Sony ain’t giving up the good fight where its digital book reader is concerned, with the PRS-700 being the latest model that will accompany its predecessor, the PRS-505 that didn’t do too shabbily so far. This time round, you will find some much clamored for improvements such as an interactive touch screen display for one of the more intuitive digital reading experience to date. It also won’t weigh you down since it comes in the dimensions of a slimmed down paperback book, with a textured black casing and soft black cover helping you look elegant no matter where you tote it. The PRS-700 tips the scales at just 10 ounces, so you can imagine just how light it is compared to carrying tons of books on a long journey with you.

The display itself measures six inches across, where touch screen capability enables bookworms to flip pages simply by sliding their fingers - this could be a problem if you love eating while reading, since you might actually use a greasy finger to flip the “page” out of habit, so do keep some Kleenex handy nearby. Not only that, since the books in there are all digitized, you will be able to search search terms within a document or book in a snap, using the virtual keyboard to create impromptu notes for future reference while the included stylus pen lets you highlight text that are important.

Even with five preset text sizes available, I’m sure there will still be some people who find it rather difficult to read text on a screen, so the PRS-700 isn’t meant for everybody. Other features include high-resolution, high contrast electronic paper display technology, expanded memory that can hold an average of 350 digital books, an SD/Memory Stick Duo memory card slot, and a built-in LED reading light during times where there is insufficient ambient light. The PRS-700 is able to last approximately 7,500 pages of continuous reading before it requires a trip to the nearest power outlet. You can pick up this nifty device for around $400 next month. Image courtesy of TrendyGadget.

Press Release