The race has been on to come up with an eReader that feels like a book, that’s easy to hold in your hand without getting your arms tired. Well the new PRS-T1 Reader Wi-Fi from Sony may have just pulled ahead of the competition at just 6 ounces, despite its 6 inch touch screen. But its light weight and size just smaller than a regular paperback doesn’t mean it’s a wimp. It has a ton of features that will make its users cheer.

We’ll get to the other features in a second, but what is most important obviously is being able to read comfortably and naturally. And Sony is well aware of that, placing a 6 inch glare free touch screen that uses the eInk Pearl technology to provide vivid and high contrast reading in even the brightest of sunlight, making it easy on the eyes even if you read for hours. To pick what you want, you simply point to it and then swiping your finger across left or right turns the pages back or forth. Want to get a closer look? Just place two fingers on the screen, and spread them out and the picture zooms in or close them and it zooms back out. There are also 8 different font sizes for those whose eyes may not be as great as they used to. The interface is said to be very easy to use and judging from Sony’s past models, we believe it.

But that’s not all this eReader can do. Back in the old days if you didn’t understand a word, you had to go dig out a dictionary, which wasn’t too easy if you were out somewhere. With the Reader Wi-Fi, just tap a word and it will search its 7 dictionaries (American English, Queen’s English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, and Dutch) for a definition. There is even a facility in which to translate the word back and forth from English to the other languages. And if you want to note something on a page, just pick up the stylus or use your fingertip to write it and the eReader will remember it next time you see that page.

Many of us like to read and listen to music at the same time, something that is often ignored by manufacturers, but the Reader Wi-Fi can store MP3 files and play them in the headphones while you are reading, making it useful as a player as well.

The battery lasts around 3 weeks with the wireless turned on before it has to be recharged and the 2GB of memory is able to store about 1200 eBooks. Imagine how many shelves that would take back in the day?

The Reader Wi-Fi will have access to around 2.5 million titles in the Sony store. It also supports the Public Library System, which if you are near a Wi-Fi connection, you can get eBooks from there as well if you have a library card. The eReader can also handle EPUB, PDF and TXT files as well. These options should cover almost any format that an eBook can come in making it very versatile.

The Reader Wi-Fi will hit stores in October 2011 and retail for around $149 at the Sony’s website and authorized retailers. They will come in red, white and black to suit the user’s personal tastes.

Oh and for you Harry Potter fans, JK Rowling made a deal with Sony for a promotion with the upcoming online digital world of Pottermore. The recently announced web venture will feature new material, digital copies of the books and other surprises. Those that buy the Reader Wi-Fi Harry Potter version will get a coupon for Harry Potter and the Sorceror Stone when it’s released in digital form. The Potter version will be the same price, but you may want to make sure you are getting the right version to be in on the promotion if you love the boy wizard.