Good old paperback: 1, Sony eBook device: 0

Seeing as I own a book publishing firm, this week I decided to add a Sony Reader to my small collection of electronic gadgets. It joins my iPhone, which has an easily downloadable electronic book reading application - and a pretty neat one at that: you can change the font size and decide whether to have black print on a white background, or white print on a black background. The iPhone also allows you to turn pages merely by stroking the screen.

However, the iPhone has one obvious limitation, the screen is rather small for reading a book. I have therefore been interested in trying out larger ebook readers, those that are dedicated solely to books. The impetus to purchase the Sony Reader came from the fact that I was attending seminars in Toronto this week dealing with electronic books. I also wanted one becuase Boulder will henceforth publish most of its books in both paper and electronic formats, and it seems to make sense that I - as a publisher - should achieve some familiarity with ebook readers.

When the helpful clerk at the Sony Store in Toronto's Eaton Centre offered to charge me $280 for a Sony Reader - down from $375 - as well as $25 in free ebook downloads, I caved. It is certainly a handsome looking product - a light metallic red machine that can play music as well as present books. The principal advantage it enjoys over the iphone is undoubtedly its size; the paperback-sized screen is instantly familiar. It is also easy to use; I figured it out within ten minutes, so it can't be terribly confusing. The Reader comes in a simple leather case (like a dustjacket), and is held in place along the spine merely by thin piece of plastic.

There is one major downside to the Sony Reader, besides the steep price, one that became achingly clear to me two days after I'd purchased it. Perhaps I should have been more careful, but I am used to carrying my coffee and a book around with me on Saturday mornings. While taking it to the computer to download a book I dropped my brand new Reader; it plunged about one meter onto the hardwood floor. The case landed on its spine, forcing the reader out of its plastic strap and onto the hard surface. Now my Reader is broken, and the Sony store in St. John's is suggesting that I am solely responsible for the damage - even though the manager agreed that the protective case offers little real protection to the device in the event of an accident.

A few days earlier, I dropped my ancient paperbaack copy of Cancer Ward; I am pleased to report that it remains in tip-top reading condition. Not so my Sony Reader.