Sony PRS505 in Canada - Page 2

Barcey · 04-15-2008, 07:19 AM

That's interesting. When I've tried to purchase a couple of audio books from Audible I've had the message come up that "This selection is not available in your area", but I have not come across this when purchasing Mobipocket e-books.

balok · 04-15-2008, 08:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barcey

Just noticed that the Sony is available on www.sonystyle.ca

Mention of the prs505 is in English only, of course. Canada's only true official language.

TadW · 04-15-2008, 08:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by balok

Mention of the prs505 is in English only, of course. Canada's only true official language.

... says someone who lives in Québec?

astra · 04-15-2008, 08:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by balok

Mention of the prs505 is in English only, of course. Canada's only true official language.

Are there books in French in Sony bookstore or any other store that sell lrf files?

NatCh · 04-15-2008, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alexander Turcic

You may have also noticed that on April 10, 2008, the Sony eBook Store has updated both, its TOS and Privacy Policy.

Excerpt TOS:

Quote:

7.2. Territory. The Service is only available for use by users with a credit card with a United States or Canadian billing address ....

That suggests that it may already be possible to access the eBookstore with a Canadian Credit Card ... has anyone given it a try yet?

Barcey · 04-15-2008, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by balok

Mention of the prs505 is in English only, of course. Canada's only true official language.

The have the news release out now. They've excluded Sony Retail stores in Quebec. I hope this is temporary.

http://www.sony.ca/view/press_514.htm

Quote:

April 14, 2008

Sony unveils Reader Digital Book in Canada

Features Ground-breaking Technology and Access to More Than 40,000 Book Titles

TORONTO – The wish of avid readers and technology buffs comes true this month with the debut of the Reader Digital Book from Sony in Canada.

The Reader (PRS-505) fulfills the promise of electronic reading in a way that no other device does; coupling an innovative electronic paper display with simple on-screen controls and stylish design. The Reader's controls closely mimic paper page turns and allow for quick, intuitive navigation. The high-resolution electronic paper display with its fast response and high contrast ratio, delivers a realistic print look that rivals traditional paper and results in crisp text and graphics that are readable even in direct sunlight. And the option to magnify the text in three sizes offers an easy to read experience.

Travelers can carry as much as they want to read whether they are traveling across the globe or just around the corner. With the capacity to store up to 160 typical eBooks, and expansion slots for Memory Stick Duo™ media or SD memory cards, the Reader acts as a practically limitless mobile library. And with battery life equivalent to approximately 7,500 continuous page turns, readers can devour multiple bestsellers without having to recharge.

"The Reader allows people on the go to carry a wide variety of reading materials whether they are on a flight, in a waiting room, or outdoors," said Gabrielle Holmes, Director of Marketing, Portable Audio, Sony of Canada Ltd. "The Reader can handle a stack of books as well as other documents, yet offers a ‘book-like' reading experience unavailable with other electronic devices."

The eBook Store from Sony
Sony's online eBook store offers a broad and growing selection of fiction and non-fiction, bestsellers, well-known authors, classics and more, with rich descriptive content in the form of author biographies, expert book reviews and reader commentary. Close to 40,000 eBook titles are available to download to the Reader via the companion PC software, with new ones added daily. Explore the eBook Store at http://ebookstore.sony.com

In addition to electronic books, the Reader can also store and display personal and business documents in Adobe PDF format, RTF, text and JPEG images. The USB-based mass storage capability allows the device to be used as a portable drive for the direct transfer of documents, images and other files. An auto sync feature also lets users set up folders with books and documents that can be automatically synchronized when the device is connected to a PC.

Pricing and Availability
The Reader comes complete with USB cable, soft protective cover, and eBook Library software and will be available for sale at the end of April at www.sonystyle.ca , and at Sony Style retail stores across Canada (excluding Quebec) for an MSRP of $299.

About Sony of Canada Ltd.
Established in 1955, Sony of Canada Ltd. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Corporation, of Tokyo, Japan, a world leader in High Definition. Sony provides end-to-end solutions through products that include the market-leading Blu-ray player, BRAVIA televisions, Cyber-shot digital cameras, Handycam Camcorders, VAIO computers, broadcast cameras, IPELA security cameras and video conferencing and many more products that deliver the true entertainment experience.

Sony is one of the most comprehensive entertainment companies in the world with a portfolio that includes electronics, music, movies, games and online businesses.

With headquarters in Toronto, sales offices in Vancouver and Montreal and distribution centres in Coquitlam, British Columbia, and Whitby, Ontario, approximately 1,200 employees support a network of more than 500 authorized dealers and 79 Sony stores across Canada.

Sony Canada is proud to support the communities in which it operates through corporate sponsorships of organizations that include the Make-a-Wish Foundation Canada, the United Way and Earth Day Canada.

For more information contact:
Sony of Canada
Candice Hayman
Public Relations Specialist
(416) 718-5048
candice_hayman@sony.ca

astra · 04-15-2008, 11:36 AM

I believe the reason is that Sony Reader supports books in English only.

igorsk · 04-15-2008, 11:39 AM

Actually, it can display French books just fine. I suspect the issue is the lack of French interface in Reader and ebook store, and also the lack of the actual French books in the store.

astra · 04-15-2008, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by igorsk

Actually, it can display French books just fine. I suspect the issue is the lack of French interface in Reader and ebook store, and also the lack of the actual French book in the store.

Omg. Right. I confused it with BD...

balok · 04-15-2008, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barcey

The have the news release out now. They've excluded Sony Retail stores in Quebec. I hope this is temporary.

As I said, French must not be an official language of Canada outside of Quebec. Canadians are bilingual, as long as their first language is French.

Guesser · 04-15-2008, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by balok

As I said, French must not be an official language of Canada outside of Quebec. Canadians are bilingual, as long as their first language is French.

I think what happened here is that Sony didn't want to make the investment necessary to support a French release at this time. With that being the case, it's understandable that they wouldn't put up a French page for the reader at the same time (they may not choose to support a French release at all, so they don't want to make promises or invite disappointment).

This sort of thing can be frustrating, but if Sony were required to make a simultaneous French release in order to enter the Canadian market, then they may choose to overlook Canada entirely or the price of Canadian releases of products could be more significantly increased. This is some of the frustration and reality of living in a domestic market (considering the US and Canada together here) dominated by English speakers, but I think this is more business and personal convenience than any disrespect to French speakers (though I think it's safe to say that people at Sony and many companies are aware that to make an English-only release in Canada results in some bad PR).

yvanleterrible · 04-15-2008, 07:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by balok

Mention of the prs505 is in English only, of course. Canada's only true official language.

Va chier sti!

yvanleterrible · 04-15-2008, 07:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by igorsk

Actually, it can display French books just fine. I suspect the issue is the lack of French interface in Reader and ebook store, and also the lack of the actual French books in the store.

I might be wrong but I believe it could do with copyright laws. There is no special interface needed for French other than the accents; which are supported. There are ebooks in France, I have a few so I don't see anything else than lawyereese stopping Sony.

simonp · 04-15-2008, 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yvanleterrible

Va chier sti!

Ditto.

Though I would add, Canada has three official languages: French, English and hockey.

yvanleterrible · 04-15-2008, 08:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by simonp

Ditto.

Though I would add, Canada has three official languages: French, English and hockey.

Pi t'oublies le joual!

04-15-2008, 11:39 AM	#23
igorsk Wizard Posts: 3,442 Karma: 300001 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Belgium Device: PRS-500/505/700, Kindle, Cybook Gen3, Words Gear	Actually, it can display French books just fine. I suspect the issue is the lack of French interface in Reader and ebook store, and also the lack of the actual French books in the store. Last edited by igorsk; 04-15-2008 at 11:56 AM.

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04-15-2008, 07:19 AM	#16
Barcey Wizard Posts: 1,531 Karma: 8059866 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Canada Device: Kobo H2O / Aura HD / Glo / iPad3	That's interesting. When I've tried to purchase a couple of audio books from Audible I've had the message come up that "This selection is not available in your area", but I have not come across this when purchasing Mobipocket e-books.

04-15-2008, 11:36 AM	#22
astra The Introvert Posts: 8,307 Karma: 1000077497 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: United Kingdom Device: Sony Reader PRS-650 & 505 & 500	I believe the reason is that Sony Reader supports books in English only.