In 2006, Sony tested the patience of e-book fans by twice delaying the release of its PRS-500 reading device, originally set for the spring. The company finally started taking orders over the Web in September, and the gadget can now be bought at electronics stores and some Borders bookstores.

It was worth the wait. The Sony Reader's selling point is its black-and-white "electronic paper" screen, which has been advertised as a far better imitation of ink on paper than the LCDs found in laptops, cell phones, and earlier generations of e-book reading devices. After curling up for a couple of weeks with a unit lent to me by Sony, I'm happy to report that it lives up to its billing. It isn't a replacement for paper--but it is the first e-book device that works well enough to appeal to a large swath of readers, even given its $350 price tag.