Sony and Amazon re-Kindle interest in e-readers

Stan Beer
Sunday, 05 October 2008 16:01

Your IT - Entertainment

Another feature of the new reader being touted by Sony is its touch screen capability, which allows users to flip pages by sliding a finger across the display.

The main issue being aired by the Sony PRS-700 detractors (aside from the name) is that it does not have wireless connectivity. Downloads are limited to USB connections to computers or via Memory Stick Duo media or SD memory cards.

Unlike Amazon, Sony is not in the business of selling books but it should be grateful that its competitor is helping to make the e-reader market.

Outside the US,where Amazon is not even a player yet, Sony has an opportunity to press its advantage.

The question is, however, can Sony or anyone else ultimately compete with the likes of Amazon in the e-reader market any more than MP3 makers can compete with Apple in the portable music space?

That question should be answered when Amazon gets round to giving the rest of the world a bit of Kindle love.

With the way the US economy is going, Amazon may find that it is in its best interests to take Kindle global sooner rather than later. We can only hope.