Sony and Amazon re-Kindle interest in e-readers

Stan Beer
Sunday, 05 October 2008 16:01

Your IT - Entertainment

Sony has announced a new low priced e-reader, while rumours are circulating about the impending release of a new version of Amazon's ground breaking Kindle reader. Can we remain skeptical about the electronic reading revolution with the proliferation of these e-readers at a similar price point to iPods?

Online mega book seller Amazon released the Kindle $399 e-reader in November 2007, offering users in the US the ability to wirelessly purchase and download books through the Sprint EVDO network for no added cost.

Estimates vary as to how many units of the Amazon e-reader have been sold to date but most analysts generally agree that Amazon has moved more than a quarter of a million Kindle units so far and could be on its way to creating a billion dollar plus business for itself.

Amazon, which dropped the price of Kindle to US$359 in May, has been said to be doing a roaring trade selling e-books to its Kindle customers - which is after all the real game for the bookseller. And now, according to a report on gadget blog site The Boy genius Report, a revamped Kindle 2 model is on its way.

The new Sony PRS-700 e-reader, which will go on the market next month for about US$400, is getting favourable reviews.

Like its predecessor the PRS-505 and Kindle, the PRS-700 uses a low power consumption electronic paper six-inch display which is not backlit. However, the new Sony reader has an LED reading light that shines on the front of the screen for readability in dim conditions.

According to Sony, the storage capacity of the PRS-700 is about "350 average digital books", which if true is almost double that of the Kindle.

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