Sony Reader: The Must-Have Christmas Gift for 2008

Many people love to receive books as gifts for special occasions. They can provide endless Christmas-gift ideas, but finding the perfect book for a loved one can be difficult. Their tastes and interests must be considered, which can mean hours of trawling round the bookstore to find just what you're looking for.

Consideration must also be given to space - or lack of it - available for books in the recipient's home. This is a finite commodity, and a true booklover's shelves are likely to be groaning under the weight of these prized possessions. They are also likely to be reluctant to part company with any of their collection.

Fortunately, there is one gift that can be bought for an avid reader that will take up very little space and wont require hours of precious Christmas shopping time spent pondering the many shelves in your local bookstore.

It is the Sony Reader. This good looking gadget is available at Waterstone's in the United Kingdom for £199 and from various retailers in the USA for $299.

The sheer portability of the device will be a boon to anyone who usually takes books with them on their travels. Paperbacks can take up huge amounts of space and valuable weight allowance in your luggage, while this gadget weighs only 260g, is smaller than a standard paperback novel and can hold up to 160 books. Many more books can be stored on SD card, meaning even the largest collection of books can be taken just about anywhere.

The impressive battery life will provide as many as 7,000 page turns and can be fully charged in as little as two hours, meaning it is unlikely to suddenly cut off without warning during the daily commute. The Sony Reader can also play mp3 and AAC files, allowing the reader to listen to music while browsing their favourite books.

Ebooks are available to purchase from a number of outlets, including Waterstone's. While prices may seem high for ebooks bought from some online stores, these are likely to come down in the future. In addition, there are many classic out-of- copyright books available for free from the likes of Project Gutenberg, such as Jayne Eyre and Anna Karenina.

One of the very best things about the Sony Reader, however, has to be its ease of use. The user-interface is very simple, allowing the reader to dive straight into their first book. The unit is a pleasure to use and the page display incredibly easy on the eye. The layout and lighting is such that the display actually looks very much like a real book. In addition, the Reader automatically returns to the last page you were on when you power it up and can also place bookmarks as required.

A stylish, good looking gadget, the Sony Reader really is the must-have Christmas gift for any bookworm.