Sony say it will be on sale before the end of the year – which probably means it will be out in time for the Christmas gift giving season. The price will be $399. That’s $100 above the Kindle 2 and $90 less than the DX.
The price isn’t all that Sony have pitched between the Kindle 2 and the DX. At seven inches wide, the screen will display a similar number of lines to a paperback book. The device trumps both of the Kindles by incorporating touch screen technology.
Wireless connectivity is provided – but only to the Sony bookstore. This will be provided by AT&T which may make it easier for Sony to launch the reader in Europe (no date for this has been announced as yet). Amazon has been largely unsuccessful to date in their attempts to obtain similar European connectivity to their Sprint 3G “Whispernet” system employed in the US.
Based on initial spec details, Sony look to have a real contender here. Based upon the specified details released to date, Sony’s Daily Edition seems to be technically superior to the Kindle in certain areas. As important as the technical capabilities of the readers are, it’s far from the only consideration. Amazon’s huge, and ever increasing, library of titles on offer is a big selling point for them. However, Sony have a tie-up with Google which lets their users access Google’s public domain library and the Daily Edition reader will also allow users to access their local library’s collection of e-books.
In the near future there are plenty of other competitors who are planning to launch new readers – Apple for example. The competition in the relatively young e-book reader marketplace looks to be growing daily. And of course, increased competition will benefit consumers as the selling price of both the readers and the e-books for them will fall.
