Charles McGrath has been “test driving” the lastest e-book device from Sony and has reviewed it for The New York Times. Although the technology has come a long way, he says, the Sony Reader still needs some work: “It’s small and lightweight — about the size and heft of a pocket notebook — and, in a quaint little nod to the antique technology, it comes housed in a leatherette cover that actually makes it look like a book. But once you flip open the cover, the controls to operate the thing are maddening.”

McGrath’s complaints and compliments often come together:

The screen is not backlighted, which also saves on juice but nevertheless seems a regrettable throwback to the Gutenberg era. When it comes to reading in bed, the Reader and the traditional book work equally poorly.

McGrath does praise the Reader’s capacity, noting that it can hold about 80 books, or more with a memory card. But even if you weren’t thinking of putting a Reader in someone’s Christmas stocking, the review itself is an entirely entertaining read.

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Click here for the full article in The New York Times