to fill orders by Christmas, it can't guarantee a delivery date.
There is search capability in the PC BBeB reader software, but we were told Sony's research indicated on-board search wasn't a high priority for users (or at least the focus groups they asked, in any case).
Amazon and Barnes and Noble now make up a national used book market, Google posts public domain works such as Hamlet online for free, and Apple, Sony and Amazon are fighting for the new e-reader market.
Sony was interested in using E Ink screens in an electronic reader.
Can Barnes and Noble or Sony really take a bite out of the e-book reader market by dethroning the iPad or the Kindle?
More importantly, the Kindle and similar devices made by Sony and others represent only one side of the evolving e-reader market.
According to the specs released by Sony, the 20GB version will lack WiFi, a memory card reader and, most significantly, HDMI output.
We were admittedly impressed by the inclusion of handwriting on the Reader WiFi, so we're not too surprised that Sony brought this popular feature back for the sequel.
ENGADGET: Sony Reader PRS-T2 review: same old e-reader, new and (mostly) improved design
It's not a straightforward process, and you'll need a card reader or a PC that's equipped to handle a Sony Memory Stick (as opposed to a normal USB drive).
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