Earlier this week Sony announced their “Reader Daily Edition.” It is a 7-inch touchscreen e-book reader with AT&T 3G, 16 levels of gray, and a new library finder service.

This new library service will allow users to check out e-books and other digital content from their local library, for free. The library pays for a number of book licenses and then lends out the right for a user to view the content. For example, a library would pay for 5 licenses of “iWoz: Computer Geek to Cult Icon” and then up to 5 people can have that book “checked out” at a time. After 14-29 days the book will automatically disappear from your device and “return” to the library.

The Sony Reader Daily Edition will join Sony’s Pocket and Touch editions in December and will be priced at $399. And by the way, it doesn’t have a built in web browser (translation: I have no interest in this device).

Previously:
8/8/09: Sony Reader Pocket and Touch Editions