Sony and the times

Fathermole · 05-14-2009, 10:57 AM

Here's the newest press from Sony

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-...14-709157.html

Here is a quote " The second part is more challenging. Sony must invigorate a product line-up turned staid in recent years. The new must-have products, according to Stringer, are networked devices, or electronic gadgets which link to a host of Web services like Amazon.com Inc.'s (AMZN) Kindle electronic reader.

The Kindle's success strikes at the heart of Sony's troubles. Sony's own eBook reader was available a year before the Kindle but has failed to become a hit like the Amazon product. Unlike the Kindle, Sony's eBook doesn't have wireless connectivity or offer access to newspapers or magazines. "

Jill75 · 05-14-2009, 11:28 AM

Its really a battle of technology. Sony must really catch up with the technology and boosts its sales and customers through linkage just like what Kindle and Amazon did.

Sporadic · 05-14-2009, 01:09 PM

I have to be honest, I wish they would bow out and team up with Amazon.

Sony has a flair for hardware but they always drop the ball when it comes to content.

notsure · 05-14-2009, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sporadic

I have to be honest, I wish they would bow out and team up with Amazon.

Sony has a flair for hardware but they always drop the ball when it comes to content.

I love my new Sony Reader... at first I wanted a Kindle but since they've ignored Canada completely, at the time, it seemed like the next best thing.

Now that I've had it for a few weeks I'm happy I didn't get the Kindle. I seem to have much more freedom with the Sony.

I do not want them to "bow out".

dauwhe · 05-14-2009, 01:17 PM

But the Sony Reader supports the ePub standard, and has far more capability to render complex designs than the Kindle.

I'm not sure how Sony would benefit by teaming up with Amazon?

Dave

porkupan · 05-14-2009, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fathermole

The Kindle's success strikes at the heart of Sony's troubles. Sony's own eBook reader was available a year before the Kindle but has failed to become a hit like the Amazon product. Unlike the Kindle, Sony's eBook doesn't have wireless connectivity or offer access to newspapers or magazines.

I believe the author of this article is totally wrong in his/her assertion that Amazon has become a success while the Sony Reader has not. Well, Amazon sure did make a lot more noise - maybe in the U.S. more people have heard about it than about the Reader.

However, the Reader has been a huge success in its own right. It doesn't depend on Sprint CDMA network, so it has been sold throughout the world. Arguably it has a better design and better ergonomics. It is not heavily subsidized by the manufacturer (Amazon, I suspect, is losing money on Kindle and Wispernet).

porkupan · 05-14-2009, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sporadic

I have to be honest, I wish they would bow out and team up with Amazon.

Or maybe it's the other way around? Amazon should bow out and team up with Sony? Why won't you find out if Amazon is actually making money on Kindle?

Phogg · 05-14-2009, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sporadic

I have to be honest, I wish they would bow out and team up with Amazon.

Sony has a flair for hardware but they always drop the ball when it comes to content.

I have to be honest. If Amazon comes anywhere near monopoly dominance in any portion of their business, I will be leading the demand for an antitrust breakup even if it leaves all of their electronic customers orphaned.

OnlyMe · 05-14-2009, 03:35 PM

Don't forget that Sony did not have Opra selling its praises like the Kindle did.

grooks · 05-14-2009, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sporadic

I have to be honest, I wish they would bow out and team up with Amazon.

Sony has a flair for hardware but they always drop the ball when it comes to content.

I think they initially dropped the ball on content when there only content was the Sony ebookstore. Since then they were the first to accept epub and Adobe Digital Editions opening up whole new sources of ebook content. The Sony ebookstore is mediocre but Sony was never a software giant.

I would not like to see a teaming up of Amazon and Sony. Amazon would force the dropping of epub and lock all devices to their store and azw format. Amazon seems like they want to control the hardware and software as opposed to Sony who is a hardware company and will let others handle the software.

I think both business models can prosper as each individual consumer has different requirements for their reading devices. Multiple readers are good for competition.

purl4peace · 05-14-2009, 09:27 PM

The author assumes that everyone wants to read newspapers on their reader. I don't. I want to control what is placed on my reader, when and by whom. Amazon's "whispernet" big-brother thing creeps me out as does their attempts to monopolize where you buy content.

I had a Sony PRS-505 (two actually) and a Cybook. I got a Kindle 2 for free and at first I was really excited. I really wanted to like it. I figured I would have access to so many more books. Turns out that for the titles I was looking for, there were very few that I could not find for the Sony. I prefer the Sony for reading. I prefer the folders. I prefer having the SD slot where I can place all my books and switch between devices. Battery life is much better. Sony is much better looking and feeling. I even like the Cybook better than the Kindle for many of the same reasons (though lack of folders is a big drag!!)

There was ONE thing I liked better about the Kindle -- I loved the cover which has a wonderfully soft flannel lining and that folds back completely on itself. That was it... the one thing that I liked better.

I just sold the Kindle. I won't be getting another one... I'll wait for Sony to come out with their large format reader. I'll even continue to buy books from the Sony bookstore to help keep them in business.

lilac_jive · 05-14-2009, 09:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnlyMe

Don't forget that Sony did not have Opra selling its praises like the Kindle did.

Yeah but they had Ellen, who is way better anyway.

purl4peace · 05-14-2009, 09:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lilac_jive

Yeah but they had Ellen, who is way better anyway.

If we could get the Obama vote, Sony would have it sewn up! It would be easy... all we would have to do is point out to the Democrats that Bush has a Kindle...

Sporadic · 05-14-2009, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dauwhe

But the Sony Reader supports the ePub standard, and has far more capability to render complex designs than the Kindle.

I'm not sure how Sony would benefit by teaming up with Amazon?

Dave

Sony could focus on hardware and Amazon can focus on Skynet the Amazon store and crushing nerds' dreams

- edit Seriously though, no normal person actually cares about ePub. It's .OGG and the iPod all over again. The demand is loud in an echo chamber like this but in the end it won't matter at all.

brecklundin · 05-15-2009, 02:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by purl4peace

If we could get the Obama vote, Sony would have it sewn up! It would be easy... all we would have to do is point out to the Democrats that Bush has a Kindle...

That is soooo wrong (and yet somehow, correct...notice I did not write "right")....you made Soy Milk come out of my nose!! hahahaha...too funny...

05-14-2009, 10:57 AM	#1
Fathermole Connoisseur Posts: 64 Karma: 46 Join Date: May 2008 Location: Canada Eh! Device: PRS 505	Sony and the times Here's the newest press from Sony http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-...14-709157.html Here is a quote " The second part is more challenging. Sony must invigorate a product line-up turned staid in recent years. The new must-have products, according to Stringer, are networked devices, or electronic gadgets which link to a host of Web services like Amazon.com Inc.'s (AMZN) Kindle electronic reader. The Kindle's success strikes at the heart of Sony's troubles. Sony's own eBook reader was available a year before the Kindle but has failed to become a hit like the Amazon product. Unlike the Kindle, Sony's eBook doesn't have wireless connectivity or offer access to newspapers or magazines. " Last edited by Fathermole; 05-14-2009 at 11:00 AM.

05-14-2009, 09:27 PM	#11
purl4peace Mommy of Many Interests Posts: 139 Karma: 660 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Wake Forest, NC Device: Kindle DX, Sony PRS-505, Cybook Gen3	The Murdoch Street Journal isn't exactly unbiased any more... The author assumes that everyone wants to read newspapers on their reader. I don't. I want to control what is placed on my reader, when and by whom. Amazon's "whispernet" big-brother thing creeps me out as does their attempts to monopolize where you buy content. I had a Sony PRS-505 (two actually) and a Cybook. I got a Kindle 2 for free and at first I was really excited. I really wanted to like it. I figured I would have access to so many more books. Turns out that for the titles I was looking for, there were very few that I could not find for the Sony. I prefer the Sony for reading. I prefer the folders. I prefer having the SD slot where I can place all my books and switch between devices. Battery life is much better. Sony is much better looking and feeling. I even like the Cybook better than the Kindle for many of the same reasons (though lack of folders is a big drag!!) There was ONE thing I liked better about the Kindle -- I loved the cover which has a wonderfully soft flannel lining and that folds back completely on itself. That was it... the one thing that I liked better. I just sold the Kindle. I won't be getting another one... I'll wait for Sony to come out with their large format reader. I'll even continue to buy books from the Sony bookstore to help keep them in business.

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05-14-2009, 11:28 AM	#2
Jill75 Zealot Posts: 135 Karma: 150 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: none	Its really a battle of technology. Sony must really catch up with the technology and boosts its sales and customers through linkage just like what Kindle and Amazon did.

05-14-2009, 01:09 PM	#3
Sporadic Banned Posts: 427 Karma: 2690 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Kindle 1	I have to be honest, I wish they would bow out and team up with Amazon. Sony has a flair for hardware but they always drop the ball when it comes to content.

05-14-2009, 01:17 PM	#5
dauwhe <geek type="xml"/> Posts: 22 Karma: 276 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Greenfield, Massachusetts, USA Device: Kindle, Kindle 2, Sony Reader, iPod Touch	But the Sony Reader supports the ePub standard, and has far more capability to render complex designs than the Kindle. I'm not sure how Sony would benefit by teaming up with Amazon? Dave

05-14-2009, 03:35 PM	#9
OnlyMe Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2009 Device: none	Don't forget that Sony did not have Opra selling its praises like the Kindle did.