Sony unveils new e-book reader

26 August 2009 10:09am

Sony plans to offer an e-book reader with the ability to wirelessly download books, by adopting a key feature of the rival Kindle from Amazon.com.

Sony's $399 (£244) Reader Daily Edition will go on sale by December, Sony executives said in New York.

The device has a 7-inch (17.5-centimetre) touch-screen and will be able to get books, daily newspapers and other reading material over AT&T's cellular network.

Sony has sold e-book reading devices with "electronic ink" displays in the US since 2006, but has seen most of the attention stolen by Amazon.com, which launched the Kindle with similar e-ink technology a year later.

The latest version of the Kindle - which is not controlled by touching the screen - costs $299 (£183) and uses Sprint Nextel's wireless network for downloads.

Sony also began selling a "Pocket Edition" e-book reader with a 5-inch (12.5-centimetre) screen, for $199 (£122), and a larger $299 (£183) touch-screen model. Neither has wireless capability, so both have to be connected to a computer to acquire books.

Though Sony is following in Amazon's footsteps by adding wireless capability, its e-book strategy differs in crucial respects.

The only copy-protected books the Kindle can display are from Amazon's store, and the only devices the store supports are the Kindle, the iPhone and the iPod Touch.

Sony, on the other hand, has committed to an open e-book standard, meaning its Readers can show copy-protected books from a variety of stores, and the books can be moved to and read on a variety of devices, including mobile phones.

Sony also announced that the Readers will be able to load e-books "loaned" from local libraries. A library card will provide access to free books that expire after 21 days.

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