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DD-10EX: reordered sentence to avoid "the The"

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{{Short description|Electronic book player}}
[[File:DD 8 Electronic Book Player 1.jpg|thumb|The DD-8 Data Discman]]
[[File:Sony DD 8 Electronic Book Player 2.jpg|thumb|The DD-8 Data Discman with packaging]]
[[File:Sony-ebook2.jpg|thumb|German ''Duden'' dictionary for the Data Discman, 1992]]
[[File:data discman dd10ex.jpg|thumb|The DD-10EX on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1995]]

The {{Nihongo|'''Data Discman'''|データディスクマン|Dēta Disukuman|lead=yes}} is an [[electronic book]] player developed and marketed by [[Sony Corporation]], first introduced to Western markets in late 1991 or early 1992.<ref>{{cite news |author=Coburn, M. |author2=Burrows, P. |author3=Loi, D. |author4=Wilkins, L. |date=2001 |title=E-book readers: Directions in enabling technologies |work=Print and Electronic Text Convergence, Common Ground |editor=Cope, B. |editor2=Kalantzis, D. |pages=145–182}}</ref> The device targeted U.S. college students and international travelers but achieved limited commercial success outside Japan. In Japan, it was positioned as part of Sony’s broader "Discman" brand, originally used for [[portable CD player]]s such as the [[Sony Discman|D-50]] released in 1984.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/News/Press_Archive/199907/99-059/ |title=Sony Celebrates Walkman 20th Anniversary |publisher=Sony Press Release |access-date=2016-12-21}}</ref>

== Design and features ==
The Data Discman was designed for quick access to reference material stored on pre-recorded [[Electronic disk|optical discs]]. Search terms could be entered via a small [[QWERTY]]-style keyboard, with selection performed using dedicated "Yes" and "No" buttons.{{citation needed|date=March 2014}}

Most models featured:
* A low-resolution grayscale [[LCD]] display (256×200 pixels in early models; later versions up to 320×240 pixels, with some models in color)
* An integrated [[CD drive]] (Mini CD or full-size CD, depending on the model)
* A low-power onboard computer

Early versions could not play audio files but could play [[Compact Disc|audio CDs]], with content limited to pre-recorded encyclopedias, dictionaries, and novels, often created using the '''Sony Electronic Book Authoring System''' (SEBAS).<ref>{{cite web |title=Sony Electronic Book Authoring System |author-first1=Christopher |author-last1=Keep |author-first2=Tim |author-last2=McLaughlin |author-first3=Robin |author-last3=Parmar |date=2000 |orig-date=1993 |url=http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/elab/hfl0125.html |work=The Electronic Labyrinth |access-date=2016-11-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161112125953/http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/elab/hfl0125.html |archive-date=2016-11-12}}</ref>

== Models ==
=== DD-1EX ===
The earliest western model, the '''DD-1EX''', was released in 1991 and only played mini-CD audio (not MP3 data files) in addition to the EBG titles and is now part of the permanent collection of the [[Victoria and Albert Museum]] in London.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1325440/sony-dd1-ex-electronic-book-electronic-book-reader-sony-corporation/ |title=Sony DD-1EX Electronic Book Player |publisher=V&A Museum |access-date=2016-12-20}}</ref> The DD-1 was the earlier Japanese model in 1990. This model can use a bare Mini CD disc or one in a caddy. The disc is easily removed from the caddy. It takes 6 off AA cells in a clip on pack, or optionally a rechargeable pack.

=== DD-10EX ===
Released in 1992 or 1993, the '''DD-10EX''' added the ability to play audio files. In the United Kingdom, it shipped with two discs:
* ''Thomson Electronic Directory'' (April 1992)
* ''Pocket Interpreter'' – a five-language travel conversation book

A DD-10EX was featured in the exhibition ''The Book and Beyond: Electronic Publishing and the Art of the Book'' at the Victoria and Albert Museum from April to October 1995. The event also showcased the ''[[Library of the Future]]'' CD-ROM, designed specifically for the Data Discman and published in 1993.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.vam.ac.uk/vastatic/wid/exhibits/bookandbeyond/ |title=The Book and Beyond: Electronic Publishing and the Art of the Book |date=1995 |archive-date=2012-01-20 |access-date=2011-12-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120120054331/http://www.vam.ac.uk/vastatic/wid/exhibits/bookandbeyond/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

=== DD-8 ===
The '''DD-8''' featured a slimmer, rectangular form factor resembling later [[e-book reader]]s like the [[Amazon Kindle]], departing from the clamshell style used by the DD-1EX and DD-10EX.

=== DDS-35 ===
This was the last model, sold up to 2000.

=== DDS-1000 ===
This model has colour and extended authoring.

=== Sega Saturn ===
The Sega Saturn has an EBG operator disc option. Then the Sony EBG titles (removed from caddy) can be played.

== Legacy ==
While the Data Discman was technologically advanced for its time, high production costs, bulky form factor, and the limited availability of compatible media restricted its global adoption. It remains a notable example of early portable electronic reading technology.

== See also ==
* [[Sony Multimedia CD-ROM Player]] – a contemporary portable CD-ROM-based reader by Sony, incompatible with Data Discman media

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [[Techmoan]] – [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXXiRJAKC4w E-books in the '90s with Sony's Data Discman] (YouTube, 5 July 2018)

[[Category:Sony products]]
[[Category:Audiovisual introductions in 1992]]
[[Category:Electronic paper technology]]

Data Discman - Revision history

imported>Orxenhorf: /* DD-10EX */ reordered sentence to avoid "the The"