Sony have revealed an electronic reader at the Consumer Electronics Show, which they claim can hold hundreds of books, and utilises E Ink technology to ensure thousands of page turns before a recharge of the unit is required.

The 250 gram electronic book measures up to be about the same size as a standard paperback, but has a 15cm "electronic display" which makes use of E Ink technology, and with around 170 pixels per inch it offers similar clarity to the text as you'd find in a normal printed book.

An impressive 7,500 pages can be read on each charge of the device thanks to the minimal power consumption of the E Ink display, which only uses power when the display is being updated to provide new text and graphics on the screen, and the battery can be back to full life after just four hours of recharging.

Thousands of titles are expected to be made available for use with the Reader via Sony's online Connect store, whilst support for further formats including MP3 audio, Adobe PDF and JPEG images, alongside personal documents, blogs and newsfeeds looks set to make the Sony Reader more than just a collection of pre-selected popular titles.

There does however seem to be a slight flaw in the thinking of an electronic book such as the Sony Reader, in the fact that you can't just drift off to sleep whilst reading it in bed, dropping it to the floor like you might a paperback - if you do the same with a £300 electronic version, you're almost certain to end up damaging it.

Sony's Reader is due to go on sale in America later this year, and you can find out more on the official website.

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