The Sony Reader offers an open source eReader with e Ink technology, so the print on the screen looks like ink on real paper. The touch screens mean they are easy to navigate, and a turn of the page is only a swipe of the screen away. The open source format of the Sony Reader means you can get eBooks from a variety of retailers, not just the company who sold you the device and in addition many public libraries offer eBook lending service, so you can borrow ebooks in a similar way to paper ones.

There are a number of different models of the Sony Reader, with different size screens and storage capabilities and with different prices. Current models are the Sony Reader PRS-350 and the Sony Reader PRS-650.