Can new Sony e-readers defeat the Kindle or the iPad?
Sony has introduced three new e-readers, all using the latest and greatest e-ink technology and a raft of built-in features. Will any or all of these be able to defeat Apple’s iPad, Amazon’s Kindle readers, or the Nook?
Sony always has such great technology that it is difficult to count them out of any marketplace they enter, and that has been a fact of tech life for more years than anyone wants to consider. We have all watched as Sony has attacked marketplaces and built innovative products, taking away at least a sizable share of each. Now it would appear that Sony has set serious sights on the e-reader arena, and will thus be taking on a lot of heavy competition, from Amazon to Apple. That sounds like a tall order, but they have proven before that they are a very respectable contender.
The new Sony e-book readers simply carry the Sony name and model numbers: the PRS-350, the PRS-650, and the PRS-950, priced at $179.99, $229.99 and $299.99. The first two of these are available now, with the flagship model due out in November, according to a CNET story. This is the third foray into this market with a touch-screen, and people who have had hands-on time with them believe that they have gotten the touch technology right this time. What they have not gotten right is WiFi. Only the most expensive of these models has built-in wireless and the prices of all three seem to be more than a bit above the competition.
With higher prices and no WiFi except at the top of the line, Sony appears to have an uphill fight against the leaders, like Kindle, Nook, and the all-purpose iPad. Still, they have done this before and eventually gotten it right, as with their line of excellent digital cameras. It remains to be seen if they can pull off such a trick again, or if we are going to have to wait for yet another upgrade of the Sony e-reader line before we see enough features to match the price.
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September 9th, 2010
iPad is a emerging device which is different with notebook, desktop and smartphone. Personally, I’ve been planned to get a kindle before apple launches ipad. What I want to do is reading with a professional e-book. I used to do it with my dell vistro, but it’s not convenience as kindle and iPad. Now, I can use my ipad as a lower end of PC and kindle. Acorrding to ifunia that “iPad Seen as Next Great Portable Video Game Device” is a interesting suggestion, as we know The A4 processor is a single-core CPU, and It’s quite possible that gaming will be the iPad’s killer app.