What is a PSP eBook Reader?

A PSP eBook Reader is a piece of software that allows a user to read and annotate ebooks on the Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP). The Sony PSP is a small, handheld, multimedia device that allows a user to play video games, watch movies, read books, and browse the Internet through a wi-fi connection. The PSP eBook Reader is the proprietary software released by Sony to allow users to open ebooks. The Sony PSP will not open ebooks without the user downloading and activating the eBook Reader.

The PSP eBook Reader primarily processes eBooks that are in Portable Document Format (PDF) but the software can handle other ebook formats such as PDB, OPF, and plain text. The eBook Reader is published and distributed by PSP Blender, a third-party developer. At the time of release of the software, many PSP users reported difficulty in finding suitable sites from which to download the software, but it soon spread across the Internet and became one of the most popular applications for the PSP.

The PSP e-reader software is capable of more than simply processing and rendering e-books. Users can use the software to read magazines, mobile format newspapers, specialty trade publications, and others through subscription services that deliver the files to the user's PSP at regular publication intervals. The PSP eBook Reader is capable of opening more than e-book PDFs. It can open and edit all PDFs, making the software a versatile alternative to PDF readers that cannot handle multiple e-book formats.

Unlike other e-book readers, the PSP eBook Reader is not available as a free download. Users must log on to the PSP Blender web site and either become PSP Blender members, or they must purchase a one-time subscription license fee. PSP Blender offers additional perks for that one-time fee, including free video game and music downloads from a large library of titles. PSP Blender also offers subscribers free lifetime technical support for the software, free upgrades, and the ability to stream and download movies.

The PSP eBook Reader comes with a compressed file featuring numerous free e-books and a link to web databases that feature thousands of other free ebook titles for download. The software usually cannot be run on the PSP simultaneously with other programs, as the handheld device does not possess sufficient processing power for multi-tasking.