I just got my new Sony Digital Paper. As Bob Ambrogi said in a review a few years ago, it is a one-trick pony, but WHAT A TRICK!! The Digital Paper is a PDF reader which also allows you to take notes and annotate documents and synch them with your main document store. What distinguishes it is size (it comes in 10" and 13" form factors) and weight. At 12 oz, it is only somewhat heavier than a smartphone and measurably lighter than even my small 9" iPad. The 13" version was on sale for $599, the 10" version $499.
This is hard to visualize, so as a first for “Does It Compute?” I am including an image of a traditional yellow pad, the Sony Digital Paper, my small (9") iPad and my smartphone. With a 1650 x 2200 pixel resolution and 16-level gray scale, the sharpness is stunning.
So, what good is it? If you need to read, review and mark up large volumes of PDF documents, then this is for you. The stylus that comes with the device feels extremely “pen-like” when marking up documents. When you mark up or annotate text, or highlight text, you can go to a list that shows you your annotations or highlights without having to scroll through the document. DP supports fill-in-the-form PDFs: Check boxes, radio buttons, text boxes, etc.
You could easily take the relevant document to, say, a real estate closing, and have everyone sign documents on the Digital Paper and then upload the signed documents to your PC (or mobile device).
What does it NOT do? There is no browser and no email. However, there IS a Digital Paper App for mobile, which allows you to install on an iPad or smartphone. You can then upload documents from your Digital Paper to the smartphone and email them. Synchronization to your main computer can be automated, but must be launched from the Sony Digital App on the computer.
What is the workflow involved? The workflow is similar to many of the cloud synchronization programs (DropBox, Box, etc.). You copy or drag a document to a specified directory, and that is then transferred to/synchronized with the Digital Paper device. The setup process is a bit clunky, but it is not intended as a full-scale backup, so this not a major issue. DP reads only PDFs, but you can send a Word document by using a send/print to Digital Paper function.
(Note: correction re: synching made on 12/7)
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