There’s finally a legitimate reason to buy the new-ish Sony PRS-T1 Reader: You can hack it and install the Kindle Android app. I kid. However, there is a new hack for Sony’s least expensive ereader that allows for root access, effectively opening up the device to all sorts of Android uses. This of course includes the Kindle app.

Apparently it’s a relatively easy mod as The Digital Reader notes it’s relatively foolproof. Just download the installer to the reader and give it time to do its thing. After that, the reader will reboot and you’ll be able to play Fruit Ninja on an inexpensive eink screen.

Sony readers have long been a fan favorite and the latest round that included the T1 are the lowest cost options yet. They’re nearly completely open and support almost every ebook file format. But this latest mod opens the door for all sorts of new uses. Sure, the Sony readers aren’t as popular as the Kindle but they have a dedicated following who enjoy their open nature and quality hardware. Other venders should take note.

The familiar three “editions” of the e-reader family are still around, but they’ve been improved with the new Pearl e-ink display for improved contrast and speed, and Sony says it’s improved the touch-sensitive layer as well. All of them come with styli, so you can make your marginalia right onto the e-book pages. They’ve also been slimmed down and redesigned (they all weigh half a pound or less). I think they look much better now, though I do still prefer the aesthetic of the Kindle 3. Each has 2GB of internal memory and an SD card/Memory Stick Pro slot.

Only the Daily Edition, which won’t be out until November, has any kind of wireless connectivity: 3G and Wi-Fi, while neither of its little siblings has either. Inexplicable, really.

The 5-inch PRS-350 Pocket Edition is $179, the 6-inch PRS-650 Touch Edition is $229, and the 7-inch PRS-950 Daily Edition $299. Kind of expensive, don’t you think? Yeah, I thought so too. I mean, they look like great devices, but the Kindle is really killing them on price, and I think price is the main driver of e-reader sales, not features. Brushed aluminum and touch navigation are great, but I just don’t see a big market for them when everyone else is racing down to under a hundred bucks.

The Sony Reader, going international. The electronic book reader, which is only available here and there, will spread to Japan, China, Australia, Italy, and Spain before the end of the year. Shocked.

Sony will work with local bookstores and whatnot to generate heat for the device. I imagine that means you’ll be able to walk into the equivalent of a Best Buy or whatever and walk out with a reader.

As you know, the Sony Reader works with Sony’s Reader Store, as well as with all the standard formats (PDF, ePub, etc.). Will the Reader store also launch internationally? One would assume so. How else would you sell books translated into the local language?

And wouldn’t you know it, but China is pegged to be the largest e-book market on the planet in a few years’ time. So says DisplaySearch, a researching outfit that knows a thing or two about e-books.

The real winner here? E-Ink, Inc. Their technology is in so many of these e-readers that they must be swimming in royalties and licensing fees right about now.

Both items are pink and pretty.

Sony is holding special sales at SonyStyle stores all over the world on October 20 excepting the Sony Style COMCAST center in Philly, for whatever reason. Maybe because it’s closed.

Some is simple customisation: you can change the fonts, icons and logos, or add your name and contact details to the About screen, for example. Buttons can be reassigned, or disabled too, so if you prefer to shut the Reader down rather then send it to sleep, then you can add that function to an easily accessible key, instead of having to work through a few menus to find it.

It’s actually possible to go a lot further than that. The reader is controlled using JavaScript and XML, and there are even applications such as dictionaries and Sudoku that can be run from an SD card.

Interestingly the device can run programs right off of an SD card, ensuring you don’t totally hose your device. You can add new firmware with a program called Universal Flasher, a program that sounds like something that happens when Dad gets drunk and then goes on the Shrek ride.

I just wonder if they’ll ever be able to crack into the Kindle. I suspect since it’s not very European right now there’s really no impetus to play around.

If I’m honest, it’s not much of a deal, but if you’re going to have a Reader, you may as well get the most awesome of the bunch.

[via Pocket Lint and Gearlog]

So far eBook devices chief sticking point is the high price. The $300+ range of the Kindle and Sony Reader turns off all but the most avid gadgetphile, book proprietor. Maybe the $259 eSlick by Foxit will find more success even though it opts for a lower price rather than fancy connectivity or e-ink backlighting. It’s still slim at .4-inches thick and ships with 128MB of internal memory along with a 2GB SD card. The unit can even function as a MP3 player. So wanna-be eBook owner, is the $259 price right? Or does it still need to drop a bit more?

Foxit via PC World

Mike Cane via Gear Diary