| So, we have had a couple of months now to | | | | designed to compete with the big two (Kindle and |
| take stock of the new Sony Digital Book Reader | | | | Sony) in the electronic book stakes. And to top it |
| range. Though they have many positive electronic | | | | all, expect an announcement from Apple as they |
| book reader reviews it does seem we are just | | | | are expected to enter the market in the not to |
| waiting for the main star of the show to appear, | | | | distant future. This is even though Kindle ebooks |
| their revolutionary wireless reading device, the | | | | are available for the i-Phone, could we see some |
| Daily Edition. | | | | kind of partnership between these two? With the |
| It has to be said, the Amazon Kindle gets all the | | | | potential size of the market, it's best to discount |
| plaudits when it comes to wireless delivery, even | | | | nothing. Expect the Electronic Book Reader |
| though iRex have offered a similar device, albeit | | | | Reviews sites to be busy in the coming months. |
| twice the price of the Kindle2 and considerably | | | | But back to what we can expect from the Daily |
| more than its true competitor, the Kindle DX. So | | | | Edition when it is released. We know that the |
| it was with a tinge of sadness that I greeted | | | | Daily will have the same top notch design as it's |
| Sony's announcement that the much heralded | | | | smaller siblings, the Reader and Touch. Sahara |
| wireless addition to their Edition range, the Daily, | | | | Rotman Epps, analyst at Forrester research, |
| would not be released until December, barely in | | | | summed it up when she described the comparison |
| time to catch the busy Christmas market. As I | | | | to the Kindle as making the latter look like an |
| am not the Kindles biggest fan, I really do think | | | | oversized calculator adding that even with the |
| they sold their customers well short when they | | | | Daily's built in cover it matches the Kindle in |
| released the Kindle2 back in February with only a | | | | weight but is smaller in size. |
| minor face lift adding nothing tangible to the | | | | It will have a touch screen display and offer |
| market, I do await with anticipation real | | | | vertical orientation similar to a traditional |
| competition to their domination in the wireless | | | | newspaper. The thinking has always been that, to |
| sector of the digital book reader market place. | | | | accommodate newspapers and magazines, the |
| Sony's new wireless offering will retail at $399 and | | | | reader would have an oversized screen (think DX |
| feature a larger 175mm eInk, Vizplex touch | | | | or iRex iLiad) but the Daily optimizes the |
| screen and wireless connectivity through the AT | | | | availability of these media with it's new screen |
| & T 3G network. As you are probably | | | | design, removing the need to build a larger, |
| aware, this will allow users to instantly purchase | | | | ungainly body just to house a massive display. |
| and download newspapers, magazines, electronic | | | | Around thirty to thirty five lines of text are |
| books and other content from the Sony eBook | | | | displayed, on screen, in portrait mode. This gives |
| Store. It's worth mentioning here that in line with | | | | readers a similar reading experience to that of |
| the recent price war between the two giants, | | | | normal printed material. In addition, the Daily uses |
| Sony have reduced the price of new releases and | | | | sixteen levels of grey scale giving a higher than |
| best selling titles to below $10 mirroring Amazon's | | | | normal contrast ratio, resulting in a crisper, clearer |
| prices. One thing for sure is that the new Daily | | | | rendering of text. |
| Edition will be better looking and probably easier to | | | | In the memory department, the reader will arrive |
| use, given past history. | | | | with enough memory capability to store over a |
| I have maintained for some time now, the future | | | | thousand normal sized novels but also has the |
| for ebook reading devices has to be wireless and | | | | capability to extend this via the SD card slots. |
| so for potential owners to future proof their | | | | With this being a revolutionary wireless reading |
| purchase they need to buy wireless. This mantra | | | | device, you can download on the move but you |
| will be tested in the coming months with a | | | | can also transfer books and documents via the |
| plethora of companies trying to grab a piece of | | | | supplied USB-2.0 cable. As you can see, this new |
| the revolutionary wireless reading device action. | | | | reader will get plenty of ink on the electronic book |
| Look out for a planned per Christmas release of a | | | | reader review sites in the near future and will give |
| twin screen, hinged reader that will mimic the | | | | the Kindle a good run for it's money in the battle |
| action of a traditional book, from As us. Throw | | | | to be known as THE Revolutionary Wireless |
| into the mix new readers from Plastic Logic/iRex | | | | Reading Device. |
| iLiad in a Barns and Nobel ebook store partnership | | | | |