New Sony Disc System Will Play Back Books

Sony Corp., the brains behind the ubiquitous Walkman stereo, said Tuesday it will introduce an “electronic book” system that uses a palm-sized player for reading books recorded on 3-inch compact discs.

Sony’s “Data Discman” player has a screen that displays text recorded on CDs, called Electronic Books, that can store about 100,000 pages of text each--more than 300 paperback books, Sony officials said.

“The purpose of this product is to create an entirely new market. Instead of having to go to a library or bookshelf for information, people can have access to it any time and anywhere,” said Sunobu Horigome, head of Sony’s General Audio Group.

He said Sony hopes the product will create a new approach to accessing information.