Sony Digital Book Reader

Amazon have just announced that the large screen version of their wireless reading devices, the Kindle DX, will from the 19th January 2010 be available to buy with global wireless.

This now puts it into the same market as it's smaller brother, the Amazon Kindle 2, in so much as it has the added ability to conveniently download content in well over one thousand countries across the globe.

Where it differs from the Kindle 2 is in it's screen size. I am the first to admit the Kindle DX does not touch it's smaller stable mate for portability, but when it comes to reading the near ten inch, e-ink screen (of the DX) nocks spots of it's little brother. Reading is oh so simple and much closer to the 'real thing', not because of the electronic paper display as that technology is used on both models, but because of the display size, near 1:1 reproduction of A4, and it's ability to auto rotate, making it far easy to read the full-width of newspapers, magazines and office documents such as maps and graphs plus tables and even Web pages on this model.

The large memory, capable of storing about 3,500 novels, has always made the DX ideal for office and field applications and so the global aspect added to it's vast array of features only further enhances it as the perfect business users choice of wireless reading devices.

Amazon have stated that the Kindle DX with added global wireless capability, is immediately available to pre-order from today (01/07/2010), for a bargain $489, and will be shipped on a first come first served basis from January 19. If you are in the market to buy an ebook reader then the DX wireless reading devices are worth consideration.

The modern Nook wireless portable reading device being produced by B&N, the worlds largest high street book stall with over 1,300 branches, looks all set to lock horns with the worlds best selling digital e book reader, the Amazon kindle 2.

While not long launched, the Nook is searching to unsettle Amazon.com's feathers even more by taking it on openly in a part of the market, that up to yet, the Kindle 2 has dominated. Ever since it's launch, to start with as the Amazon kindle then later in February 2009 as the Amazon kindle 2 , it has re-ignited the ebook reader market place by offering a mix of revolutionary features, owing to it's on the spot connect wherever wireless networking and also the largest variety of titles available for download at fantastic, cheaper than the high street, price point.

Purchasers brought in to the idea in a enormous way and it is only lately that the rest of the trade have woken up to the fact that this is the expectations of book purchasing. An so in the most recent couple of months we have had the message from Sony of their intent to enlist in the fun, with their shortly to be unvieled Daily Edition, and the most recent press release from Barnes and Noble that their own candidate, the Nook, will be back to full production very soon.

There are no qualms that the Kindle2 is the device everyone is gunning after. And to be truthful it's nice to see a little competition in this sector. Yes we have had the iRex iLiad but it was some what on the hefty side to be a revolutionary wireless reading device, ideal for workplace use with the 1:1 A4 imitation, but much like the Kindle dx - another wireless portable reading device - not something you would want to take on holiday, or put in your bag or pocket for that matter, and it was by no means going to vie on price was it?

Accordingly now we have two outsized companies keen to go head to head, with the strength of Amazon.com, on all fronts. Sony corp of late enlarged the magnitude of their library at the Sony-Store and discounted the price of their digitally shipped books to equal that of Amazons and with any luck B&N, who have always been in the identical ballpark price point wise, will equal them title for title also.

Nevertheless the major news flash for customers has to be the move away from proprietary file formats, used by Sony corp. in the early days and nevertheless used by the Kindle now. To clarify the situation I will apply Amazon as an example, keep in mind this is still the case with the Kindle so it makes it clearer.

Through proprietary formats, as you pay for a book for digital download from Kindle it will come in their particular file format .AZW that only allows you to read it on the Kindle2. So if in the future you decided you wanted to switch reading devices to an alternative make, your library of ebooks become worthless. Decide for yourself if it's evenhanded or not.

That scenario has been a big obstruction for the industry in general but also for the manufacturers of other reading devices in particular. They where on no account going to be able to offer the plethora of titles Amazon where capable of doing and so this aided sales of the Kindle2 . And so they offer aid for additional file formats, above all the Adobe .PDF, which is a choice standard for free electronic books, but this format does not imitate a scaled down form of text that well as it was always supposed to be reproducing text at an A4 size, ideal for the Kindle dx and iLiad e-readers but not so for the little 5,6 and 7 inch displays.

For this reason came the Epub format, an open source format planned to exhibit text. It is fast emerging as the format of the future and has gained support from the likes of Google Library who shall be releasing their full one million books, of which the majority are free of charge to down load, in this format. B&N will also be going down the exact same route to the same extent will the Sony-Store.

Accordingly you should see that any ebook reader device that has support for this format will be future proof. Barnes and Noble's Nook Wireless book reader has .Epub backing, as does the Sony Daily Edition, and so you can download your e books from everywhere you decide, paid for or free, moreover not only from the manufacturer of the electronic books reader , which is the case with the Kindle digital books reader.

If you're after ground breaking digital book readers the Sony Digital Book Reader Touch Edition, one of two new models just released, takes digital book reading to another, more advanced stage.

A brand new Sony digital book reader hits the stores - the Sony Digital Book Reader PRS600 Touch Edition , but just how good is it.

Think how thin a magazine is...then imagine having at your finger tips a digital book reader that is, lighter, thinner, smaller and able to store not just 70 or 80 pages, but thousands of not only pages but whole books. In fact, the memory can be extended indefinately via the expansion slots and SD cards.

Welcome to the new Reader Touch Edition%u2122 from Sony with true second generation e-Ink e-paper technology that sets this ebook reader apart from it's competitors.

It sports a new 6" touch screen that assists the user navigate around the readers many features. The stylus supplied with the reader gives the user the ability to make notes or highlight text on screen . This new Sony supports many of the most popular ebook file formats like ePub and PDF plus the new reader has now added MS Word support to it's list, letting readers enjoy publications from many sources, including their very own eBook-Store in addition to the multitude of free to download digital books from the giant public domain resource at Google Books.

Sony have taken all that was good from their earlier digital books reader models, and then added value with the extra cutting edge e-paper technology, taking your reading to a whole new level. Available in Classic Black and Silver livery, just head over to eBook Reader Reviws and find out more.

It's wonderful news for everyone in the UK looking to purchase the large screen offering Kindle dx Amazon's new wireless reading device, because the online giant offers the reader with global wireless connectivity making it ideal for use in the United kingdom.

Among the massive news of late being the release of the Kindle DX with global wireless, it might have slipped by prospective buyers in England (and more than one thousand other countries all across the globe) that the Kindle dx is available to purchase here in the UK and across the world.

Wonderful news then for everybody looking to purchase this ebook reader device in the United Kingdom, but how might it bear up to the competition?

So, if you have been looking about for a revolutionary wireless reading device, you might be knowledgeable of the features the Kindle dx has offered buyers in the US for the last year or more so I'm not about to go into too much detail, here's what United Kingdom purchasers will receive for their money.

The Kindle DX will to start with give you an eink display bigger than it's sibling, the Kindle2 , and indeed almost ever one of the existing crop of ebook readers. Where generally displays are around the 6 or 7 inch mark, the Kindle DX comes in at a enormous 9.7 inches. Something you have to take into account when looking at the end cost.

A lot the same as the US model, United kingdom purchasers will be able to purchase and download novels, from the Amazon store, in about a minute. This is done through free 3g wireless with no monthly contracts or cost and no looking around for a wi-fi hotspot. This is offered not only at home but also Worldwide, making it ideal for business users and travelers.

Offered Option of Titles

Although the assortment of titles at the Kindle store is colossal and for English language countries I seen no problems, it is well worth taking into account that the presented novels will be different country to country. With Amazon being Amazon you can be expecting the selection of titles for your new Kindle DX will simply continue to extend and they will continue to be competitive bottom line wise. Presently the price for most up-to-date releases is usually $11.99 to $13.99 (which for UK customers includes VAT) with near on 100,000 novels offered at a very reasonable $5-99.

What is in the Package?

You get the latest Intercontinental Kindledx with international wireless connection which will arrive complete with a United States 100v - 240v power adapter and USB cable for re-charging the Kindledx via your Computer or laptop. A USB cable is also in the box for free of charge Computer to Kindle transmission of content such as documents. A service fee of 99c per mb is currently payable for transfer via Whispernet. The Kindledx also comes with a 12 month limited Global guarantee.

You will in addition have access to International daily papers and periodicals but although the Global Amazon dx will have no cost right of entry to Wikipedia, at the time of writing the experimental browser option and website admission are not presented outside of the United States. Regrettably all prices for novels or services will be quoted in US dollars and so will be affected by exchange fluctuations.

Therefore, weigh up the pro's and con's of this truly revolutionary wireless reading device before you make a decision if you want to buy the Kindle dx ebook reader UK model. I think you will uncover it measures up in a good way alongside the existing competition.

Are you interested in getting a great bargain on a portable ebook reader? In this article, you are going to discover why the ebook reader price war is good news, and just in time for Christmas too.

The last few weeks have been quite a hectic time in the digital book readers world, the Amazon Kindle ebook reader price cuts, exciting new models from Sony and the amazing news that their entry level model, the Sony prs-300, will retail in the US for a staggeringly affordable $199. "What" I hear you say, an ebook reader manufactured by one of the largest consumer electronics companies, packed with cutting edge technology, and under that magical $200 price point, yes you read it right.

All this and still a good few months to go until Christmas, what more can we expect in the lead up to what is the busiest consumer spending period. Well, all bodes well for those that have either resisted the temptation to rush out and purchase a Portable EBook Reader, or just plain could not afford the high price that was being asked for them. The big two, who have more to lose if sales are slow, have both drawn the battle lines reducing their respective entry level ebook reader price qite considerably.

As market leaders, Sony and Kindle not only offer what have to be the best portable ebook reader model range but they also deliver the best customer service and without any doubt offer the largest selection of books that can be used on their devices. This leaves other manufacturers well and truely on the back foot. You may ask, "how on earth can they compete" with all the things that the big two can offer their customers? To answer this question we need to look a bit more into the reasons for those recent ebook reader price cuts.

It could be argued that Amazon reduced the price of their reader due to the consumer pressure they attracted when their manufacturing price mysteriously found its way into the public domain, and a fair arguement it would be. But, by doing so they reduced a price all other electronic readers where linked to. Hence the recent activity over at Sony. But was that the real reason? In my eyes, it could just as easily be that the initial rush, by the techies, to have the latest gadget at any price has slowed and to maintain their stated goals regarding digital downloaded books they need to open up ownership of these portable ebook readers to a wider audience. This makes even more sence when you look at the profit potential for selling books in this way.

And so to my point, if the big two are reducing their respective ebook reader price then you can rest assured that other manufacturers will either reduce their prices or get lost in the stampede by consumers to get their hands on the cheapest model on the market. As a customer what you need to decide is; do I wait a little longer for the others to drop their prices or do I take the plunge and buy one of the better portable ebook reader devices on the market now?. Only you can decide if the portable ebook reader price is right for you.

First published @ Ezine Articles eBook Reader Price

Oh what a difference a year makes, twelve months ago the Kindle Digital eBook Reader sat comfortably on top of the pile with little or no serious competition. Fast forward to today's Amazon announcement that the Kindle ebook reader price is being cut from $299 all the way down to $259.

It only seems like five minutes since Amazon released the news that the Kindle would retail at sub $300 (just). The first price drop was done during the bad press they were getting at the time their production price was revealed into the public domain. I wrote about this in my eBook Reader Price article first published on Ezine articles.
This time it does seem to be in response to the serious and sustained threat from, in the main, the new Sony digital books reader range recently let loose on the market. As you may be aware, Sony only recently announced to the ebook reading world at large, that the new pocket edition would be price at an incredible $199. If you missed it or would like to see the new Sony Digital Book Reader you can find it here at this Digital Books Readers article on Ezine Articles.

That $199 represents fantastic value, at the time it appeared it came in a hefty $100 less than the Kindle and really did fill a gap for an affordable ebook reading device that was not overloaded with technology but did do what the new customers where looking for..it read electronic books. So as I said at the time, Amazon really needed to do something to get back into the game.

This was of course coupled to the news that Google had come out firmly on the side of the Sony Digital Book Reader by supporting the ePub file format that Sony included in their latest models but Amazon did not. With over one million free books at the google library, this was a real kick in the teeth to the Amazon Kindle.

Add to this, the fact that the Kindle Digital Book Reader was not available for shipping, let alone support, outside of the US and Canada you can see why Amazon had to reduce the Kindle2 eBook Reader Price again.

Keep your eyes on the market because with the imminent release of the new Sony Digital Book Reader Daily Edition reported to be set to be priced at $399, I now expect this new ebook reader price to be substantially lower at launch.

It has always been my thoughts that the Electronic Book Readers war would not be won on price alone. It seems that Google and the Sony Digital Book Reader have fired the first salvo across the bows of Amazon, in what has become the new battleground...proprietary file formats.

One of the main stumbling blocks for people joining the e-book reader revolution has been the fact that if they threw their hat in with one manufacturer, in the future any change in allegiances could result in an e-library that was unreadable and useless on their new choice. It seemed at the time, the time of the newness of the technology and the top ticket prices being asked for the devices, that this was a good idea. Most manufacturers had their own proprietary format, it seemed that only the smaller manufacturers, in their attempt to make their models more appealing, actually thought about this as a long term problem.

Fast forward to today, the electronic book readers gold rush has passed, we have been in the midst of a global down turn and buyers are looking for even more value. They are still there but they are in belt tightening mode and are in no mood to be screwed by anyone, something I have been saying has happened far to often in the past.

So the logical step, by manufacturers of these devices, had to be towards more openness. Sony Corp seem to have stolen a big start on Amazon with the recent announcement by Google that they will be backing the open ePub file format. This format is taking over from PDF as the preferred format to deliver free content, and we all know where Googles stand on that, with more and more publishing houses using this as their choice.

I don't think it is any coincidence that the newly announced Edition range of the Sony Digital Book Reader has support for this format and PDF as it coincided with the Google announcement. This must have come as a great shock over at planet Amazon. Their Kindle models, only recently upgraded, don't directly support ePub so are now at a distinct disadvantage to savvy electronic book readers. Those in the know are just not going to touch a Kindle at any price, and we all know Sony are going to do ever thing in their power to get the word across.

So what is ePub and why, all of a sudden, have two monster companies seemingly set out to shaft Amazon?

Epub file format is an open standard, lightweight format, specifically for text based electronic books, or eBooks as we all know them. Unlike PDF, epub automatically shrinks or expands text for various display sizes. This makes it far more electronic book readers friendly than PDF which was always intended as an image based format and does not react kindly to down sizing text for smaller screens. To answer the second part of the question we just need to look deep into Go ogles mind. They have always been firmly on the side of freedom of choice and delivering, to the masses, relevant content. It is not in their psyche to limit there reported million plus titles, available at Go ogle Books, to only certain readers who own certain models of ebook reader and so have come down firmly on the side of the Sony Digital Book Reader by choosing to use pub. This has brought together, either intentionaley or unintentionaley we will probably never know, to giants squaring off against the current market leader.

So earlier this year, just a few weeks ago actually, we had Sony announce that their Edition Range would use the ePub format and Steve Haber, of the Sony Digital Book Reader unit, saying that people wished to buy their digital downloads from all stores, not which store their electronic book readers would allow them to shop at. The Sony Digital Book Reader Daily Edition's main competition are the Kindle2 and DX, which at present are the best selling electronic book readers in this rapidly expanding market. They can not however easily handle the ePub format and need to buy Kindles proprietary file formatted books from a single source...Amazon, which is no longer good enough or acceptable to the buying public.

Tags: electronic book readers, sony digital book reader

Originally Published On Ezine Articles @ Electronic Book Readers

Copyright 2009 Noel Swinton All Rights Reserved

With the steady progression of technology and the amount of digital e book reader devices now available to buy, is it any wonder the e book reader industry is making a real come back. The falling prices, increased availability of reading material and our never ending desire for the latest must have gadget, has led thousands of us to buy e book reader devices in record numbers.

You really are spoiled for choice with models like, amongst others, Sony PRS 600, Kindle 2 and the Kindle DX, Iliad, BeeBook, Samsung and Ectaco, the competition between these companies has driven technological advancement as they each tempt you to buy their reader .Not all models are the same and one of the down sides attached to the purchase of a digital e book reader is the fact there is not, as yet, a standard format for electronic reader books. A Sony book reader can not be used with the Kindle 2, and vice versa, which could lead, should you ever change over makes of digital e book reader devices, to you not being able to use previously purchased books. This said, I would think that with the advancements in technology it would not be long before the industry overcomes this problem. If you choose your portable reader with care, taking into account not only the price but, amongst other things, the availability of books, file formats the reader supports and the standing of the manufacturer, then I see no problems on that front.

What digital e book reader devices do offer in bucket fulls is functionality. Not over the top functions just for the sake of it but functions that enhance our reading experience. The new phase, or second generation devices give users the latest advances in portable display resolutions, mainly through the e-ink technology used by the leading manufacturers, more user friendly features, a more sleeker, stylish design and a never before achieved weight to size ratio, with some models weighing in at a mere 185g. You can instantly move to and between pages, particular passages of text through advanced search modes, look up the meaning of certain words with inboard dictionary features and some of the more advanced digital e book reader devices allow you to make notes on your portable reader screen, just as you would do on paper.

The wireless connectivity offered by some digital e book reader devices, allows you to instantly browse the online book stores, such as the Kindle shop, and download directly onto your e book reader the novel of your choice or the days news papers from home or abroad and even browse the latest blog posts on over a thousand supported blogs...just how cool is that? And you can do all this safe in the knowledge that as with the screen technology, battery technology has also advance to the stage where one simple charge can last up to 7000 page turns.

When you buy digital e book reader devices you will also save heavily on the purchase price of books, over the price charge for normal printed material, this can offset, over time, the initial purchase price of the e book reader - depending on how much you read. You can buy a hardback book for as little as $10, for the e book reading devices, as opposed to possibly $20-$30 from the online book stalls or maybe $40 from your high street book shop. The savings made, as you can see, accumulate and in a short time you could have paid back that purchase price, but you will also have access to thousands of free titles. You can pick up free books from the likes of the Gutenberg.org, a project that releases, in electronic form, out of copyright material and has of this moment in excess of 20,000 titles for instant download onto your e book reader. There is also a large element of green savings. Think of the resources that are save, every time you download an e book, by not buying a traditional printed book. The carbon footprint reduction can be huge, no printing, no transport and no shop to run with all the lighting, heating and air con.

So you can probably now see the benefits gained when you buy digital e book reading devices, not just on the extra enjoyment you will get through the functionality of these highly portable devices but also the green aspect...something we should all be taking into account in our purchasing decisions.

What exactly is the E ink ebook reader, and moreover how does this forward-looking bit of technology render the Digital Books Reader legible even in intense sunlight.

To start with, let me merely explain the the whole story acceptably, e Ink deliver the features involved in e-paper displays, in fact they are leading suppliers. The knowledge behind e-ink has resulted in screens that are waffer thin, not so heavy, advanced in contrast that are able to be viewed at any position. They are also less severe on their energy supply than LCD, Plasma or TFT screens.

, you should get the drift how this expertise has made ebook readers develop into actually transportable. This is just half the tale as (if you are a notebook user you will be familiar with where I'm coming from here) the top problem with using these devices out side is sunshine, well essentially any dazzling natural brightness, makes it just about impossible to see any on screen impression. Not much good if truth be told then for open-air use.

Well the good news is that the greater part of the new electronic reading devices models make use of e-ink specification that screens images and wording on e-paper or epaper as it is better acknowledged. I will try to give explanation in layman language this know-how so you may better understand how it in reality works.

There are more than one sort of e-paper in employment at the moment. This e-paper is made from a sheer outside layer of material that is synthetic and furthermore conductive. In this coating are capsules holding lubricate that has black and white pigment particles hovering in it. As soon as such pigments are put under an electrical charge the capsules respond by turning either white or black comparable to fixed ink dots on paper. Conversely, by altering this load grey scales can be fashioned which facilitate the replica of newspaper, text, graphics and imagery on a display.

When formed, and if the load on the capsules does not alter, then the images or text shown on the screen will continue as before even once the device is switched off. This allows users of many of the latest ebook readers, for instance the Kindle , Ectaco or Sony prs30 , to read many hundreds of pages, may be even thousands, on one charge.

That naturally leads to one more trait of e paper. Every time you are reading the display, e ink know-how has uninvolved the necessity for a back luminosity, and much like with any conventional paper, physical or non-natural light is required when you read. Additionally, this puts far less of a pressure on the device's battery and, more importantly, much less pressure on a readers eyesight than say when you are reading from a notebook display or an Plasma small screen.

Beside those benefits I have just wrote about above, in all probability the most crucial benefit of these e ink ebook reader and furthermore the one that changed the models from only reading ebooks into a truly digital book reader, as electronic-paper is helped by way of the reflection of illumination, be that normal or artificial, with the E-Ink e book reader you can function it in extensive rays and still the screen stops flawlessly comprehensible.

Consequently if you are searching for a kindle digital reader you need to make sure it is a reader that employs electronic paper. May be even better than that, decide on an e-ink ebook reader the #1 in e paper specification.

In this article, you are going to see which of the present crop of digital ebook readers are in reality a wireless portable reading device.

The ebook reader device market is moving ahead at an increasingly furious tempo, leaving in it's wake the bad press and downbeat consumer comments of the experimental days. This impetus is motivated by the technical advances being completed by the makers, screens that are more paper like and bigger, faster page turn with negative pause or glimmer, improved battery life for longer between charge use, improved storage facility so you can amass complete volumes of periodicals on one diminutive reader device, every one of these improvements go to fade out the memory of those initial time.

As potential buyer, you are in all probability wondering, what with the latest spate of modern digital books reader devices making it onto the shelves, what is the distinction between all those digital books reader devices?

Anyhow one has to be outlay...Sony a short time ago released their Pocket Edition prs300 and in the United States are advertising it for under 200 USD and a high-quality purchase it is as well. Cool-er, a funky i-podesq reader device, is also approximately that price which makes it a passable purchase also, and I can go on. These models are worth a peek if you in reality fancy a digital book reader that only reads books, and for the best part that is everything people are looking for, however if you are searching for a reader digital books that to a certain aspect is future proof then perhaps you ought to be looking for a wireless reading device.

Wireless connectivity may be misleading as you in all probability imagine the wireless link used with your notebook. With wireless connectivity while used on a revolutionary wireless reading device, the client is able to link up to the Internet because of the 3G cell network, no necessity for hotspots. On the move, be that in the automobile, on a train, on foot, in truth where you can get a signal, you can peruse the breaking news bulletins, inspect your favorite blog and download magazines devoid of the requirement for a notebook. You can most likely understand this is the prospect of revolutionary wireless reading device, this is somewhere all manufacturers need to be to continue in what is rapidly becoming a multi million dollar commerce.

So which of the modern of digital ebook readers are a wireless reading device? The Kindle2 has set the standard for this form of ebook reading device giving users free right of use to the web via the Whispernet wireless service, a argument you need to take into deliberation when comparing prices. Their entry point model, the Kindle, can be brought for more or less $250 at several on the web stores. Amazon also cater for the small business consumer with their impressive Kindle DX, complete close to 1:1 A4 display and for a second time on the house wireless internet connection through Whispernet wireless services. Another producer that has wi-fi is the Dutch company iRex Technologies. Their wireless connection is more similar to what net users are intimate with. Their iLiad second version model arrives kitted out with the complete Linux operating system and effortlessly links directly, by ethernet or wi-fi hi-speed connectivity, to the iRex distribution service. iLiad, like Amazon cater for the industry/authority client by means of their specific wireless enabled iRex Electronic Books Reader device 1000 S. Yet again this is capable of producing close to 1:1 copy of an letter sized article, good for workplace and field use. With this example however, they use subsequent generation touch monitor technology along side their wireless connectivity that further enhances the 1000s appeal.

There is another one to continue on the look out for in the future, as it is only now being tested on the Japanese community, is the colour display Fujitsu FLEPia. At the time of writing information is unreliable however it has wi-fi potential, a browser, is reported to draw on the Micro Soft Windows O/S that allows users to email, use windows software applications, a touch display and stylus for making comments and supports file formats that can allow owners to download digital-periodicals from the top online e book stalls in the world.

As you can now clearly see, a electronic readers come in different guises but the one thing that separates a digital books reader from a wireless portable reading device is who makes it.