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Sony is ready to take on the Kindle 3

When it comes to the current crop of e-readers on the market, Amazon's Kindle range grabs the lion's share of the attention. However, Sony is also a player in this market and today announced three new additions to its e-reader lineup.

First up is the Reader Pocket Edition (PRS-350) which features a 5" touch screen. The touch interface can be used to turn pages, adjust the font and manipulate the on-screen keyboard. The Reader Pocket Edition is available in both silver and pink, and weighs in at just 5.64 ounces.

Next is the Reader Touch Edition (RS-650) features a 6" touch screen. The Reader Touch Edition is available in both black and pink, and it weighs 7.58 ounces.

The final piece to the puzzle is the new Reader Daily Edition (PRS-950). The Reader Daily Edition includes onboard Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity to wirelessly download books in addition to a 7" touch screen.

All three of the new e-readers use Sony's latest "Pearl" e-ink technology for improved clarity, speed, and contrast. They also support ePub along with PDF files. They all feature 2GB of onboard storage and an SD/Memory Stick Duo slot for expanded storage.

The Reader Pocket Edition, Touch Edition, and Daily Edition are priced at $179, $229, and $299 respectively. For comparison, Amazon's Kindle 3 starts at $139 for the 6" base model and $189 for the Wi-Fi/3G model. Both Kindle models also have 4GB of onboard storage.

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Price higher because they have Sony on them?
By Denigrate on 9/1/2010 9:35:34 AM , Rating: 3
Wow, sometimes I wonder if Sony thinks their brand image rivals Apple.




By Trisagion on 9/1/2010 9:47:47 AM , Rating: 5
Actually, their current slogan is "make believe", so you can pretend their products are like Apple's if you want.


RE: Price higher because they have Sony on them?
By DanNeely on 9/1/2010 9:55:47 AM , Rating: 2
Dunno, but if they've got capacitive touch screens the hardware cost is probably a big chunk of the price gap. There's a reason that none of the cheap <$200 tablets have anything other than resistive touchscreens.


RE: Price higher because they have Sony on them?
By Denigrate on 9/1/2010 10:04:26 AM , Rating: 2
No need for a capacitive screen on an e-reader, but then Sony does like to throw more into a product than need be.


By DanNeely on 9/1/2010 4:54:41 PM , Rating: 2
Even without multi-touch capacitive screens are easier to use since they don't require the same level of pressure as a resistive screen.


By GTVic on 9/1/2010 7:38:16 PM , Rating: 2
I wonder if you think you are making an original comment?


By Strunf on 9/2/2010 7:47:50 AM , Rating: 2
It doesn't look anything like the kindle so why should it cost the same?... the price tag you pay more probably comes from the touch screen more so than from the brand, Apple on the other hand is just about paying more for the logo...


B/W :/
By Silver2k7 on 9/1/2010 11:40:03 AM , Rating: 2
Good to see Sony entering this market, but please, atleast make a COLOR version.




RE: B/W :/
By acer905 on 9/1/2010 12:42:40 PM , Rating: 2
... Entering? Sony has been making the Reader for years now. The PRS-500 came out in September 2006, otherwise known as a year before the kindle came along and did an Apple maneuver (aka taking an existing idea, marketing the crap out of it, and being called innovative).

As for color, with e-ink a color screen is much more troublesome. People are working on developing them, but its still going to take time.


RE: B/W :/
By KoolAidMan1 on 9/1/2010 11:11:53 PM , Rating: 2
Being "first" is overrated. Execution is everything, and it is something that Amazon and Apple trounce Sony at. The Kindle is a much better device than the Sony readers, both in terms of hardware and especially in terms of the service that they build around it (cloud syncing, etc etc).


RE: B/W :/
By DanNeely on 9/1/2010 1:13:29 PM , Rating: 2
A reader with an LCD screen is called a low end tablet; and runtime becomes an issue because the screen is, relatively speaking, a power pig.

Color eInk screens are in the prototype stage but the color saturation levels of models they've occasionally demoed have been very poor resulting in washed out muddy images.

PixelQi's hybrid LCD/eInk type screen is largely MIA. NotionInk's Adam appears dead in the water, and the screen is only available in low numbers from make magazine's online store.


Pink?
By neogrin on 9/1/2010 11:54:13 AM , Rating: 3
quote:
The Reader Pocket Edition is available in both silver and pink

quote:
The Reader Touch Edition is available in both black and pink


I have nothing against Pink, but is it really such a popular color that it should be one of only two colors available for each of your product?




By KoolAidMan1 on 9/1/2010 11:13:35 PM , Rating: 2
The problem with touch screens on e-readers is that they create a reflective and slightly fuzzy film over the display itself. Readers without touchscreen functionality like the Kindle and the Nook are much sharper and clearer in comparison.




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