September 1, 2010 was supposed to be Kobo's day in the sun. The Kobo ebook reader is the Little eReader that Could. It has good features, it has a good price, and it has the support of a breezy, hip online bookstore, Kobobooks. The Amazon Kindle has such market dominance that the question for emerging ereaders isn't "What are the features?" but "How does this ereader compare to the Kindle?" People aren't going to hear about Kobo's features despite the Borders ereader price drop, because Sony announced on September 1 that the Sony Reader got a fancy makeover.
The Sony Reader's Role eReader History
Most people think that the Kindle started the story of ereaders, but really, Kindle appeared in medias res. The first chapter in the book of dedicated ebook reader devices belongs to Sony. It wasn't the first ereader, but it was the first device that captured a lot of attention. Benny Har-Even wrote for Trusted Reviews about the excitement generated by the Sony Reader on January 8, 2006. "Sir Howard was clearly proud of was Sony’s new eReader, boldly claiming that it was the biggest leap for the written word since the introduction of printing. The eReader is an iPod for books."
The story of ereaders changed in November of 2007, when Kindle 1 made a dramatic entrance., Sony became a secondary character in the story of ereaders, but it is ready to confirm its deuteragonist role and rejoining the action with the new line of Sony Readers. Kobo is now a minor character, and the Barnes and Noble Nook is in danger of falling off the Dramatis Personae list and becoming an app footnote.
The New Sony Reader: Features, Specs, and Prices
In their September 1, 2010 announcement, Sony declared it was time for a "Touch Screen for Everyone." All of the new Sony ereaders will have a touch screen that works like the one on the Sony PRS-600. Pages can be changed with a button, but the illusion of turning a page comes from a little finger swipe across the screen. There is also a stylus that can write on the screen and turn pages.
The Sony Reader display will use the Pearl e-ink that makes the Kindle DX 2 and Kindle 3 so easy to read. The Reader Touch and Reader Daily Edition ereaders will have expansion slots for the Sony Stick and SD cards. The Reader Daily Edition will have wifi and basic web, just like the Kindle 3.
The Sony Reader is more expensive than the Kindle 3, the Nook, and the Kobo reader. The Sony Reader Daily Edition will be about $300, and the Sony Reader Touch will be about $230, which is $100 more than the Kobo reader. The Sony Reader Pocket Edition will be $179.
Because they are more expensive than their competitors, it seems like today's announcement is good news for loyal Sony Reader fans, because they are getting some features that have been on ebook lovers' wish lists, such as web access. Borders is selling current models of the Sony Pocket Reader for $119, and the real winner might be the Aluratek Libre, which is quietly waiting to be noticed for a mere $99 at the Borders online store.
Sources:
" CES 2006 - Part Three " was written by Ben Har-Even and published by Trusted Reviews.
"Sony Brings Digital Reading Experience to Life With The Launch of Its New Line Of Readers" was written by Sony Electronics and released from the Sony Press Room.
Prices were accessed from Borders eReader Store on September 1, 2010.
Alex Sharp - Alex Sharp is a teacher who has been keeping Suite101 readers up to date with the latest in audio- and e-book gadgetry since 2008.
