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Sony’s new Readers now include touch screens.
Photo: Sony

Can Sony, a pioneer of e-book readers, catch up to Amazon and its Kindle, which dominate the market? The company will try with revamped, touch-enabled versions of its entire Reader line.

Two models begin shipping today: the Sony Reader Touch, a 6-inch-screen model that will cost $229, and the Sony Reader Pocket, a 5-incher priced at $179. The new version of the 7-inch Sony Daily Edition, $299, the only wireless model in the line, will ship later (“in time for the holidays”), the company says.

The key change to the new Readers lies in their touch screens. Sony says they use unique technology to eliminate the additional layer heretofore required to add touch capability to black-and-white E-ink screens.

On previous Sonys with touch screens, that additional layer compromised the crispness of the type—a compromise that discouraged most other manufacturers making readers with e-ink screens from adding touch capability to the devices. The old screens also required very firm pressure from your finger.

When I tried out the new Touch and Pocket in a meeting with Sony, I found the type looked notably crisper than on their previous namesakes. I also found the devices’ screens to be more responsive.

Both devices have also been slimmed down; the Pocket now measures .33 inches thick, for example, down from .4 inches for its predecessor. And a few ounces have been trimmed from the weight of the devices. The new Touch weighs less than 8 ounces, making it even lighter than the slimmer, trimmer Kindle that debuted last week.

Unfortunately, Sony didn’t address one of the biggest disadvantages of these devices: The need to tether them to a computer via USB cable in order to get new content. And there’s a hefty premium for their touch capability compared with competitors that don’t have touch screens. The Sony Reader Touch, for example, costs $80 and $90 more, respectively, than the least expensive (and Wi-Fi-enabled) versions of the Barnes & Noble Nook and the latest Amazon Kindle, both of which also have a 6-inch screen.

The new Daily Edition has both Wi-Fi and 3G service, plus a larger (7-inch) screen. But its price is more than $100 above the $189 you’ll pay for a 3G/Wi-Fi version of either the Nook or the Kindle.

We’ll be buying and fully testing the new Sonys as soon as possible, in order to add them to our Ratings of e-book readers, available to subscribers.

—Paul Reynolds

Click here to play the Sound Byte: Consumer
Reports lastest digital camera Ratings.
(MP3 software required.)
podcast: Consumer Reports

Looking to buy a digital camera? In last week’s Sound Byte, Associate Editor Terry Sullivan discussed with Dave Graveline of “Into Tomorrow” our latest camera Ratings (available to subscribers). Listen to the podcast (by clicking here), and hear Terry outline our choices for:

• The best sub-compact camera: a Nikon Coolpix model ($300), that took very good pictures in our tests
• The best super-zoom camera: a pricier ($400) Nikon Coolpix with a more powerful zoom lens and very good controls
• The best advanced camera: a Canon Powershot ($500) with SLR-like picture-capabilities, but without the bulk
• The best digital SLR: An $1,800 Canon EOS model that comes packed with many “bells and whistles”

Other good digtial camera choices can be found on the Consumer Reports Online list of Recommended digital camera models (available to subscribers).

Click this link to listen to our latest Sound Byte podcast. (You’ll need software, such as iTunes or Quicktime or RealPlayer or an MP3 audio-capable Web browser to play the file. Right-click the link with your mouse, choose “save as…” to download the Sound Byte to your computer or MP3 player for later listening.) For the complete three-hour “Into Tomorrow with Dave Graveline” show featuring this segment, click here.

Until next week… Happy weekend, everyone!

—Paul Eng

About Sound Bytes
Every week, Consumer Reports experts produce a short (less than two minutes in length) audio segment which cover a wide variety of issues regarding consumer electronics and technology. These small “sound bites” can be heard on “Into Tomorrow with Dave Graveline.” The Sound Byte that is featured in the Consumer Reports Electronics Blog is a segment that aired on last weekend’s “Into Tomorrow” over-the-air broadcast.

About Into Tomorrow
Now in its 15th year, “Into Tomorrow with Dave Graveline” covers the Latest in Consumer Electronics & Technology available today and… into tomorrow. The show airs on over 160 AM and FM radio stations around the U.S., on SIRIUS XM Satellite Radio, radio stations in Germany, Bermuda, New Zealand, Canada and several other sources including Mobile Broadcast Network, BeOS Radio, Sprint Radio, TiVo, and many others—every weekend. “Into Tomorrow” is also heard around the world on the Armed Forces Networks in several other countries. You can also catch all “Into Tomorrow” episodes on the Web. (The most recent show is usually added about three or four days after it has been broadcast on the radio.)

The Samsung Epic 4G smart phone, $250 with a
two-year contract on Sprint’s network.
Photo: Sprint

As one of CR’s cell-phone testers, I’ve been evaluating the Samsung Epic 4G (which we obtained as a press sample), and am generally impressed with it, based on my preliminary tests. Available from Sprint on August 31st, the Epic 4G is a worthy addition to Samsung’s line of Galaxy S phones, which include T-Mobile’s Vibrant and AT&T’s Captivate. It also joins the HTC Evo 4G as a phone that runs on Sprint’s high-speed, fourth-generation (4G) network in cities where that network is available.

Like other Galaxy S phones, the Epic 4G, priced at $250 with a two-year contract, boasts a bright and sharp (in this case 4-inch) AMOLED display, a 1GHz processor, a good (5-MP) camera, 720p video recording, and a six-axis motion-sensing accelerometer. (The latter is great for playing games like the included driving game demo, Asphalt 5, where you steer the car by tilting the phone from side to side.)

The biggest distinction of the Epic compared with its Galaxy S siblings is its slide-out full-QWERTY keyboard. The keyboard is well-designed and easy to use, with five lines of raised keys with dedicated buttons for numbers across the top row. It also has directional keys, a “smiley” button, and home, menu, back and search buttons.

If you send a lot of texts or e-mails from your phone, this is a feature worth considering. Unfortunately, they keyboard adds a bit of bulk to the Epic 4G. It is about 0.2 inches thicker and over an ounce heavier than other Galaxy S phones, and ranks among the heaviest phones we’ve tested.

Sprint’s 4G network is not available at the Consumer Reports National Testing Center or in my home in the Bronx. However, in May, reporter Mike Gikas traveled to Philadelphia, which does have 4G service, to try out the new network, which he confirmed was indeed faster at downloading Web pages and provided smoother streaming video. Sprint claims the network will allow simultaneous voice and data, high-quality video streaming, and video chat. It’s available now in around 60 cities, and Sprint promises further expansion, including to such notable 3G-only cities as Los Angeles, New York City, and Washington DC.

I still found browsing and streaming to be acceptably fast, even on the Sprint 3G network.

Bottom line: Based on our early tests, the Epic 4G appears to be a great all-around smart phone with an impressive display and 4G capabilities. But it may not be the best choice in a Galaxy phone if its physical keyboard isn’t a priority to you. For example, the Evo 4G costs $50 less (at $200), has a slightly bigger (4.3-inch) screen, a camera with better resolution (8 MP) and an HDMI output for streaming video, which the Epic 4G lacks.

We’ll be adding the Epic 4G, and other models, soon to our smart phone Ratings, available to subscribers.

—David Toner

Sony’s new NX810 3D LCD TVs have edge LED
backlights with local dimming.
Photo: Sony

At a press event in New York City last night, Sony showed off a new three-model NX810-series of 3D LCD TVs, which will be available next month. The sets, which all use edge LED backlights that can be locally dimmed, range in price from $2,700 to $4,700.

The 3D TVs will be available in 46-, 55-, and 60-inch screen sizes, and all include Sony’s Motionflow 240 Pro 240Hz technology, built-in Wi-Fi, and its Bravia Internet Video online service. All include a built-in sensor that adjusts the backlight to room lighting conditions.

Like the two Sony 3D models we’ve so far tested—see First Look: New 3D LCD TVs from LG, Sony for our assessment of the sets—these TVs work with Sony’s 3D glasses, which unlike other glasses we’ve tested use just a single polarizer for each lens. As a result, we expect them to perform similarly in the 3D mode to the sets we’ve already seen, which require viewers to keep their heads completely vertical to the screen or significant ghosting (double images) can occur. (See our video: First Test Results of TVs with 3D Capability.)

Here is the model lineup with anticipated pricing:

• Bravia KDL-46NX810, $2,700
• Bravia KDL-55NX810, $3,700
• Bravia KDL-60NX810, $4,700

Keep checking back with our blogs for more information about 3D TVs in general, and for news of when we get these sets in our TV labs for testing.

—James K. Willcox

The Sony alpha a55 digital camera.
Photo: Sony

When Sony announced its new Alpha A33 and A55 cameras included “Translucent Mirror Technology,” I was intrigued. I haven’t seen technology like that on a digital camera recently and wondered just how well the pair would perform with a translucent mirror and a high quality electronic viewfinder (EVF) in place of true through-the-lens, SLR style, viewing.

Yesterday I tried out the A55 at a press event. Five dancers ran, strutted, leaped and danced in front (and at me), while I fired still shots and captured video. As an experienced photographer, here’s what I noticed about the A55:

The viewfinder and LCD. I found the EVF quite good, delivering a very clear image that didn’t get grainy or produce a jittery picture when panning, the way some EVFs can. Of course, the studio was quite well lighted. I expect that in low-light that EVF will get more grainy, increasing the chances of getting a jittery image in the viewfinder. But overall this EVF, which has 1.1 million dots, appeared very clear and crisp. Likewise, I felt 3-inch swiveling LCD (which is not a touchscreen display) did an equally good job in liveview mode and playing back stills and video.

A view of the Sony alpha a55’s swiveling LCD
screen and some of the controls on its body.

Lots of physical controls. As you can see from my photos of the camera’s body, the A55 includes a lot of controls, switches and dials. Sony’s other recent SLR-like cameras, the NEX-3 and NEX-5, force you to dive down into their menus to select various settings. That’s because, being smaller and thinner than the A55, they don’t have much room for a lot of controls. The A55 itself is roughly 25 percent smaller and lighter than Sony’s full-fledged SLR, the A550. So if you like the look and feel of a camera loaded with controls, you may find the a55 to your liking. However, if you’re looking for a camera closer in size to a point-and-shoot, consider the NEX series or other brand of SLR-like cameras.

Being able to use SLR lenses. Unlike the NEX series, the A55 doesn’t require an adapter to use Alpha SLR lenses. I tried out several lenses, including a 24-70mm zoom and 70-300mm telephoto zoom. All worked very well: I didn’t feel the camera body was too small or compact to handle any of them.

Fast performance. The main reason Sony included Translucent Mirror Technology in the A33 and A55 was to increase shooting and focusing speed for both stills and video. For stills, Sony claims that unlike any other camera, which needs to refocus between each shot, the A55 can refocus on the fly during burst mode. Although I was unable to tell if the A55 was refocusing during the 10 fps burst modes, I was impressed with the speed of shooting at such a fast rate, finding it to be one of the fastest burst rates I’ve seen in a consumer-level SLR or SLR-like model. However, when my camera was set to a combination of RAW + JPEG and I shot in burst mode, the camera did take several seconds to empty its buffer, once it was full, before I could shoot again. This doesn’t directly affect the burst mode, but may affect how you shoot. I also liked how well the camera quickly refocused on changing subjects as I captured HD video.

Menus. I found them straightforward. The menu structure provides several ways of getting to the same setting, though some people may find this confusing. It would have been nice, if a lot of work, if Sony had included the same kind of shooting tips feature here as on its NEX models, which provide wonderfully illustrated how-tos within their menus.

Overall, I was impressed with the A55’s handling, balance and performance. We’ll be sure to report on how it compares against competing SLR-like models when we get it into our labs later this year and into our digital camera Ratings (available to subscribers).

—Terry Sullivan

The Sony alpha a55 digital camera.
Photo: Sony

When Sony announced its new Alpha A33 and A55 cameras included “Translucent Mirror Technology,” I was intrigued. I haven’t seen technology like that on a digital camera recently and wondered just how well the pair would perform with a translucent mirror and a high quality electronic viewfinder (EVF) in place of true through-the-lens, SLR style, viewing.

Yesterday I tried out the A55 at a press event. Five dancers ran, strutted, leaped and danced in front (and at me), while I fired still shots and captured video. As an experienced photographer, here’s what I noticed about the A55:

The viewfinder and LCD. I found the EVF quite good, delivering a very clear image that didn’t get grainy or produce a jittery picture when panning, the way some EVFs can. Of course, the studio was quite well lighted. I expect that in low-light that EVF will get more grainy, increasing the chances of getting a jittery image in the viewfinder. But overall this EVF, which has 1.1 million dots, appeared very clear and crisp. Likewise, I felt 3-inch swiveling LCD (which is not a touchscreen display) did an equally good job in liveview mode and playing back stills and video.

A view of the Sony alpha a55’s swiveling LCD
screen and some of the controls on its body.

Lots of physical controls. As you can see from my photos of the camera’s body, the A55 includes a lot of controls, switches and dials. Sony’s other recent SLR-like cameras, the NEX-3 and NEX-5, force you to dive down into their menus to select various settings. That’s because, being smaller and thinner than the A55, they don’t have much room for a lot of controls. The A55 itself is roughly 25 percent smaller and lighter than Sony’s full-fledged SLR, the A550. So if you like the look and feel of a camera loaded with controls, you may find the a55 to your liking. However, if you’re looking for a camera closer in size to a point-and-shoot, consider the NEX series or other brand of SLR-like cameras.

Being able to use SLR lenses. Unlike the NEX series, the A55 doesn’t require an adapter to use Alpha SLR lenses. I tried out several lenses, including a 24-70mm zoom and 70-300mm telephoto zoom. All worked very well: I didn’t feel the camera body was too small or compact to handle any of them.

Fast performance. The main reason Sony included Translucent Mirror Technology in the A33 and A55 was to increase shooting and focusing speed for both stills and video. For stills, Sony claims that unlike any other camera, which needs to refocus between each shot, the A55 can refocus on the fly during burst mode. Although I was unable to tell if the A55 was refocusing during the 10 fps burst modes, I was impressed with the speed of shooting at such a fast rate, finding it to be one of the fastest burst rates I’ve seen in a consumer-level SLR or SLR-like model. However, when my camera was set to a combination of RAW + JPEG and I shot in burst mode, the camera did take several seconds to empty its buffer, once it was full, before I could shoot again. This doesn’t directly affect the burst mode, but may affect how you shoot. I also liked how well the camera quickly refocused on changing subjects as I captured HD video.

Menus. I found them straightforward. The menu structure provides several ways of getting to the same setting, though some people may find this confusing. It would have been nice, if a lot of work, if Sony had included the same kind of shooting tips feature here as on its NEX models, which provide wonderfully illustrated how-tos within their menus.

Overall, I was impressed with the A55’s handling, balance and performance. We’ll be sure to report on how it compares against competing SLR-like models when we get it into our labs later this year and into our digital camera Ratings (available to subscribers).

—Terry Sullivan

The Vizio XVT-series LCD TVs.
Photo: Vizio

Vizio, which gained a foothold in the U.S. TV market with low-priced basic HDTV models sold primarily through warehouse clubs such as Costco, is now shipping its XVT series of 1080p LCD TVs. These sets offer step-up features, such as full-array LED backlights and the Vizio Internet Apps (VIA) platform, at prices lower than most of its competitors.

Three larger-sized models—the 55-inch XVT553SV, the 47-inch XVT473SV, and the 42-inch XVT423SV—use full-array LED backlights (called TruLED) that have more zones that can be locally dimmed than previous models. By enabling some zones to be dark while others remain illuminated, local dimming can help improve black levels. Other features in these sets include Vizio’s 240Hz technology, and its VIA online service, with access to streaming movies from Amazon, Netflix, and Vudu, and the Rhapsody music service.

There are also two smaller XVT models: the 32-inch XVT323SV and the 37-inch XVT373SV. Both use Vizio’s “Razor” edge LED backlights that can be locally dimmed, plus 120Hz technology and the VIA online service.

All the XVT-series TVs have integrated dual-band Wi-Fi, SRS TruSurround HD sound, and TruVolume (which, like Dolby Volume, strives to maintain a constant volume level when a commercial comes on or when you switch channels). All models also come with a Bluetooth wireless remote control that has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard.

All the TVs are now available. Here’s a breakdown of models and prices:

• 55-inch XVT553SV, $2,200
• 47-inch XVT473SV, $1,800
• 42-inch XVT423SV, $1,200
• 37-inch XVT373SV, $900
• 32-inch XVT323SV, $700

We’ll be testing at least one of these models in the near future, so keep checking our blogs for an updated In The CR TV Labs post.

—James K. Willcox