They still haven't cracked the ebook
Sony has just released its Reader. It's slim, tan and a commuter magnet, but I want more
Guardian writer and blogger Alison Flood has her say. September 4, 2008

Jostling for space on the crowded platform at Farringdon tube station last night, I was deliberating over which of my preloaded ebooks to read on my Sony Reader when the unthinkable happened - I was approached by a fellow commuter, a jovial-looking businessman.
"Is that it?" he asked. "Wow." He was planning to get one today, when it goes on sale in 205 Waterstone's branches. The £199 price tag didn't bother him - the Reader ebook would be "ever so handy" for all the travelling he has to do.

It happened again at Edgware Road, when the middle-aged woman I was sitting next to wanted to find out more about the device. Her husband has poor eyesight, and was keen to get one because you can zoom in on the text.

The Reader's slim, tan form was certainly a commuter magnet, but how would it do at keeping me occupied during my hour-long trip home? Last night, the model I tried was working at a disadvantage - the software isn't Mac-compatible, so I couldn't add any of the 100 classics that come free with the device. After this morning's launch there are thousands of ebooks available from Waterstone's website, with prices running fairly level with print equivalents: Patricia Cornwell's Blow Fly is £6.39, and Rachel Johnson's Notting Hell is £5.59 - quite expensive when you've already shelled out for the Reader itself.

To read Alison's full piece link here.