Sony’s saving their PlayStation 3 news for later as CES has been dedicated to a new product offering – The Sony Reader. For $299 to $399 you can buy yourself this April an electronic book-sized gadget that will allow you to read digital books, PDF documents, web content like blogs or news feeds, and JPEG photos. According to Sony, the device can store hundreds of books in internal memory with the addition of an optional Memory Stick or Secure Digital (SD) flash memory card.
“In recent years millions of people have become comfortable downloading and enjoying digital media, including eBooks. But until now, there has not been a good device on which to read,” said Ron Hawkins, senior vice president of Personal Reader Systems marketing at Sony Electronics. “Our research has shown that people are looking for a device designed exclusively for immersive reading. The Sony Reader with its electronic paper display, thin format and extraordinary battery life fits the bill.”
Some might see this as a small move towards the PDA market that Sony exited with the end to the Clie. A broad selection of eBooks will be available for purchase and download to the Reader device with many of the world’s leading book publishers, including Random House, HarperCollins Publishers, Penguin-Putnam, Simon and Schuster and Time Warner Book Group supporting Sony’s e-reading initiative. Sony Connect will support the launch of the Sony Reader by providing an online store integrated into an easy-to-use desktop application called the Connect Reader.
