Before I go through this review, I must mention that I was given a Sony Reader Touch for the purpose of writing a blog post about it. However, the below review is an honest one. I had my wife read it through to make sure I haven't missed any criticisms, constructive or not.

The first thing I did when I unboxed my Sony Reader Touch was turn it on. The battery complained about being low (the battery meter showed it was empty), but I used it for 2 days without charging it and had no problems. The Reader doesn't come with a charger, and so you'll either need to purchase one or be happy with charging off USB. I own a Sony PSP, and that charger is the same, so it fit right in with my custom charging station.

It didn't come with a nice case, but rather a fabric sleeve. Fortunately, a bit later I recieved a nicer "book-like" case that also has a reading light, which was fortunate since the Reader reads in the dark as well as a book does. This new case makes me feel more confident about carrying it around, and especially travelling with it, since US airport security tends to make me feel hurried so I often throw stuff back in my bag, re-arranging it later.

On plugging it in, it appears as a USB mass storage device. I did some googling around and found all sorts of fun sites offering free epub format books. I downloaded a few, and commenced reading "Tom Sawyer" by Mark Twain. Reading was comfortable, and I didn't feel like I was reading a screen at all. It doesn't make up for the feel of a book in your hands, but it's still an okay compromise. The simple fact that I can carry more than one book around easily is the big plus for me, since I find my travel means long plane flights where I have a lot of time to read, but don't want to lug more than 2 books around.

After reading "Tom Sawyer" I broke down and installed the Sony Reader Software in my Windows VM and used the Sony book credit to "buy" a couple of books. The first was a book I was already reading in physical form (you know, because you don't actually own the book you bought in digital form, DRM and all that). That book was "Anansi Boys" by Neil Gaiman. I ended up finishing the book on the Reader, which was about halfway done when I made the transition.

After doing some more reading, I started looking at making my own epub books. I found the manual for an LDS class I teach in another format, and with the help of Calibre I was able to convert it into epub format. The CSS it generated was a little funny, but ultimately not a big deal. I then proceeded to read through the next lesson I was to give, making notes with the stylus where I needed to. The touch screen could be a bit more responsive, but I wasn't in a hurry to jot down my thoughts, so it also wasn't a huge hindrance.

The lack of a network connection is a feature to me, not a bug. It means my battery lasts longer, and no Big Brother access to remotely delete my books. I haven't tried out any of the external memory slots, since I didn't really have a need. I only have ~40 books or so on it, and that's really all I need at any one time. I also didn't try out the audio capabilities either, since I'm pretty attached to my MP3 mplayer as it is.

Of the things that I would change about it, there is only one thing that is absolutely annoying to me. The page turning gestures are backwards. Seriously, backwards. A gesture moving from left to right goes to the next page, and a gesture from right to left goes to the previous page. It drives me so crazy that I don't even use gestures to turn the page. I just use the buttons. I'd also like the ability to turn the touch screen off entirely, so all I have is the e-ink surface, so my battery lasts longer. I usually don't need the touch screen, but when I do, it's nice to have.

Overall, I'm glad to have the device. Will it replace actual books anytime soon? Probably only for people who don't really read. Of course, I still buy vinyl when I can, and prefer LPs to CDs or mp3s. It's still valuable for the convenience factor, although I'm still not sure the price is right. $300 for a ebook reader seems steep, and the prices of ebooks are still pretty steep as well (I'm looking at you O'Reilly...). I think there will need to be some maturing in the price category, but for the most part, I'm quite happy with my Reader.