Sony PRS-T2 e-Reader Up for Pre-Order

Sony is almost ready to start shipping a new e-book reader, one that claims to be the lightest of its kind (for its size), but there is a trick to the product listing on J&R.

The “trick,” such as it is, lies in the fact that the so-called “new” e-reader isn't really that different from the e-book reading device Sony already has up for sale. The screen size is the same and the rest of the hardware is mostly unchanged as well.

The only advantages lie in the light and thin form factor, the tweaked button design and the improvements to the device's software.

That said, the product is called Sony PRS-T2 and measures 6 inches in diagonal. Its e-ink touchscreen (pearl panel) boasts a native resolution of 800 x 600 pixels.

There are some navigation buttons at the bottom. We can't quite tell from the picture, but they are either smaller than usual or reliant on genuine touch input.

Moving on, the e-reader allows Wi-Fi connections and, through a microSD card slot, extra storage space (up to 32 GB) on top of the built-in 1.3 GB.

All in all, the gadget measures 0.38 inches in thickness (9-10 mm) and weighs 5.9 ounces (167 grams).

Sony, or at least J&R, promises that the newcomer supports Facebook and has Evernote Clearly pre-installed, besides the regular e-reading software and Sony’s Reader Store.

The product page is here and claims a battery life of 6 weeks (with wireless on), a recharging time of 2 hours (over USB 2.0) and support for Microsoft Windows 7/Vista/XP or Mac OS X v10.7+.

Unfortunately, we do not know when pre-orders will turn into orders and deliveries will kick off. We do know the price though, and it's fairly steep, even with free shipping: $129.99 / 105 Euro. At least there's a free copy of the first Harry Potter book in the whole deal (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone).