SonyReaderWifiPrs-t1
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Engadget's holiday gift guide 2011: e-readers
Welcome to the Engadget Holiday Gift Guide! We're well aware of the heartbreaking difficulties surrounding the seasonal shopping experience, so we're here to help you sort out this year's tech treasures. Below is today's bevy of curated picks, and you can head back to the Gift Guide hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the holiday season. The e-reader space is really -- if you'll pardon the expression -- heating up just in time for the holiday season. Industry leader Amazon dropped the gauntlet yet again, with the introduction of three new devices, including the entry-level fourth generation Kindle (which starts at an enticing $79 for the ad-supported version) and the Kindle Fire, which is helping to further blur the lines between the e-reader and tablet worlds. Not to be outdone, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and Sony are also offering up impressive new devices for the holiday season. All in all, there's never been a more exciting time to give the gift of reading.
Sony Reader PRS-T1 hacked to expose Android, run other e-reader apps (video)
We knew that lurking under the e-ink screen gracing the front of Sony's PRS-T1 reader was some version of Android. What was unclear, was whether or not we'd ever be able to actually get a peek under its highly customized skin and a chance to start poking its open-source innards. Well, thanks to one intrepid hacker, we're almost there. YouTube user vladboroda has managed to install AWD.Launcher and a host of other apps on the Reader and actually got some of them up and running. You won't be able to play Angry Birds on its 6-inch touchscreen (yet...) but it is capable of running other e-reader apps, like FBReader, and there is access to the terminal. It's not quite enough that we'd start referring to the PRS-T1 as a tablet just yet, and the hack still isn't available to the public, but work is progressing and we're sure it'll have you browsing the web and slingshotting aggravated avians in no time. Check out the video after the break.
Sony Reader WiFi review
Sony's timing could have been better with the Reader WiFi PRS-T1. The device, which was unveiled back at IFA in late August, is set to launch within a fortnight. In the intervening time, Amazon, the clear leader in the space, unveiled two new readers -- the fourth-generation Kindle and the Kindle Touch. Sony's got a ways to go if it's going to become a dominant force in the e-reader market outside of its native Japan, alongside the Kindle and the Nook. The PRS-T1 certainly takes some steps in that direction, both in terms of pricing and features -- but is it enough to get consumers to stand up and take notice? Find out in our review after the break.%Gallery-135861%
