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Specs:

Our Analysis:

Sony’s march into the next level of eReader technology started with the PRS-350 Pocket Edition and ends with the bandleader of the new Touch series – the Daily Edition PRS-950.  Like its sisters (the 350 and 650 Touch units) the 950 comes with an all-new, all-impressive touch screen that takes full advantage of the eInk Pearl platform.  And unlike its less-expensive siblings, the 950 is just about as full-featured as an eReader can get, including the 3G and WiFi technology gadget fans seem to demand these days.  In broad terms, the new Sony Reader PRS-950 is the Cadillac of the latest Sony eReader offerings.  We took it for an extended test drive, and our findings are presented here for your review.

How I conducted my analysis of the Sony Reader Daily Edition PRS-950 :

With the raw “newness” of the PRS-950, there were fewer online reviews to consult (I used five this time around) so I picked up a unit intended for re-stock at Best Buy.  As I’ve pointed out in my previous eReader reviews, I’m a hyper-portability fan, so I made my intentions clear to Best Buy personnel when I acquired the unit.  I told them I would be returning my Reader (Best Buy allows returns on gadgets like eReaders up to 14 days) after I finished with it for this review.  However, I agreed to take store credit rather than a refund, assuming I don’t ditch my “smaller is better” theory in favor of keeping the 950 after all.

What I thought of the Sony Reader Daily Edition PRS-950:

As eReaders go, my first impressions of the new 950 reminded me of the difference between the 32” flat screen in my bedroom, and the 46-incher that’s in my family room.  The 950 is, to me, like having the super big-screen experience eReader style, at least when it’s compared to the screen sizes of competing devices that carry 6” screens (such as the latest Kindle or Sony’s own PRS-650) instead of the 950’s 7-inch version. 

Big screen. Big features, too.

With the latest improvements to its Touch Reader series, Sony has absolutely perfected the balance between the visual and navigational experience a good touch screen eReader should provide.  The 950 pulls it off better than any other eReader I’ve seen, with the possible exception of the Nook Color, which by its very nature captures the eye merely because of the color display.  But for the combination of visual and navigational delight, I think the 950 takes the gold medal against all other comers.

Just like its smaller partners in crime, the PRS-950 sports an infrared beam-driven touch screen, which is enormously responsive sans the “masked” look of a resistive-touch technology.  I was thoroughly impressed with the display in all lighting conditions; I played with it under the fluorescents in my office, in the low light of my living room at night, and also in my car while parked in a snow-covered lot with the sun blaring through the moon roof.  The words and images on the screen were clear and easy on the eyes in all cases.

Of course, the bigger-format screen of the Daily Edition allows it to support higher resolution (1024 X 600) so you’ll be turning pages less often since more words show up on each individual page.  There is also the option to use landscape orientation instead of portrait, and you can choose to have the pages face each other in landscape, just like with a real paper-print book.  There are several different font sizes to choose from as well, so the user gets plenty of flexibility with the 7” display and what gets painted upon it.

In summary, the PRS-950 gets the highest possible marks for its excellent eInk display.  Coupled with the just-as-excellent touch screen functionality,  the 950’s display is quite frankly better than any other I’ve seen on an eInk reader.

Navigation on the 950 is just as easy and impressive as it is on the recently-released PRS-350 and 650 units by Sony.  Instead of doing thumb exercises with a joystick or navi-pad (as with the newest Kindle or Border’s Kobo, for example) you are likely to revel in the beautifully reactive touch screen environment the 950 offers.  Making notes is also a bit easier by the inclusion of a stylus, and you can choose to do so directly on the screen while a book is loaded, or separately on the notepad application Sony tossed in.  Additionally, you can use the stylus or your finger to tap words for lookup, thanks to the onboard, multi-language dictionary.

Hardware-wise, the PRS-950 is built on a 7.87 X 5.04 X 0.38” platform, and for a seven-inch display, the weight is a pleasant surprise at just 9.6 ounces.   On the 950, Sony was able to shed over three ounces (a 25% reduction) of ugly fat off of the original PRS-900, mostly because the 950’s battery isn’t the clunky, user-replaceable version that came with its predecessor. 

Controls are similar to those on the new 650, with five pushbuttons on the face of the unit, volume control and headphone jack on the bottom, and SD / Memory Stick Pro expansion slots on the bottom.  In addition, the 950 has a wireless on/off switch that the PRS-350 and 650 units lacked, because unlike the 950, the smaller Touch versions didn’t come with WiFi.  A bit more about that later.

Battery life on the Daily Edition is advertised as 27 days if you’re using the unit just for reading.  Browsing the Web will radically reduce the time between charges, of course.  I won’t have my 950 long enough to test Sony’s assertions, but I admit a bit of disappointment over Sony’s decision to include only a USB cable with the unit for charging instead of throwing in an AC travel adaptor.  On a whim, I tried plugging the charger for my Samsung Captivate into the 950’s USB port, and it worked just fine, so if you carry a cell phone that uses mini-USB for charging you can overcome this little issue.

File format support is almost as good as it gets, with ePub, BBeB, txt, rtf, Adobe Adept DRM, PDF, and MS Word all included.  Word files, however, must be converted on a PC using conversion software supplied by Sony before the Daily Edition will recognize them.   The 950 also plays mp3’s, ACC’s and audiobooks.  You’ll have about 1.6 GB of onboard storage space for all these wonderful file formats, and the expansion slots (Memory Stick Pro and SD) make room for 64 GB more. 

Besides the bigger screen, larger on-board dictionary, extended battery life and expanded file format support, the Daily Edition also adds 3G and WiFi capability to the offerings of its companions in the new Touch series.  The lack of wireless connectivity was the single biggest complaint we found about either the PRS-350 or its larger cousin, the PRS-650.  Sony’s answer was to include wireless on the 950, which is billed as the top-of-the line, full-featured apex of the Sony eReader line.  My own personal feeling about wireless and eReaders is that I don’t really care whether or not I have to use a cable to download books.  That’s because I won’t use an eReader for anything except reading – but for those who demand it, the 950 will allow surfing the Web, downloading books, and browsing eBook libraries to their heart’s content.

All good news for Sony Reader fans.  So what’s the rub?

The price.  At release, the Daily Edition was listed at $299, which is 33% more than the similarly-featured competition offered up by the latest Kindle.  We saw the 950 offered for $249 (on SonyStyle.com) during the 2010 holiday season, but from online retailers to Best Buy, prices varied from $299 to $329. 

So, all things considered, the Daily Edition is really very much like a shiny new Caddy or Lexus.  Sure, you can buy a cheaper car, but if you are after the “luxury” version of the latest eReader line from Sony, then the PRS-950 is worthy of your serious consideration.

Online experts’ opinions of the Sony Daily Edition PRS-950 eReader:

As previously mentioned, there isn’t a whole lot out there yet in the way of online reviews covering the brand new Daily Edition.  I found five online resources to compare with my own evaluation; these included a pre-release snippet from Cnet, as well as article-style opinions from EzineArticles and NewKerala.  I also visited SonyStyle.com and TeleRead.

Most of the reviews mirrored my own examination of the 950, but I’ll be checking back regularly to see if my prediction that the Daily Edition will win a Cnet Editor’s Choice award comes true.

Everyplace I looked, I saw criticism of Sony’s price point.  I think that criticism is well deserved, but then so is Sony’s reputation as a top of the line provider of electronic gadgetry.

What customers who bought the Sony Daily Edition PRS-950 eReader thought about it:

A selection of end-user comments from Cnet, Best Buy, and SonyStyle is as follows.

“Simply the best E-Reader for books and periodicals.  Great features for reading ease and enjoyment.” – EvK108

“Nice design, long battery life [but] unit freezes up periodically.” – Bundar

“Great product. Wireless, touchscreen, quick page refresh. Cons: price, no cover.”  - WashingtonDC

“It came with a brief manual, which was not very helpful. I found getting my Sony reader set up was challenging.  I had to go online to the Sony website…which was a little more helpful.” – Tess42

“Large touch screen, crisp eInk display and lots of memory.” – lepto

“Item is great, easy to use, even easier than the Nook which I also have.”   - RK67668

The Verdict:

Getting behind the wheel of the Daily Edition eReader from Sony was truly a pleasurable driving experience.  It really does have a finely-appointed feel to it, and its quick responsiveness along with its media-room screen size gives the PRS-950 significant competitive advantages against offerings from Kindle and others.  The addition of wireless connectivity should quiet at least a few naysayer’s, but for sure its steep price tag will not.  Some will say you are largely paying for the Sony name if you shell out $299 for the Daily.  I will say they are right; but I will also say it’s a name that’s worth it.

Our Sources:

                

*Prices are only estimates and may vary from time to time, eReader central does not guarantee the stated prices.