Sony introduces its new line of e-readers, which the company will launch in Australia next week. The company announced that the Reader Pocket Edition, its cheapest electronic book reader, has been improved with the addition of a touch-screen.

The new version of the Pocket e-reader has an infrared sensor for finger swipes or taps from a bundled stylus. The feature eliminates the need for a special overlay that lessens clarity.

The overlay on the screen of the e-Reader is also used for the company's Touch Edition and Daily Edition e-readers. Both product lines have also been made available in the country. The new e-reader costs $229. The price is $76 higher than the cheapest Kindle e-reader from rival Amazon.

The new e-reader also has a higher-contrast electronic ink display. Similar to the Kindle, the device shows 16 shades of gray.

Compared to the previous model, the new e-reader is smaller and has fewer buttons. However, just like the previous model, the device has a screen that measures 5 inches diagonally.

The new e-Reader also comes with 2 gigabytes of memory; the storage space is about four times the memory on the current Pocket.

The Daily Edition, which has support for both 3G and Wi-Fi, will not be available in Australia. The Touch Edition, on the other hand, can be purchased for $299.