Sony's Digital Book Reader Goes Wireless with Daily EditionSony was the first company to offer digital book reader but then Amazon stole the scene by introducing Kindle in 2007. Sony's earlier book readers included – Reader Pocket Edition and Reader Touch Edition. Both required to be connected to a computer for downloading content on to them. Amazon removed that limitation by making Kindle a wireless device – and both the book readers as well as the media loved it. Sony finally sharpened its offensive by launching Reader Daily Edition, a wireless digital book reader.
Unfortunately, the first thing that will catch your eyes is Daily Edition's price – $399. You will wonder how in the world this new e-book reader will compete with Amazon Kindle that's available at $100 lesser. But wait when you spot its screen. Sony's wireless puppy sports a 7 inch screen, an inch larger than Amazon's Kindle. Oh! And touch it! Daily Edition offers a touch screen. Amazon does sell a large screen version but that costs about $500 and, too bad, Kindle screen is not touch sensitive. The aluminum body of Sony's book reader will also attract more fans. It will go on sale, in US, sometime in December this year with AT&T 3G wireless service. Consumers who want to have the freedom of viewing the downloaded content on whichever device they like will favor Sony's Daily Edition. Amazon, for good or bad, doesn't give that choice. You have to use a Kindle to read Amazon titles or view them on Apple iPhone and iPod that run Amazon software. You got to be an Amazon or Apple diehard to accept this confinement. Sony, on the other hand, is pioneering the open format. It's planning to convert its digital book store to EPUB which is an open-format publishing standard. It will empower readers to read the downloaded content on a device of their choosing and not be stuck with one or two devices. This could give Sony an edge over Amazon. The launch of Daily Edition is sure to set the competition in digital book readers market boiling. Sony and Amazon will not be the lone fighters for long. Apple is to join the stage soon with its mystery Tablet PC that's rumored to be targeted at the e-book readers. The Apple Tablet PC, which will supposedly offer many features on top of book reading, might be priced at $699. While the competition is good for the consumer, the big question is when will the prices slide down? These chic book readers look attractive, offer a value especially to the travelers and voracious readers but continue to expect a heavy price. Experts believe that the concept is good but it won't grow exponentially until the prices come down under $200. The other growth driver could be more value-added features that make the device a compelling a buy. By opting to launch the new Reader in December, Sony hopes to capitalize on the holiday season. After all, a book or a book reader make popular holiday gifts. Related Posts
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 When are such book readers coming to India? Do we have any here? no matter how fancy these electronic libraries are, they shouldn't cost more than 5000 rupees. By: Shubham999 days ago Apple Tablet PC will be better... if you can you should wait for it to come out before making your mind By: dolly999 days ago Nice product review. I would love to get Sony book reader as a gift during the next Holidays. great job, Kajal! By: hello999 days ago |
