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Sony Reader PRS-T2 to go on Sale in September for $99

Folks, today I get to show Sony and everyone else the value of being the one major blog not included in Sony’s NDA. I’ve just come across a screenshot from an ad, and it shows the new Sony Reader as going on sale next month.

You can click on the image at right to see a larger version, but it shows the new Sony Reader PRS-T2 being marked down from $129 to $99. The ad also mentions the dozen dictionaries found on the last Sony Reader, and it specifically calls out the free Harry Potter ebook that ships with each device.

I can’t find the ad online myself, but it’s been attributed to MCX Brands, a company that runs retail stores on US Marine Corps bases. It’s supposed to come from their anniversary sale, which looks to happen in the middle of September. Okay, so that’s not terribly useful unless you have access to a military base, but it’s still an interesting bit of news that Sony’s new ereader is going to go on sale almost immediately.

Well, I’m not sure I’d call it a sale, given that the Kindle costs less. You can also get the B&N Nook Touch for $99, and if you don’t mind a refurb you can get the Nook Touch for $60 on Ebay. (Now that’s a sale.) Sony’s sale price here looks to be the usual sleight of hand that device makers use. They invent a higher fictional retail price and then sell the device for the real retail price, which is usually much lower.

The real retail price is probably going to be $99, so if you plan to get one I would wait for that price.

I was one of the 2 blogs to break the story on the Sony Reader late Thursday night, and like my competition I’m not terribly impressed. This ereader looks to be little more than a slightly improved version of Sony’s last ereader. It has the same screen, general design, and aside from a couple new software features there appears to be only one important different between the T1 and the T2.

The new device appears to lack a headphone jack.  That means there’s no audio. Sony has removed one of the few strengths that the T1 had over the Nook Touch, and now there’s really not much of a reason to get a Sony Reader anymore.

P.S. There was a marked lack of coverage of last week’s leak, and that’s why I believe that Sony has some of the major blogs under a non-disclosure agreement. Those blogs have already been briefed on the new ereader, and thanks to the NDA they cannot post the leak. While my guess that a launch would happen today turned out not to be true, I do expect the new device to launch soon.

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Comments


cookie August 13, 2012 um 9:33 am

I wonder what the licensing cost for the 12 multilanguage dictionaries (Oxford, Collins) is per unit. Every blogger ignores the significance of those dictionaries to their purchasers.

fjtorres August 13, 2012 um 9:51 am

Plus there is the memory space issue.
The T1 is app-space constrained so adding the Facebook and Evernote apps might be taking up the dictionary space.
Pretty clear T2 is a cost-reduced T1.

Porkupan August 13, 2012 um 10:58 am

The T1 is only app-space constrained because Sony allocated 40 MB for Android /data filesystem (with the assumption that there will not be any 3rd party apps installed, and 40MB should be enough to keep the data for existing Sony apps). It is not very hard to reallocate the filesystem in a manner that will allow much more app space (at the expense of the book library of course).

If Facebook and Evernote apps were added, chances are the /system size (that’s the filesystem, in which Sony places all of its pre-installed apps) wouldn’t need to change at all. A 4GB flash costs pennies now, and the 2GB flashes are getting harder to find, so no real reason why Sony wouldn’t stick a 4GB eMMC onto the T2, and provide more memory for the apps while adding even more space for the book library. In other words, the memory absolutely cannot be the issue. The licensing costs on the other hand may play a role, especially in all the information we have seen so far is true, and T2 really is a cost-reduced T1.


Name (required) August 13, 2012 um 3:16 pm

THIS is the kind of material I like to read on your blog, not the baseles slamming of Samsung tablets.

A nitpick
I think the text:
(Now that’s a sale.) Sony’s sale price here looks to be the usual slight of hand that device makers use.
should look like:
(Now, that’s a sale.) Sony’s sale price here looks to be the usual sleight of hand that device makers use.
But … I am not native English speaker 😉

cookie August 13, 2012 um 4:59 pm

Samsung Galaxy 7 2.0 has a four star rating after 392 reviews on Amazon.com, so yes, it is a very good device. It was the best value in the 7 inch class before Google came out with their device.

Nate Hoffelder August 13, 2012 um 5:13 pm

I disagree. Aside from the dual core CPU it is a serious step down from the original Samsung Galaxy Tab 7, and that device can be had for under $200 as a refurb.

cookie August 13, 2012 um 6:26 pm

Well Nate, I can’t think of any time where I have agreed with your opinions, so we are even.

Besides dual core, it has twice the ram, a better operating system, it is lighter, and has a longer battery life. The only advantage the first one has is a better front facing camera.

Nate Hoffelder August 13, 2012 um 6:44 pm

It also has a better rear facing camera with Flash. The original can also be updated with a newer version of Android. I’m looking into it right now. And I’m not convinced that the extra RAM matters all that much unless you’re going to push the tablet by running meatier and more numerous apps. I don’t.

And as for battery life, the original lasts for more than 2 days of constant use. That’s a lot and I’m not sure I need more.

cookie August 13, 2012 um 7:03 pm

People often don’t see the benefits of RAM, but memory mangement often happens in the background. But if you switch between apps a lot, the OS doesn’t have to re-open those apps as often, if you have more RAM. At least that has been my observations having owned tablets with 256k, 512k and 1 gig of ram.

Your point on the the fact there’s no LED flash for the camera is one I didn’t consider, however.

Name (required) August 14, 2012 um 2:30 am

Sorry guys.
I did not want to start another flame. I wanted to praise THIS article about Sony T2 and point out one obvious typo and one typo I wasn’t so sure about.


DavidW August 14, 2012 um 6:27 am

I think that this must be the most minor update to an ereader that I’ve ever seen.


Sony Prs-T2 e le notizie riservate non più riservate… August 15, 2012 um 8:05 am

[…] dal blog The Digital Reader prima dell’annuncio ufficiale da parte della stessa Sony. Ebbene, sempre The Digital Reader, svela che, nonostante il prezzo di lancio sia di 129 dollari, è già prevista per il prossimo […]


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