Sony Connect bookstore to reach 100,000 titles

rhadin · 10-03-2008, 04:11 PM

According to a report on Ars Technica, Sony's vice president of digital reading, Steve Haber, stated that:

Quote:

Sony plans to have 100,000 titles available by the holidays (although that's still just about half the Kindle's content) and its trained sales teams should be in the stores by then.

If true, that will be a significant jump in available content.

grooks · 10-03-2008, 05:14 PM

Definitely a step in the right direction. I wonder if some or most of that content will be in epub format or if Sony will continue to push their proprietary format.

vivaldirules · 10-03-2008, 05:22 PM

No epub, please! It's not a replacement for a nicely formatted Sony formatted ebook.

khourianya · 10-03-2008, 05:32 PM

Now THIS is a great announcement! I was lukewarm about the new reader. For me it's all about the content!

koland · 10-03-2008, 08:00 PM

Well, they do now have 103 A. Clarke short stories, so the number is increasing....

Amazon uses similar number inflaters -- both push titles, not "books" available.

And although it is all about the content, to me it's more the "affordable content". I'd hate to be locked into Sony's store and prices.

Seabound · 10-04-2008, 10:03 PM

Yeah, this would be great. And if they could drop prices some more, that would be excellent. How many titles does the Sony ebook store currently have?

Ervserver · 10-04-2008, 11:26 PM

a positive step by Sony

HarryT · 10-05-2008, 05:33 AM

When they say "holidays", do they mean Christmas?

Dave Berk · 10-05-2008, 06:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

When they say "holidays", do they mean Christmas?

I assume so. In our multicultural new world, it seems like Christmas has become something of a non PC word. Don't ask me why.

HarryT · 10-05-2008, 06:54 AM

That sort of thing really bugs me. I'm not a Christian, but I acknowledge that what's being celebrated at that time of year is Christmas

. (Although the early Christian church, of course, simply "took over" the Roman winter solstice festival of Saturnalia.)

JSWolf · 10-05-2008, 08:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

When they say "holidays", do they mean Christmas?

Holidays means Hanukkah, Quanzah (sp?), Christmas, and any other holidays I may have missed. Just saying Christmas is not correct as December has more then Just Christmas as a holiday.

HarryT · 10-05-2008, 08:22 AM

With respect, Jon, that's very much a case of altering the "facts" retrospectively

. You know better than I do that the Jewish festival of Hannukah is a very minor festival indeed and one that one does not take "time off" for - ie it's not a "holiday". The fact that it occurs at a similar time to the Christian festival of Christmas is a pure coincidence.

As for "Kwanza" - that's a purely "invented" holiday which nobody outside the USA has ever heard of

.

JSWolf · 10-05-2008, 08:32 AM

I hate to say this, but Hanukkah is not a minor holiday. The reason we don't get time off is because it takes place at night after sunset. So we don't actually need the day off. And if we were to take the day off, we'd take 8 days off. Christmas is an all day type holiday. That doesn't make it any more major. But remember, just because it isn't celebrated as much by the big department stores does make Christmas any more real.

HarryT · 10-05-2008, 08:34 AM

I'm not saying that Christmas is any more or less "real" than any other holiday. Just that the fact that one gets a day off on 25th December is because of Christmas, and that to pretend otherwise is just "political correctness" at its worst (IMHO).

The reason I consider Hannukah to be a minor festival is that unlike, for example, the celebrations for Passover or the Jewish new year, Jews are permitted to work as normal during Hannukah - it has no special "rules" associated with it. It's only in the US that it's taken on extra "significance" purely because of its entirely coincidental proximity to Christmas.

julia103 · 10-05-2008, 12:43 PM

Getting off-topic but chiming in anyhow as this is one of my pet peeves. Every year I have to use vacation days because I won't work on Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur. Those are the two most important Jewish holidays. Even though I am not very observant, I can't imagine going to work on those days. The Christians that I work with don't have to use vacation time for their two most important holidays (Christmas and Easter) because our company is closed on those days. I sometimes take time off for Passover, but that's usually to travel to a family Seder in another city, not because I won't work during that holiday. Hanukkah is a minor holiday - it doesn't occur to me to take time off.

On the other hand, Hanukkah is traditionally a gift-giving holiday and has become even more so due to its proximity to Christmas, so Sony is correct: "The holidays" = "the season when people spend money on gifts (whether or not they celebrate Christmas)".

Hmm... maybe I'll ask for a PRS700 for Hanukkah this year. Or (getting back on topic) a gift card to the "expanded" Sony Connect Bookstore

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10-03-2008, 05:14 PM	#2
grooks Wizard Posts: 1,326 Karma: 30250 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Fort Myers, FL Device: Pocketbook Era, Kobo Forma	Definitely a step in the right direction. I wonder if some or most of that content will be in epub format or if Sony will continue to push their proprietary format.

10-03-2008, 05:22 PM	#3
vivaldirules When's Doughnut Day? Posts: 10,059 Karma: 13675475 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Houston, TX, US Device: Sony PRS-505, iPad	No epub, please! It's not a replacement for a nicely formatted Sony formatted ebook.

10-03-2008, 05:32 PM	#4
khourianya TechnoBookworm Posts: 99 Karma: 7844 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Langdon, Alberta Canada Device: Sony PRS-505, Samsung Galaxy Tab, Kobo Glo, Kobo Mini	Now THIS is a great announcement! I was lukewarm about the new reader. For me it's all about the content!

10-03-2008, 08:00 PM	#5
koland Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,560 Karma: 8033155 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: TN, USA Device: kindle(all), nook, nookcolor, Sony, Kobo, epic, iphone, iPad, pc	Well, they do now have 103 A. Clarke short stories, so the number is increasing.... Amazon uses similar number inflaters -- both push titles, not "books" available. And although it is all about the content, to me it's more the "affordable content". I'd hate to be locked into Sony's store and prices.

10-04-2008, 10:03 PM	#6
Seabound Steerage Class Posts: 711 Karma: 505995 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Pacific Northwest, USA Device: Won't fit here anymore, see sig for a list of liseuses.	Yeah, this would be great. And if they could drop prices some more, that would be excellent. How many titles does the Sony ebook store currently have?

10-04-2008, 11:26 PM	#7
Ervserver Wizard Posts: 2,624 Karma: 1008294 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Iowa, USA Device: Nook Simple Touch	a positive step by Sony

10-05-2008, 05:33 AM	#8
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	When they say "holidays", do they mean Christmas?

10-05-2008, 06:54 AM	#10
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	That sort of thing really bugs me. I'm not a Christian, but I acknowledge that what's being celebrated at that time of year is Christmas . (Although the early Christian church, of course, simply "took over" the Roman winter solstice festival of Saturnalia.)

10-05-2008, 08:22 AM	#12
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	With respect, Jon, that's very much a case of altering the "facts" retrospectively . You know better than I do that the Jewish festival of Hannukah is a very minor festival indeed and one that one does not take "time off" for - ie it's not a "holiday". The fact that it occurs at a similar time to the Christian festival of Christmas is a pure coincidence. As for "Kwanza" - that's a purely "invented" holiday which nobody outside the USA has ever heard of .

10-05-2008, 08:32 AM	#13
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 79,169 Karma: 144284184 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	I hate to say this, but Hanukkah is not a minor holiday. The reason we don't get time off is because it takes place at night after sunset. So we don't actually need the day off. And if we were to take the day off, we'd take 8 days off. Christmas is an all day type holiday. That doesn't make it any more major. But remember, just because it isn't celebrated as much by the big department stores does make Christmas any more real.

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10-05-2008, 08:34 AM	#14
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	I'm not saying that Christmas is any more or less "real" than any other holiday. Just that the fact that one gets a day off on 25th December is because of Christmas, and that to pretend otherwise is just "political correctness" at its worst (IMHO). The reason I consider Hannukah to be a minor festival is that unlike, for example, the celebrations for Passover or the Jewish new year, Jews are permitted to work as normal during Hannukah - it has no special "rules" associated with it. It's only in the US that it's taken on extra "significance" purely because of its entirely coincidental proximity to Christmas.

10-05-2008, 12:43 PM	#15
julia103 Connoisseur Posts: 71 Karma: 212 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Baltimore MD Device: Sony PRS-505	Getting off-topic but chiming in anyhow as this is one of my pet peeves. Every year I have to use vacation days because I won't work on Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur. Those are the two most important Jewish holidays. Even though I am not very observant, I can't imagine going to work on those days. The Christians that I work with don't have to use vacation time for their two most important holidays (Christmas and Easter) because our company is closed on those days. I sometimes take time off for Passover, but that's usually to travel to a family Seder in another city, not because I won't work during that holiday. Hanukkah is a minor holiday - it doesn't occur to me to take time off. On the other hand, Hanukkah is traditionally a gift-giving holiday and has become even more so due to its proximity to Christmas, so Sony is correct: "The holidays" = "the season when people spend money on gifts (whether or not they celebrate Christmas)". Hmm... maybe I'll ask for a PRS700 for Hanukkah this year. Or (getting back on topic) a gift card to the "expanded" Sony Connect Bookstore